QINGDAO — The first big database for international shipping will be established in East China’s port city of Qingdao.

The 5 billion yuan ($787 million) project includes a big data exchange, a research academy, an industrial park and a big data center, according to an official with the Qingdao International Shipping Service Center.

The center signed a strategic agreement to jointly develop the base with AsiaInfo, a leading provider of high-quality software and solutions in China, at an international ocean forum held here on Oct 30.

“The construction of the base will push the modernization of Qingdao’s shipping industry and its integration with information technologies,” said the official.