AMNovember 27 2016, 9:31 PMNovember 29 2016, 7:59 AM Data scientists in China are using big data related to daily web searches to help build a better understanding of the country 's economy . The world 's largest trading nation lacks key economic metrics like market - based unemployment rates and private manufacturing , and official statistics are often unreliable or incomplete . Hence , global investors are looking to big data from operators such as online search engine Baidu , card processor company UnionPay or e - commerce giant Alibaba to gain a clearer understanding of the Chinese economy .
Data scientists in China are using big data related to daily web searches to help build a better understanding of the country 's economy . The world 's largest trading nation lacks key economic metrics like market - based unemployment rates and private manufacturing , and official statistics are often unreliable or incomplete . Hence , global investors are looking to big data from operators such as online search engine Baidu , card processor company UnionPay or e - commerce giant Alibaba to gain a clearer understanding of the Chinese economy .