Compare methods

	Horizon Scanning	Patent Analysis	Technology Delphi
Field	Science Technology Studies	Science Technology Studies	Science Technology Studies
Family	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Year of origin	2009	1994	1975
Originator	William J. Sutherland, Effie Amanatidou, and the foresight/scanning community	Francis Narin (patent bibliometrics) and the patent-analytics community	Helmer & Dalkey (RAND); national applications by NISTEP (Japan) and Cuhls (Germany)
Type	Systematic search-and-detection process	Document-based technological-intelligence process	Iterative structured expert-survey process
Seminal source	Sutherland, W. J., & Woodroof, H. J. (2009). The need for environmental horizon scanning. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 24(10), 523-527.	Narin, F. (1994). Patent bibliometrics. Scientometrics, 30(1), 147-155.	Linstone, H. A., & Turoff, M. (Eds.). (1975). The Delphi Method: Techniques and Applications. Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 9780201042948
Aliases	Environmental scanning, Weak-signal detection, Emerging-issues analysis	Patent analytics, Patent bibliometrics, Patent landscaping	Technology Delphi survey, Foresight Delphi, National Delphi forecast
Related	4	4	4
Summary	Horizon scanning is the systematic examination of information to detect early signs of potentially important developments—weak signals, emerging issues, and wild cards—before they become obvious or fully formed. By surveying a wide range of sources at the edge of current attention, it gives decision-makers advance warning of opportunities and threats and supplies the raw material for foresight, scenario building, and anticipatory policy.	Patent analysis, or patanalytics, mines the documents and metadata in patent databases to generate technological intelligence. Because patents are structured, dated, classified, and citation-linked records of inventive activity, analysing patent counts, citations, classification codes, applicants, and text reveals who is innovating where, in which technologies, how fields connect, and how the technological landscape is shifting—evidence that feeds competitive intelligence, R&D strategy, and foresight.	The technology Delphi is a large-scale, multi-round expert survey used to forecast the timing, importance, and feasibility of future technological developments. Built on the classic Delphi principles of anonymity, iteration, controlled feedback, and statistical aggregation, it elicits judgements from hundreds or thousands of experts on a structured list of technology statements and converges them, round by round, into a collective forecast that informs national and organisational science and technology priorities.