Title: Patent overlay maps: Spain and the Basque Country

Authors: Javier Gavilanes-Trapote; Rosa María Río-Belver; Ernesto Cilleruelo; Gaizka Garechana; Jaso Larruscain

Addresses: University of the Basque Country, SP-01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Calle Nieves Cano 12, Spain ' University of the Basque Country, SP-01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Calle Nieves Cano 12, Spain ' University of the Basque Country, SP-48030 Bilbao, Almed, Urquijo s/n, Spain ' University of the Basque Country, SP48008 Bilbao, Elkano 21, Spain ' University of the Basque Country, SP-01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, calle Nieves Cano 12, Spain

Abstract: This study uses the new global patent map developed by Kay et al. (2014) to reflect the patenting activity of Spain together with the activity of the Basque Country, a highly industrialised region in Spain, for the time interval 2000-2006. The global patent map reflects the technology categories where a patent could be categorised according to the international patent classification (IPC) system, in addition to the degree of similarity among different IPCs, determined by using the citing-to-cited relationships as bonds between categories. An overlay method has been developed to compare, on the one hand, the patenting activity in Spain and the Basque Country and a display of the most important technology sectors and; on the other, the selection of a technology sector and an analysis of technology transfer in both regions through different IPCs to compare them and determine the possible technological sources remaining for development.

Keywords: tech mining; patents; citations; technology management; emerging technologies; knowledge management; visualisation; data mining; technology linkages; innovation management; co-classification; patent overlay maps; Spain; Basque Country; global patent map; patenting activity; technology transfer.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2015.072976

International Journal of Technology Management, 2015 Vol.69 No.3/4, pp.261 - 274

Accepted: 03 Feb 2015
Published online: 11 Nov 2015 *

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