Tech Mining - Wiley Systems Engineering and Management by Alan L Porter & Scott W Cunningham Hardcover

Book Synopsis

Tech Mining makes exploitation of text databases meaningful to those who can gain from derived knowledge about emerging technologies. It begins with the premise that we have the information, the tools to exploit it, and the need for the resulting knowledge.
The information provided puts new capabilities at the hands of technology managers. Using the material present, these managers can identify and access the most valuable technology information resources (publications, patents, etc.); search, retrieve, and clean the information on topics of interest; and lower the costs and enhance the benefits of competitive technological intelligence operations.

From the Back Cover

How to dig out the gems from the world's vast trove of technological information

A business's competitiveness depends on the effective use of the vast amounts of information available. Tech Mining: Exploiting New Technologies for Competitive Advantage shows technology managers and other professionals not only how to sift through the chaff and get to the key kernels that lead to innovation--in short, information management--but how to make better use of information leads in order to make better decisions.

Tech Mining explains how to use the available software tools, including generic search engines and standard MS Office capabilities, in conjunction with text mining software such as VantagePoint(R), in order to quickly access the technological information needed to gain critical competitive advantage. With screen shots and charts throughout, the book shows the reader how to:

• Select and access the most valuable technology information resources
• Search, retrieve, and clean information on topics of interest
• Analyze huge quantities of information on emerging technologies to locate nuggets of value and to see the overall development profile
• Identify technological trends and forecast likely future developments
• Gauge prospects for successful technological innovation using tailored
• innovation indicators
• Integrate empirical findings with expert opinion to provide compelling answers to managerial questions

With Web-based practice datasets and the VantagePoint reader software, Tech Mining will take managers and their enterprises beyond common information management to become wiser consumers--and exploiters--of today's science and technology.

Review Quotes

"...useful to a variety of institutions, programs, and people." (E-STREAMS, August 2005)

"Two data mining practitioners explain how to use the available software tools...to quickly access the technological information needed to gain competitive advantage." (Research Technology Management, May-June 2005)

About the Author

ALAN L. PORTER's major concentration is technology intelligence, forecasting, and assessment. He has led the development of "technology opportunity analysis"--mining electronic bibliographic data sources to generate intelligence on emerging technologies. He holds a BS in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and a PhD in engineering psychology from UCLA. He is currently Director, Research & Development, for Search Technology, Inc., in Norcross, Georgia.

SCOTT W. CUNNINGHAM worked for the Technology Policy & Assessment Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has worked in industry as a data mining and machine learning consultant, working chiefly in the e-commerce and retail industries. He holds a BEng in engineering science and mechanics from Georgia Tech and a DPhil in science, technology, and innovation policy from the University of Sussex, UK. He currently serves as an assistant professor on the Technology, Policy, and Management faculty of TU Delft.