Mapping Desalination Technologies

• Author: Irene Kitsara
• Position: Consultant, Global Information Service, WIPO
• Pages: 31-34

p. 31WIPO | MAGAZINE

MAPPING

DESALINATION

TECHNOLOGIES

Access to clean water is a basic hum an need and essential for social and econo mic

development. In a global context of popu lation growth, urbanization, and c limate

change, effective water resourc e management is becom ing a key political priorit y.

Many countries around the wor ld are facing the challenge of making more fres h water

available for domestic, agricultural, industrial and environmental uses.

Desalination – whereby sa lts and other minerals are removed f rom seawater and

brackish water – will play an increa singly critical role in add ressing the long-term

water needs of many communities, es pecially in coastal areas. The high en ergy costs

associated with powering le gacy desalination plants, however, mean these technolo-

gies are often beyond the mea ns of many developing countries. Us ing renewable

energy technologie s to power these plants, could provide a more af fordable (and

environmentally sound ) source of fresh water.

Patent landscape repor ts offer a useful way to visualize and make sense of wh o is doing

what in the area of desalinatio n, especially in relation to renewa ble energy-powered

systems. WIPO recently teamed up wi th the International Renewable Energy Agency

(IRENA) and the Global Institute for Water, Environment and Hea lth (GIWEH) to map

these technologies. Using the desalination technology sector as an example, this ar-

ticle considers the t ypes of data and analysis patent landscape re ports can generate

and how they can provide many usefu l insights into, and support the devel opment

of, more effective innovation policie s and patenting strategies.

PATENTS: A TECHNOLOGICAL GOLDMINE

Patents are an extremely valuabl e source of technical information. In 2010, an estimated

7.3 million patents were in force worldwide. These, coupled with the re cord 1.98 m illion

patent applications led in the s ame year, represent a global technology li brary – a

goldmine of technical data. A s part of the patent-granting process, a pplicants must

describe how their invention s work. These descriptions are eventually publ ished and

made freely available to the pub lic. This is one of the most impor tant aspects of the

patent system. Patent documents also contain le gal and business information, such

as the inventor’s name and address, and the applicatio n date, which can be invaluable

in identifying techn ology partners and determining a comp any’s free dom to operate.

MAPPING THE PATENT LANDS CAPE

The increasing availabi lity of patent data through searchable online databa ses is fuel-

ling interest in PLRs in order to analy ze technology trends, understand development

hot spots, identify key suppliers a nd partners for fur ther technology developm ent

and improve patenting, R&D and investment strategies. By a nalyzing the informa-

tion in the relevant aggregated patent docu mentation – both patents granted and

By Irene Kitsara, Consultan t,

Global Information Service, WIPO

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