Approach and Preliminary Results for Early Growth Technology Analysis

35 Pages Posted: 24 Sep 2009

See all articles by Blaine Ziegler

Blaine Ziegler

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Ayse Kaya Firat

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Stuart Madnick

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management

Wei Lee Woon

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST)

Steven Camina

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Clare Li

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Erik Fogg

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Date Written: September 24, 2009

Abstract

Even experts cannot be fully aware of all the promising developments in broad and complex fields of technology, such as renewable energy. Fortunately, there exist many diverse sources of information that report new technological developments, such as journal publications, news stories, and blogs. However, the volume of data contained in these sources is enormous; it would be difficult for a human to read and digest all of this information - especially in a timely manner. This paper describes a novel application of technology mining techniques to these diverse information sources to study, visualize, and identify the evolution of promising new technologies - a challenge we call 'early growth technology analysis.' For the work reported herein, we use as inputs information about millions of published documents contained in sources such as SCIRCUS, Inspec, and Compendex. We accomplish this analysis through the use of bibliometric analysis, consisting of three key steps: 1. Extract related keywords (from keywords in articles) 2. Determine the annual occurrence frequencies of these keywords 3. Identify those exhibiting rapid growth, particularly if starting from a low base. To provide a focus for the experiments and subsequent discussions, a pilot study was conducted in the area of 'renewable energy,' though the techniques and methods developed are neutral to the domain of study. Preliminary results and conclusions from the case study are presented and are discussed in the context of the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Suggested Citation

Ziegler, Blaine and Kaya Firat, Ayse and Madnick, Stuart E. and Woon, Wei Lee and Camina, Steven and Li, Clare and Fogg, Erik, Approach and Preliminary Results for Early Growth Technology Analysis (September 24, 2009). MIT Sloan Research Paper No. 4756-09, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1478001 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1478001

Blaine Ziegler (Contact Author)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science ( email )

77 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

Ayse Kaya Firat

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science ( email )

77 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

Stuart E. Madnick

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )

E53-321
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States
617-253-6671 (Phone)
617-253-3321 (Fax)

Wei Lee Woon

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) ( email )

MASDAR
PO Box 54115
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

Steven Camina

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Electrical Engineering and Computer Science ( email )

77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States

Clare Li

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ( email )

77 Massachusetts Avenue
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States

Erik Fogg

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ( email )

77 Massachusetts Avenue
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States

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