There has never been more information available on global science and technology. Cutting-edge research and innovation are unfolding around the world, in universities, governments, large corporations, startups, nonprofits, and many other venues. This diverse, global enterprise generates data in equally diverse forms, from articles and patents to social media, open-access databases, financial transactions, news, job postings, and beyond.
In theory, all of this data could drive better-informed decisions on emerging technology issues––but in practice, it’s usually just too overwhelming. Accessing, organizing, and making sense of emerging technology data takes hard work and specialized resources, from data science and software engineering to open-source collection and quality control. Even the biggest, wealthiest organizations may not be up to the task.
To fill the gap, CSET is excited to introduce the Emerging Technology Observatory, our new public platform for high-quality, actionable data resources on the global emerging technology landscape. Building on CSET’s deep data and analytic capabilities, ETO collects, links and transforms information from diverse sources and builds it into user-friendly tools, dashboards, and visualizations. We’re taking on the work of developing and maintaining these resources so that you can focus on analysis, communication, and action.
As part of today’s launch, we’re releasing three powerful new resources for exploring global trends in emerging technology:
- Updates to the Map of Science, CSET’s exploration tool for science and technology research around the world.
- The Country Activity Tracker, a user-friendly dashboard for tracking global AI activity.
- ETO’s Supply Chain Explorer, our brand-new interactive guide to the semiconductor supply chain.
We gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Musk Foundation and Open Philanthropy for these resources and ETO's broader platform.
Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be working to expand and improve our offerings and build new ones that deepen understanding of the emerging tech landscape. Please help us grow! Your interest and input are critical to the ETO’s success. Keep in touch through our blog, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages, or feel free to contact us directly with comments, critiques, or suggestions. We’d be grateful to hear how you’re using the ETO platform and how we can make it better.