"More information and technology centres will be built so that basic data and big data can be improved, and technologies like 5G and the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System can be used in the field," said Han Fujun, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Information Center of MARA.

Who can blame Michael Geoghegan, chief executive of HSBC, for warning of the possibility of a double-dip recession when there is so much conflicting data around?

Tayloe Stansbury, Intuit's chief technology officer, says that most of the firm's data mining is geared to helping its customers.