The Signals Feed provides you with up-to-date news and information about an Element.
Every Explorer Element contains a Signals Feed which accesses data from our continuously growing data lake, comprising millions of documents, such as news, patents, scientific publications, and RSS feeds.
The feed is generated using the textual information (title, summary, and tags) of the Element itself. This means that it is available as soon as an Element is created. Note that the quality of the feed will also depend on how concise the title and summary of the Element are.
💡 Have a look at the video on how to get started with the Signals Feed we created for you.
Pin important Signals
Click the pin icon (see 4 below) on a Signal to find it again at a later stage. Note that pinned items will be available for all users in the Workspace.
To filter for pins, choose the Pinned option in the Signals dropdown in the filter pop-up (see 3 below).
Search and Filter
The feed has an integrated search function (see 2 above) that can be opened from the toolbar (see 1 above). Similar to the search in the Explorer overview, you can enter either a simple search string using the smart or a more complex query string that will be matched exactly.
You can also filter results using the Sources and Signal Types dropdowns or the evaluation-related filters in the pop-up filter panel (see 3 above) that is also opened from the toolbar.
Sorting
Sort the feed by the Signals' relevance with regard to the textual information of the Element or by their publication dates.
⚡ Refining the Feed
This feature is part of the Insights module. It will not be available unless you are subscribed to Insights.
If the automatically generated feed doesn't produce results that fit your Element, you can refine the feed using the powerful search and filter capabilities of the Insights module.
To do so, hit the Refine Feed button (see 5 above). This will open Insights and apply the Element's context. You can now change the search and filter definition for the Element you are looking at. Once you are satisfied, click Save (see below), and the changes will be reflected in the Element's Signals feed for all users.
⚡ Filtering by a Signal's Tags
If you are subscribed to the Insights module, you can click on a tag in the Signals feed to view and discover more Signals about the topic in Insights.
Blocking Bad Signals
You are able to block bad-quality Signals from the Signals feed.
If you block a Signal, it will be shown neither in Elements' feeds nor in the list of Signals in Insights at all, anymore. You can always view blocked Signals that would have matched the Element using the filters, see below.
🔍 Use case: What you can use the Signals Feed for...
Trend Monitoring
For any Trend you create in the software, the Signals Feed aims to provide up-to-date information and allows you to pin Signals to the Trend that represent evidence of its importance. For market trends, news and RSS feeds will likely be the more relevant types of Signals.
💡 Use the source filter if you want to see Signals for specific sources that you trust.
Technology Scouting
The Signals Feed can be a great resource in identifying emerging and specific technologies when monitoring broad technology fields. For example, if you are interested in 3D printing and have created a Technology or Opportunity, the Signals in the feed will point you to more specific 3D printing technologies relevant to your use cases.
💡 Filter down the feed to see only patents or publications. While this might reduce the number of results, they will be more technology-focused.
Ideation
Looking to ideate within an opportunity space? Added an Idea to the innovation platform? Take advantage of the Signals Feed to get inspired. See whether ideas similar to yours already exist and have been implemented - no need to always re-invent the wheel, after all!