Baidu Data Research Reveals China's Ghost Cities (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Chinese web services giant, Baidu, has embarked on a new study in which it uses location information from users' mobile devices, as well as mapping and building data, to identify areas with high volumes of construction with relatively low population densities — known as 'ghost cities.' The researchers, in the published findings Ghost Cities: Analysis Based on Positioning Data in China, were able to discount areas which experienced high levels of tourism which skew the figures in peak seasons. The Baidu Big Data team discovered 50 ghost cities, although only 20 of these were revealed in the report to avoid potential harm to the real estate market in these areas.

Comments

Oh noes, can't have anything threating land prices

[UnknownSoldier]

> although only 20 of these were revealed in the report to avoid potential harm to the real estate market in these areas.

Wow. This is a new low for capitalism. Can't reveal facts because someone might lose money if they ever came to light ! /sarcasm And here I thought only the USA had the best government money can buy.

There are no jobs for the Chinese there

[rsilvergun]

Why would it be any different for the refugees? It's kinda like when they relocated all those dirt poor black share croppers to the projects in the 70s and then Reagan pulled the funding sending them into a perpetual spiral of poverty. Did I say 'kinda'?

Re:Oh noes, can't have anything threating land pri

[Anonymous Coward]

Haha yeah. Frickin' China, man, it's crazy.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/north-carolina-bans-latest-science-rising-sea-level/story?id=16913782

Re:Home for refugees?

[quantaman]

They aren't looking for housing, they are looking for socialist freebies in the (still) richer part of Europe.

So you've uprooted your family to escape a really awful war zone and now need a new place to live, you have two options.

1) Stop in a country with a poor and fairly zenophobic population and very few people who share your religion or culture.

2) Stop in a country with a richer and less zenophobic population and communities of people who share your religion or culture.

Of course they're fleeing to the richer parts of Europe where some Muslims already live, they're rational people who want them and their children to have good lives, why wouldn't they? Would you really settle in a poor country if you were in their position?

As for settling them in the Chinese ghost cities they'd be put in a very difficult position without other people who shared their culture or language and living in a country who doesn't really know how to deal with immigrant populations, it probably wouldn't be their first choice.