Module 3: Scanning

Tip Sheet: Sources of Scanning

PDF: Tip Sheet: Sources of Scanning

Foresight practitioners are constantly scanning for weak signals (i.e. signs of significant change that may impact particular systems). There are an infinite number of sources for scanning and the types of sources used may depend on the particular topic under study, the scanner’s preferences, the availability of the information, the reliability of the information, and a host of other factors.

Horizons uses the acronym STEEG as a frame of reference for scanning. STEEG stands for Society, Technology, Economy, Environment and Governance. This breadth of categories reminds the scanner to look for signs of change in varied domains. Using STEEG as a guide can also help focus scanning. While scanning sources such as traditional newspapers and journals (e.g. The Economist, the Guardian, The New York Times) may be useful to find weak signals or contextualize them, the foresight practitioner should also aim to look beyond traditional news feeds to bolster their scanning.

Below is a list of non-traditional scanning sources. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but is merely meant to provide a sample of interesting scanning sites. They have been roughly arranged according to STEEG, although it should be noted that there is no dividing line between these categories (e.g. GreenBiz deals with issues related to the environment and the economy, which will also have an impact on society). Also included is a sample list of general scanning sources that cut across STEEG categories.

General scanning sources:

• Shaping Tomorrow – http://www.shapingtomorrow.com/(link is external)
• Quartz – http://qz.com/(link is external)
• iKnow Community- http://community.iknowfutures.eu/(link is external)
• Trend Watching – http://trendwatching.com/(link is external)
• World Future Society – http://www.wfs.org/home.php(link is external)
• The Futures Agency – http://thefuturesagency.com/(link is external)
• Deloitte University Press – http://dupress.com/periodical/signals-for-strategists/(link is external)
• Brookings – http://www.brookings.edu/(link is external)
• BBC Future – http://www.bbc.com/future/(link is external)
• Futurity – http://www.futurity.org/(link is external) (research news from top universities)
• Oxford Martin School: http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/(link is external) (The University of Oxford’s department for the long-term study of the 21st century)
• Utne Reader – https://www.utne.com/(link is external)
• Futuribles – https://www.futuribles.com/fr/(link is external)
• Le Figaro – http://www.lefigaro.fr/(link is external)
• Le Monde – http://www.lemonde.fr/(link is external)

Society:

• Entrepreneur – http://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/social-entrepreneurship(link is external) (intersection between impacts of technology on business and society)
• The Science Daily – http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/science_society/social_issues/(link is external)
• The Atlantic – http://www.theatlantic.com/(link is external)
• Arts & Letters Daily – http://www.aldaily.com/(link is external)
• Quartz – http://qz.com/(link is external)
• Note: most of the other STEEG and general categories contain scanning hits that have social implications, so one can gather weak signals from those sites as well.

Technology:

• Singularity Hub – http://singularityhub.com/(link is external) (technological changes and corresponding social impacts)
• Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence – http://www.kurzweilai.net(link is external) (biological and machine technologies and their impacts on the world)
• SciTechDaily – http://scitechdaily.com/(link is external)
• Ars Technica – http://arstechnica.com/(link is external)
• Motherboard Vice – http://motherboard.vice.com/en_ca(link is external)
• MIT Technology Review – https://www.technologyreview.com/(link is external)
• IEEE Spectrum – http://spectrum.ieee.org/(link is external) (technology, engineering, sciency and energy news)
• New Atlas – http://newatlas.com/(link is external)
• Gizmodo – http://gizmodo.com/(link is external)
• Futurity – http://www.futurity.org/(link is external)

Economy:

• Fast Company – http://www.fastcompany.com/(link is external) (ideas on innovative products and business practices; good source of infographics)
• Business Insider – www.businessinsider.com(link is external) (mix of business, economics, technology)
• McKinsey Insights – http://www.mckinsey.com/insights(link is external)
• The New Economy – http://www.theneweconomy.com/(link is external) (looking at technology and innovation in the wider business context)
• Les Affaires – http://www.lesaffaires.com/(link is external)

Environment:

• Eco-Business – http://www.eco-business.com/(link is external) (technology, engineering, science and energy news; the energy section is particularly useful)
• GreenBiz – http://www.greenbiz.com/(link is external)
• Climate Home – http://www.climatechangenews.com/(link is external) (developments in global climate change politics and policy)
• IEEE Spectrum – http://spectrum.ieee.org/(link is external)

Governance:

• Foreign Policy – http://foreignpolicy.com/(link is external) (coverage of global affairs)
• Nextgov – http://www.nextgov.com(link is external) (discusses how technology and innovation are transforming the way government agencies serve citizens)
• Defense One – http://www.defenseone.com/(link is external) (security and military based news)
• The Diplomat: http://thediplomat.com/(link is external) (an Asian-Pacific view on foreign affairs)
• Geopolitical Futures: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/(link is external) (offers free briefings on current issues with an eye to the medium to long term future; they also offer a paid service with more detailed foresight reports)
• Stratfor – https://www.stratfor.com(link is external)

Some other tools that foresight practitioners can use for scanning or organizing their scanning hits:

• Pearltrees – www.pearltrees.com(link is external) (a bookmarking site useful for storing your scanning hits and searching what others are scanning)
• Diigo – https://www.diigo.com/(link is external) (social bookmarking)
• Flipboard – www.flipboard.com(link is external) (a social network aggregation tool that provides customizable curation of news on a variety of topics)
• Twitter – www.twitter.com(link is external) (in addition to following topics, try following individuals who write about the future)
• Visual Capitalist – http://www.visualcapitalist.com/(link is external) (free infographics that elegantly capture timely stories about economics, politics, science, etc.)
• Storify – https://storify.com/(link is external) (a free tool for making coherent narratives by dragging and dropping social media links)