Mining conference proceedings for corporate technology knowledge management

An organization\´s knowledge gained through technical conference attendance is generally isolated to the individual(s) attending the event. The aggregate corporate knowledge is extremely limited, unless the organization institutes a process to document and transfer that knowledge to the organization. Even if such a process exists, the knowledge gains are limited to the experiences and communication skills of the individuals attending the conference. Many conference proceedings are now published and provided to attendees in electronic format, such as on CD-ROM and/or published on the internet, such as IEEE conference proceedings. These proceedings provide a rich repository that can be mined. Paper abstract compilations reflect "hot topics," as defined by the researchers in the field, and delineate the technical approaches being applied. R&D profiling can more fully exploit recorded conference proceedings\´ research to enhance corporate knowledge. This paper illustrates the potential in profiling conference proceedings through use of WebQL information retrieval and TechOasis (VantagePoint) text mining software. It shows how tracking research patterns and changes over a sequence of conferences can illuminate R&D trends, map dominant issues, and spotlight key research organizations.