# NASA Patents Enrichment

Generated: 2026-07-04

This folder now includes JSON companion files for the local `nasa_patents.csv` dataset. The original CSV is unchanged. The JSON files are meant for a static interactive experience: center maps, filters, topic facets, licensing story cards, and data-quality callouts.

## Files

| File | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `nasa_patent_summary.json` | CSV-derived row counts, field notes, status counts, center ranking, expiration-date coverage, and outlier date examples. |
| `nasa_patent_centers.json` | Center metadata, center descriptions, map coordinates, local patent counts, status counts, and source citations. |
| `nasa_patent_topics.json` | NASA Technology Transfer category vocabulary plus heuristic title-keyword counts and sample patent records. |
| `nasa_patent_experience_context.json` | Narrative context, licensing-flow copy, metric glossary, suggested interactive views, and data-quality notes. |
| `../tools/generate_nasa_patent_enrichment.py` | Repeatable generator for the four JSON files. |

## Source Dataset

The seed file is `nasa_patents.csv`, downloaded from the NASA Patents CSV distribution. The local copy has 1,393 data rows and 7 columns:

- `Center`
- `Status`
- `Case Number`
- `Patent Number`
- `Application SN`
- `Title`
- `Patent Expiration Date`

The JSON summary records the local SHA-256 hash so downstream code can detect when regenerated output no longer matches the local CSV.

## Collected Web Content

The enrichment uses these web sources:

| Source | Used For |
| --- | --- |
| https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/nasa-patents | Dataset metadata, public access status, dataset update date, distribution URLs. |
| https://data.nasa.gov/docs/legacy/NASA_Patents/NASA_Patents_rows.csv | Direct CSV source for the local seed file. |
| https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/nasa-facilities | NASA Facilities dataset metadata and distribution URLs. |
| https://data.nasa.gov/docs/legacy/NASA_Facilities/NASA_Facilities_rows.csv | Center city/state/postal-code/coordinate values used in `nasa_patent_centers.json`. |
| https://www.nasa.gov/osbp/about-nasa-centers/ | NASA center descriptions and location summaries. |
| https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/ | Agencywide centers/facilities context. |
| https://www.nasa.gov/headquarters/about/ | NASA Headquarters role and Washington, DC address context. |
| https://technology.nasa.gov/patents | NASA Technology Transfer patent category labels. |
| https://technology.nasa.gov/license | Patent licensing context and four-step licensing flow. |
| https://technology.nasa.gov/analytics | Technology transfer metric glossary source. |
| https://data.nasa.gov/ | NASA open-data portal context. |

Each JSON file embeds a `citations` array with source IDs, titles, URLs, retrieval dates, publishers, and facts used.

## Methodology

- `nasa_patent_summary.json` is derived only from `nasa_patents.csv`.
- `nasa_patent_centers.json` joins local patent center names to curated center metadata and NASA Facilities center-location records.
- `NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory` in the patent CSV is normalized to `Jet Propulsion Lab` in the facilities dataset.
- `NASA Headquarters` appears once in the patent CSV. NASA Facilities does not list a center row named NASA Headquarters, so the JSON uses the Washington, DC 20546 facility marker as an approximate HQ map proxy and labels it as approximate.
- `nasa_patent_topics.json` uses NASA Technology Transfer category labels, then counts patents with simple word-boundary keyword matching over `Title`.
- Topic counts are exploratory, not official NASA category assignments. A patent can match multiple topics.

## Data-Quality Notes

- `Status` has 924 `Issued`, 468 `Application`, and 1 `GM` record. UI filters should not assume only two status values.
- 350 rows have blank `Patent Expiration Date` values.
- 38 rows have expiration dates before 1958, all surfaced in `nasa_patent_summary.json` as suspicious outliers. Timeline UI should expose them as source-data anomalies or filter them out intentionally.
- Patent numbers and application serial numbers should stay strings to preserve formatting and avoid turning blank or `0` values into misleading numbers.

## Suggested Interactive Uses

- Center map: use `nasa_patent_centers.json` marker coordinates and `patent_row_count`.
- Technology radar: use `nasa_patent_topics.json` as a keyword-derived discovery layer.
- Patent detail panel: use the CSV as the row source, with citations and context from the JSON files.
- Licensing explainer: use `nasa_patent_experience_context.json` to frame Technology Transfer without implying that a local patent row is automatically license-ready.