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Selected Works

alan l porter

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Science and Technology Studies

Forecasting Innovation Pathways For New And Emerging Science & Technologies, Douglas Kr Robinson, Lu Huang, Ying Guo, Alan L. Porter Jan 2013

Forecasting Innovation Pathways For New And Emerging Science & Technologies, Douglas Kr Robinson, Lu Huang, Ying Guo, Alan L. Porter

alan l porter

New & Emerging Science & Technologies (“NESTs”) promise tremendous innovation potential, but this is coupled with enormous uncertainties and often many unknowns. This paper offers a framework to analyze NESTs to help ascertain likely innovation pathways. We have devised a 10-step framework based on extensive Future-oriented Technology Analyses (“FTA”) experience, enriched by in-depth case analyses. In the paper, we describe our analytical activities in two case studies. The nanobiosensors experience is contrasted with that of deep brain stimulation in relative quantitative and qualitative emphases. We close the paper by reflecting on this systematic FTA framework for emerging science and technologies, …

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Validating Indicators Of Interdisciplinarity: Linking Bibliometric Measures To Studies Of Engineering Research Labs, David Roessner, Alan L. Porter, Nancy J. Nersessian, Stephen J. Carley Jan 2013

Validating Indicators Of Interdisciplinarity: Linking Bibliometric Measures To Studies Of Engineering Research Labs, David Roessner, Alan L. Porter, Nancy J. Nersessian, Stephen J. Carley

alan l porter

This article examines the extent to which specific features of interdisciplinary research are accurately reflected in selected bibliometric measures of scholarly publications over time. To test the validity of these measures, we compare knowledge of research processes and impact based on ethnographic studies of a well-established researcher’s laboratory, together with personal interview data, against bibliometric indicators of cognitive integration, diffusion, and impact represented in the entire portfolio of papers produced by this researcher over time.

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The Rcn (Research Coordination Network) Experiment: Can We Build New Research Networks?, Alan L. Porter, Todd A. Crowl, Jon Garner Jan 2012

The Rcn (Research Coordination Network) Experiment: Can We Build New Research Networks?, Alan L. Porter, Todd A. Crowl, Jon Garner

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The U.S. National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (RCN) program broke new ground in funding the development of new research communities of practice. This assessment of RCN supports the conclusion that networking activity was increased for a sample set of projects compared to a control group. Journal articles resulting from RCN support score as highly interdisciplinary. Moreover, those articles appear as notably influential, being published in high impact journals and being highly cited. The RCN program does indeed seem to be fostering new biological science research networks.

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Innovation Risk Path Assessing For A Newly Emerging Science & Technology: Illustrated For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Tingting Ma, Ying Guo, Alan L. Porter Jan 2012

Innovation Risk Path Assessing For A Newly Emerging Science & Technology: Illustrated For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Tingting Ma, Ying Guo, Alan L. Porter

alan l porter

For “Newly Emerging Science & Technologies” (“NESTs”), uncertainty is the major challenge. Technological innovation for NESTs faces many kinds of risks that dramatically affect their development paths. This paper combines methods of risk utility theory and technology path research and explores a new innovation risk path modeling method for NEST development. Here we apply selected tools from risk utility theory and technology path research to the NEST of special concern—Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). The case for DSSC commercialization is promising, but challengeable. The prospects for future development of DSSCs are good, with identifiable markets. Multi-party collaboration appears necessary in order …

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Text Clumping For Technical Intelligence, Alan L. Porter, Yi Zhang Jan 2012

Text Clumping For Technical Intelligence, Alan L. Porter, Yi Zhang

alan l porter

This chapter presents a stepwise process to clean and consolidate sizable phrase compilations. We focus on Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) information sets, typically in the form of abstract records retrieved from topical database searches (e.g., Web of Science, Derwent World Patent Index, Factiva). Our aim is to devise a semi-automated desktop process that can rapidly concentrate lists of informative terms and phrases. Those might then be reviewed by topic experts or otherwise processed to fuel further analyses to gain topic-intensive technical intelligence. We are expressly interested, as well, in further processing of such clumped phrases to generate interpretable topic …

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Empirically Informing A Technology Delivery System Model For An Emerging Technology: Illustrated For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Ying Guo, Chen Xu, Lu Huang, Alan L. Porter Jan 2012

Empirically Informing A Technology Delivery System Model For An Emerging Technology: Illustrated For Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Ying Guo, Chen Xu, Lu Huang, Alan L. Porter

alan l porter

This paper explores how to extract empirical knowledge from R&D, patent, and business literature compilations to help compose an innovation system model. It adapts the key elements and dynamics of “technology delivery system” modeling to a given Newly Emerging Science & Technology. We present a 10-step analytical approach to help characterize the technology, gauge its state of development, and depict the socio-technical system institutions and actors. We apply this to the case of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (“DSSCs”). A new “cross-charting” method appears effective at associating novel technology-enabled capabilities to gain functional advantages, and to link those functions to potential applications. …

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Characterizing A Technology Development At The Stage Of Early Emerging Applications: Nanomaterial-Enhanced Biosensors, Lu Huang, Ying Guo, Zhengchun Peng, Alan L. Porter Jan 2011

Characterizing A Technology Development At The Stage Of Early Emerging Applications: Nanomaterial-Enhanced Biosensors, Lu Huang, Ying Guo, Zhengchun Peng, Alan L. Porter

alan l porter

We devise Future-oriented Technology Analyses tools to investigate a technology at an interesting development stage of early emerging applications. At this stage, technologies show great potential with little established commercialization. Future development pathways are highly uncertain and heavily dependent on contextual interactions. We apply R&D profiling, R&D-to-Applications cross-charting, and Technology Delivery System modelling to help understand the phenomena that bear upon development prospects. We develop our approach through a two-tier case study: general treatment of nanomaterial-enhanced biosensors, followed by more specialized treatment of one subset of those. Results convey the importance of considering technological and social context factors together to …

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Assessment Of Brazil’S Research Literature, David J. Schoeneck, Alan L. Porter, Ronald N. Kostoff, Elena M. Berger Jan 2011

Assessment Of Brazil’S Research Literature, David J. Schoeneck, Alan L. Porter, Ronald N. Kostoff, Elena M. Berger

alan l porter

This “country study” analyzes substantial samples of research papers by Brazilian authors drawn from two global databases. The approach and the findings may each be of interest. Our approach is to examine R&D outputs through bibliometrics (to identify key authors, institutions, journals, etc) and text mining with taxonomy generation (to identify pervasive research thrusts). We extend prior country studies by providing for interactive data access and exploring military-relevant R&D information. The resulting publication activity profiles provide insight on Brazilian R&D strengths and investment strategies, and help identify opportunities for collaboration. Brazil, a nation of 190 million, evidences a substantial research …

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Mining External R&D, Alan L. Porter, Nils C. Newman Jan 2011

Mining External R&D, Alan L. Porter, Nils C. Newman

alan l porter

Open Innovation presses the case for timely and thorough intelligence concerning research and development activities conducted outside one’s organization. To take advantage of this wealth of R&D, one needs to establish a systematic “tech mining” process. We propose a 5-stage framework that extends literature review into research profiling and pattern recognition to answer posed technology management questions. Ultimately, one can even discover new knowledge by screening research databases. Once one determines the value in mining external R&D, tough issues remain to be overcome. Technology management has developed a culture that relies more on intuition than on evidence. Changing that culture …

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Practical Research Proposal And Publication Profiling, Alan L. Porter, David J. Schoeneck, David Roessner, Jon Garner Jan 2010

Practical Research Proposal And Publication Profiling, Alan L. Porter, David J. Schoeneck, David Roessner, Jon Garner

alan l porter

We present means to enable profiling to situate research activities (such as proposals or publications) within research domains, identify cognitive and social networks, and track knowledge transfers. Here we profile a set of 123 National Science Foundation educational research awards. We investigate NSF award summaries, proposal references, publications by the funded researchers, and citations to those publications. Our Integration measure and science overlay maps show that these ROLE/REESE programs have facilitated interdisciplinary research. NSF program managers were able to associate highly cited researchers into key contributing communities using the co-citation maps. We explore “before vs. after” research patterns to examine …

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Technology Foresight: Types And Methods, Alan L. Porter Jan 2010

Technology Foresight: Types And Methods, Alan L. Porter

alan l porter

This paper posits 9 dimensions along which to distinguish types of foresight studies. It arrays a rich repertoire of 13 families of foresight methods. It then suggests considerations in deciding which of those methods suit the various types of foresight endeavours. There is no one way to conduct effective foresight studies, but there are exciting new possibilities to enrich this genre.

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High Tech Indicators: Assessing The Competitiveness Of Selected European Countries, David M. Johnson, Alan L. Porter, David Roessner, Nils C. Newman, Xiao-Yin Jin Jan 2010

High Tech Indicators: Assessing The Competitiveness Of Selected European Countries, David M. Johnson, Alan L. Porter, David Roessner, Nils C. Newman, Xiao-Yin Jin

alan l porter

Western European nations, along with the United States and Japan, have been recognized as the world’s most competitive economies. Eastern European nations have generally been considered to lag. This paper explores whether these descriptions remain accurate and the prospects for change over the coming decade. The Georgia Tech “High Tech Indicators” (HTI) contribute to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Science & Engineering Indicators. We cover 33 highly developed and rapidly industrializing countries. Our model of technological competitiveness contains four components – National Orientation, Socioeconomic Infrastructure, Technological Infrastructure, and Productive Capacity – contributing to “Technological Standing.” We present indicator values, …

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Science Overlay Maps: A New Tool For Research Policy And Library Management, Ismael Rafols, Alan L. Porter, Loet Leydesdorff Jan 2010

Science Overlay Maps: A New Tool For Research Policy And Library Management, Ismael Rafols, Alan L. Porter, Loet Leydesdorff

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We present a novel approach to visually locate bodies of research within the sciences, both at each moment of time and dynamically. This article describes how this approach fits with other efforts to locally and globally map scientific outputs. We then show how these science overlay maps help benchmark, explore collaborations, and track temporal changes, using examples of universities, corporations, funding agencies, and research topics. We address their conditions of application and discuss advantages, downsides and limitations. Overlay maps especially help investigate the increasing number of scientific developments and organisations that do not fit within traditional disciplinary categories. We make …

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Is Science Becoming More Interdisciplinary? Measuring And Mapping Six Research Fields Over Time, Alan L. Porter, Ismael Rafols Jan 2009

Is Science Becoming More Interdisciplinary? Measuring And Mapping Six Research Fields Over Time, Alan L. Porter, Ismael Rafols

alan l porter

In the last two decades there have been studies claiming that science is becoming ever more interdisciplinary. However, the evidence has been anecdotal or partial. Here we investigate how the degree of interdisciplinarity has changed between 1975 and 2005 over six research domains. To do so, we compute well-established bibliometric indicators alongside a new index of interdisciplinarity (Integration score, aka Rao-Stirling diversity) and a science mapping visualization method. The results attest to notable changes in research practices over this 30 year period, namely major increases in number of cited disciplines and references per article (both show about 50% growth), and …

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