For Xu Yun, the massive caches of online data are like goldmines waiting to be explored.

Based in Beijing's Zhongguancun high-tech zone, the company where Xu works analyzes the browsing behaviors of China's 500 million Internet users.

But realizing big data's even bigger potential requires intellectual property support, which is why Xu's company was selected to host patent officials as part of a program the State Intellectual Property Office launched last year.