Producing Intelligence Analysis From Patents (Original Research)

Jack Sandeen's exploration of patent analysis was a very interesting project to come out of my Advanced Analytic Techniques class this last term. Jack's case study focused on patents surrounding hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) but the really interesting stuff he discovered had to do with the process of patent analysis itself.

His report, built using Google Sites, provides a concise, useful overview of patents and patent analysis. He also provides a good strengths, weaknesses and how-to section and some very valuable resource pages (here and here). Some of the more interesting aspects of his case-study are the different ways he was able to visualize and analyze the data he collected (See one image below).

Patent Analysis clearly has its strengths and weaknesses and it certainly isn't appropriate for all types of intelligence problems. Where it is applicable, however, it seems to me that it is very powerful and can provide deep insights into technology trends and corporate capabilities. There is a pretty steep learning curve associated with its many tricks and traps, however, but I am glad Jack decided to tackle it. He has provided us all with a useful overview.

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Using Search Engine Optimization Tools To Do Intel Analysis
Introduction To Pivot Tables in Intelligence Analysis
Visual Analysis Everywhere!