Horizon scanning includes a set of specific scanning techniques that can help to focus your futuring research. In horizon scanning you observe and track change from multiple points of view. While scanning, you pay attention to signals related to changes in the world around you. This practice can help uncover patterns of change over time and anticipate how they might evolve to shape different futures. You observe, collect and track different signals of change, and collate them into bigger patterns of change, such as trends and driving forces.

Further details can be found in horizon scanning section of the fieldguide

There are many different ways to present analysis of signals, trends, and drivers. An organisation will usually have their own techniques and styles…

For example, The World Economic Forum has many of their reports available online, including the circular economy, circular cars, technology futures, supply chains and the annual Global Risks Report

A few other examples:

• https://www.wita.org/atp-research/global-trends-2040/
• https://www.circularity-gap.world/2021
• https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/627126/EPRS_STU(2018)627126_EN.pdf
• https://www.greenbiz.com/article/6-circular-economy-trends-will-shape-2020
• https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/strategies

These reports can be useful to get a sense of what big institutions (with strategic foresight departments) consider important global trends and drivers of change. They can be one possible source of information for your own horizon scanning, or an example of how horizon scanning can be formally analysed and reported.

(to be filled during and after the CSAW horizon scanning experiment.