How can you compare technological dynamics across different scopes?

When an R&D or innovation team analyzes a technological field, an initial search typically identifies hundreds—or even thousands—of patents and scientific publications.

However, this high-level view is not always sufficient.

Are the same technologies being developed in Europe, the United States, and Asia? Are competitors working on the same topics? Are certain sub-domains particularly dynamic for a specific player or in a specific region?

To answer these questions, it is necessary to be able to adjust the scope of analysis without losing the technological structure of the dataset.

This is precisely one of the use cases enabled by GraphMyTech 3.1.3.

Starting with a broad technological field

Consider an R&D team wishing to analyze technological developments in the battery sector. An initial search in GraphMyTech allows the team to compile a dataset of patents and publications relevant to the field under study. Semantic analysis then structures this dataset into various technological groups: electrode materials, solid-state electrolytes, thermal management, battery management systems, recycling, new cell architectures, etc.

This initial map provides a comprehensive overview of the field.

However, the team may want to go further and understand how this structure evolves depending on the specific scope being analyzed.

Recalculating technological domains for a specific scope

With version 3.1.3, users can apply filters directly from the results page and then update the clustering based on the newly defined dataset.

For example, they can select only:

🌍 patents filed by European players;

🏢 documents associated with a list of competitors;

📅 publications from the last five years;

🔬 a specific segment of the dataset;

or combine multiple criteria to define a much more specific scope.

The clustering is then recalculated based on the results corresponding to this selection. This offers a significant advantage: it goes beyond merely filtering a technology map built from a global dataset. The very structure of the technology domains is reconstructed based on the specific scope the user wishes to study.

Comparing multiple technology maps

The team can then repeat the analysis across different scopes.

In our battery example, they could successively analyze the technological activities of European, American, and then Asian players.

For each dataset, GraphMyTech makes it possible to identify the key technology groups present and their relative importance.

The analysis can then reveal differences that were far less visible in the global dataset: stronger specialization in certain architectures, the emergence of specific themes, technologies prioritized by certain players, or topics that are relatively scarce within a given scope.

The same logic can be applied to compare two competitors, two time periods, two regions, or different segments of the same industry.

From document dataset to technology analysis

The goal, therefore, is not simply to find relevant documents.

The real value lies in the ability to move progressively from a very broad dataset to much more precise scopes, and then observe how the technology structure evolves as the perspective shifts.

This approach can be used to:

• benchmark competitors' technologies;

• compare the technological specializations of different countries or regions;

• identify emerging fields within a specific segment;

• analyze the evolution of a field between two time periods;

• spot technology areas that remain relatively unexplored.

  
  

More flexible exploration with GraphMyTech 3.1.3

By combining dynamic clustering with filters, GraphMyTech 3.1.3 enables an iterative approach to analysis. The user begins by exploring a field in its entirety, identifies initial areas of interest, refines the scope, and then re-runs the analysis on the specific segments they wish to examine in greater depth.

This is a way to progressively transform a vast collection of patents and publications into a technology map tailored to the specific R&D question at hand.