A technology delivery system for characterizing the supply side of technology emergence: illustrated for big data and analytics

While there is a general recognition that breakthrough innovation is non-linear and requires an alignment between producers (supply) and users (demand), there is still a need for strategic intelligence about the emerging supply chains of new technological innovations. This technology delivery system (TDS) is an updated form of the TDS model and provides a promising chain-link approach to the supply side of innovation. Building on early research into supply-side TDS studies, we present a systematic approach to building a TDS model that includes four phases: (1) identifying the macroeconomic and policy environment, including market competition, financial investment, and industrial policy; (2) specifying the key public and private institutions; (3) addressing the core technical complements and their owners, then tracing their interactions through information linkages and technology transfers; and (4) depicting the market prospects and evaluating the potential profound influences on technological change and social developments. Our TDS methodology is illustrated using the field of Big Data & Analytics (“BDA”).