Research and innovation in big data in the sport industry sector has declined in the last year.

The most recent figures show that the number of big data related patent applications in the industry stood at 516 in the three months ending April – down from 1,308 over the same period in 2021.

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Figures for patent grants related to big data followed a similar pattern to filings – shrinking from 774 in the three months ending April 2021 to 208 in the same period in 2022.

The figures are compiled by GlobalData, who track patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

Big data is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

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The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd was the top big data innovator in the sport industry sector in the latest quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in China, filed 488 big data related patents in the three months ending April. That was down from 1,032 over the same period in 2021.

It was followed by the NA based Intel Corp with 352 big data patent applications, NA based Google LLC (112 applications), and China based Tencent Holdings Ltd (96 applications).

Beijing Kuaishou Technology Ltd has recently ramped up R&D in big data. It saw growth of 100% in related patent applications in the three months ending April compared to the same period in 2021 - the highest percentage growth out of all companies tracked with more than 10 quarterly patents in the sport industry sector.