A few months back some of us in V6 R&D were asked to submit some ideas (1 or two) for technologies/ideas that may impact us over the next few years. Examples being 'Augmented Reality', Additive Manufacturing an so on- which are reasonably obvious to those with their ear to the ground. I wondered if there were less obvious ones - inspired or influenced by the outside, wider world - an example maybe Demographic changes (Robots for the elderly?)  or regulatory changes, as well as new technologies (Drones etc).

I guess my point was to

1. Think beyond Technologies (eg Mobile, Javascript, Graph Databases,Drones)
2. Better categorise the various technologies (eg hardware, Software, Drones, Batteries)
3. Categorise the 'Outside World' - Politics, Regulation/Legal, Social - bearing in mind there are myriad links between them.
4. Make connections from the technologies to existing and potential new markets (eg compliance for environmental and other issues) in the wider world.
5. Basically be systematic- but have a tool/method to encourage innovative thinking- Via a Map of innovation.

I thought that it would be useful to draw them in a Mind map - once I started I realised that what I was doing was a rough version of a PEST(LE) analysis Political, Economic, Social and technological Analysis (Legal and Environmental being more recent additions) - see PEST analysis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for an overview if you are not familiar.

A PDF version of my stab at this is attached - it can be expanded for each area with in the pdf. Here it is partially expanded screen grab to get the idea

I mentioned this to ‌ as to whether

1. We (SWX) do this (and can the Bamboo initiative get access to it.)
2. Does any one have better experience of doing this ? Hence this post.
   1. Anyone know of any good tools (eg a database) other than Mind Maps (or a web enabled Mind map system we can use internally)?
   2. Does DS have support for this via Enovia?

To me this is a kind of 'No Brainer' - but I'd welcome criticism and general thoughts of it as a technique.

One issue I can foresee is Security of the data- If this analysis was done well and comprehensively it would be a valuable and concentrated strategic resource that should not fall it to the wrong hands.

I would like to redo the map in a form that others could add to and comment on.

[I've an idea that a Graph Database could manage this well - but will post that idea elsewhere]