{"id":768297,"date":"2025-09-02T05:41:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&p=768297"},"modified":"2025-09-02T15:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T22:04:10","slug":"innovation-networks","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks","title":{"rendered":"Tracking Where Innovation Occurs"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[485562,1321,471991],"department":[476812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-768297","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-business-development","tag-innovation","tag-market-analysis","department-business-growth"],"acf":{"short_description":"Why some places become innovation hubs while others don\u2019t. ","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Snapshot<\/strong>: A study reveals the geography of how innovation flourishes, and accessible datasets offer a way to track the innovation networks that drive business forward.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"For innovation to thrive, geography matters.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s the core insight from a recent study, published<\/a> in the journal Nature<\/em>, that maps innovation networks in five of China\u2019s largest metro areas.\r\n\r\nThe results offer a blueprint for using location intelligence<\/a> to understand how and where innovation develops.\r\n

Buzz and Pipeline<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe study defines innovation as a dynamic process involving the exchange of knowledge, technology, and resources. Researchers tracked how companies collaborated on patents and research papers to test a key theory proposed earlier this century: Innovation works best when two conditions exist.\r\n\r\nFirst is the \u201cbuzz\u201d factor. Companies should be clustered together geographically with other firms and institutions pursuing innovation. This creates opportunities for face-to-face interactions, knowledge sharing, and unexpected learning experiences.\r\n\r\nSecond is the \u201cpipeline.\u201d That\u2019s where these local clusters connect to distant innovation hubs, bringing in outside knowledge and support.\r\n\r\nThe buzz-and-pipeline theory, developed by economic geographers in the early 2000s, suggests you need both local density and long-distance connections for innovation to flourish.\r\n

Mapping Innovation Networks<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe researchers behind the Nature<\/em> study mapped these innovation networks across five of China\u2019s metro areas to see the theory in action."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Related Reads:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ The path to AI innovation<\/a> in GIS\r\n\r\n\/\/ How to find the talent<\/a> to drive innovation?","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"They reviewed thousands of co-authored papers and joint patent applications, noting the location of each collaborator. In the Yangtze River Delta, China\u2019s largest metro area, one collaborator might be in Shanghai, another in Nanjing.\r\n\r\nThat data allowed the authors to create maps of the buzz network for each metro area, showing which cities were the central innovation nodes and which were most strongly connected with others. Shanghai and Nanjing are the Yangtze River Delta\u2019s most important nodes, but strong connections also exist between and among other cities such as Hefei and Hangzhou.\r\n\r\nThe authors created similar maps of the innovation networks in the other four metro areas. The result was a graphical representation of innovation buzz.\r\n\r\nTo reveal the long-distance connections that create the pipeline effect, the authors mapped collaborations that extend from one metro area to another, sometimes across hundreds of miles. The result was a large map of China\u2019s innovation pipeline, with Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu as the major nodes.\r\n

Innovation Networks Need Strong Buzz<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe final part of the study involved analyzing and testing how well these innovation networks function and the benefits they provide for each region.\r\n\r\nThe researchers used satellite data and other analytical methods and concluded that buzz is even more important than previously thought. The pipeline effect only works when there\u2019s already a strong foundation of face-to-face collaboration happening locally.\r\n

Applying a Geographic Approach to Innovation Prediction<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAnother key insight from the study: mapping makes invisible innovation patterns visible. While innovation networks sound straightforward, only geographic visualization shows how they actually work.\r\n\r\nBusinesses can apply this approach using geographic information system (GIS) technology to analyze their own innovation data.\r\n\r\nDetailed information related to innovation in various industries across 42 nations is available in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development\u2019s Innovation Indicators database<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPatent databases also allow businesses to perform analyses similar to those in the Nature<\/em> study. The United States Patent and Trademark<\/a> office maintains a detailed, location-tagged database with which businesses can study the cities and regions where certain types of innovation are emerging. The European Patent Office<\/a> and World Intellectual Property Organization<\/a> also offer extensive searchable databases.\r\n\r\nWith location-rich social media data<\/a> from sources such as LinkedIn, analysts can further explore the makeup of innovation networks.\r\n\r\nOpen-source datasets that seek to predict which startups will succeed may also offer key insights. Kaggle\u2019s Startup Success Prediction<\/a> tool factors geography into its predictive model, with precise latitude and longitude coordinates for the companies it covers.\r\n\r\nThe lesson that businesses can take from the Nature<\/em> study is that the spread of innovation always has a geographic component. With some creativity and tools like GIS, decision-makers can apply a geographic approach to better understand how and where innovation thrives."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nThe Power of Mapping Innovation Networks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Innovation networks tend to flourish under certain circumstances, in certain locations. Certain location datasets could reveal why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tracking Where Innovation Occurs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Innovation networks tend to flourish under certain circumstances, in certain locations. Certain location datasets could reveal why.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-02T22:04:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/innovation-clusters-wherenext-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks\",\n\t \"name\": \"The Power of Mapping Innovation Networks\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2025-09-02T12:41:53+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2025-09-02T22:04:10+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Innovation networks tend to flourish under certain circumstances, in certain locations. Certain location datasets could reveal why.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Tracking Where Innovation Occurs\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376\",\n\t \"name\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\"\n\t },\n\t \"description\": \"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.\",\n\t \"sameAs\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814\",\n\t \"https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip\"\n\t ],\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Power of Mapping Innovation Networks","description":"Innovation networks tend to flourish under certain circumstances, in certain locations. Certain location datasets could reveal why.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tracking Where Innovation Occurs","og_description":"Innovation networks tend to flourish under certain circumstances, in certain locations. Certain location datasets could reveal why.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2025-09-02T22:04:10+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/09\/innovation-clusters-wherenext-card-826x465-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks","name":"The Power of Mapping Innovation Networks","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-09-02T12:41:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-02T22:04:10+00:00","description":"Innovation networks tend to flourish under certain circumstances, in certain locations. Certain location datasets could reveal why.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/innovation-networks#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tracking Where Innovation Occurs"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376","name":"Chris Chiappinelli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","caption":"Chris Chiappinelli"},"description":"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814","https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip"],"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/768297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wherenext"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/768297\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768297"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=768297"},{"taxonomy":"wherenext-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext-category?post=768297"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=768297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}