SCANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The seminar focused on issues in Environmental Scanning, which means observation and critical examination of changes in environment and understanding phenomena via point of view of incidents, decision-making, options and different kinds of future consequences. The initiators of the Seminar (Finland Futures Research Centre and Finland Futures Academy) wished to bring together people with a specific interest in discussing about this important monitoring issue: scientists of different faculties, futures researchers, people from the public and private sectors as well as graduate and post-graduate students.

The scope of seminar was set by the following main topics as they relate to the issue of environmental scanning in different contexts:

The Finland Futures Research Centre together with Finland Futures Academy has organised several seminars over the past few years. "The Quest for the Futures" (2000), the "Futures Studio" (2000), the "Seminar on Scenario Building" (2001) and "Vision Week" (2002) have been important, international forums of latest research information.