The first national big data lab was founded at the end of last month in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province. Serving as a cross-regional cooperation platform, it is expected to attract global researchers, managers and decision makers in the big data industry.

An achievement under the Beijing-Guizhou partnership, the lab also marks the latest efforts by the local government to develop the big data business.

The Internet has given Guiyang and Guizhou a great opportunity, as the development of the big data industry, including cloud computing, services for intelligent transportation, logistics and tourism, was written into Guizhou's annual work report in 2015, said Xu Hao, deputy mayor of Guiyang.

"Although Guizhou is one of the lowest-ranked provinces in terms of GDP, its cool climate, adequate power supply and transportation networks are advantages in attracting data centers and cloud computing projects," he said.

Guizhou's annual average temperature of about 15 C coupled with its good air quality has made the province one of the most popular tourism destinations in China.

The steady climate also helps reduce energy costs for big data and cloud computing servers, which makes the region a good place for data centers to be set up.

"With its excellent ecological advantages and abundant resources in water and coal, which will reduce the cost of electricity, Guizhou has a promising future in developing the big data and cloud computing industry," said Chen Xi, a researcher for the reform and development institute at the Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences.

Many technological firms have recognized the natural and climatic advantages of the city. Terry Gou, board chairman of Foxconn Technology Group, said he made the decision to invest in the province within a year.

"Upon my arrival during my first visit, I saw a city with the concept of good ecology," Gou recalled. He said his investment should be eco-friendly to help preserve the environment in the province.

The city is also home to Global Big Data Exchange Co, the world's first big data exchange market. Launched in mid-April, it now has more than 130 member companies and boasts a wide range of data from various sectors, including transportation, health, financing and local governments.

The exchange market had completed more than 2,700 deals by the end of last month, with turnover topping 13 million yuan ($2.1 million).

Wang Sanshou, CEO of the exchange, said the market would blossom into a national platform in five years, with about 10,000 members, when the average daily transaction value is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan.

The White Paper for China's Big Data Technology and Industry Development 2014, released at the Big Data Technology Conference in December, noted that an industry chain of big data was forming in China, with improved foundations and qualifications.

With an improving IT industry business environment, many regional governments in China have unveiled their plans for the big data industry, and many universities and research institutions have started training big data technicians.

A number of leading domestic high-tech companies, including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, have also expanded their businesses to the sector, using the technology for marketing, financing, telecommunication and new media.

A research and development trend report on big data was also unveiled at the conference. It predicted 10 future development trends of the industry, including integration with artificial intelligence, applications in cross-field data analysis and using big data to improve government services.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn