From Brussels, via the Arctic Circle to the Defence Academy: piloting the Scenario Exploration System 

November | 2014

Over recent months we’ve been developing Arctic Futures SES, a dynamic system enabling interactive, collaborative scenario generation workshops using pre-defined and user-generated perspectives on stakeholders, resources, challenges, opportunities, actions and wild cards.

Initial work was conducted in Hawaii, Chicago and London before we began a pilot phase which has, to date, included workshops and feedback sessions with the European Union’s Joint Research CentreForesight unit (DG JRC) in Brussels, a public breakout session at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik and a security themed exploration at the UK’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) at the Defence Academy (Ministry of Defence think tank).

The tool supports an inclusive, ‘bottom-up’ approach to futures thinking and has been designed to help a range of groups – from communities to organizations – grapple with both the uncertainties and radical possibilities for what might lie ahead. Using research from arcticfutures and the ‘Three Tomorrows’ framework from the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies, Arctic Futures facilitates the exploration of the challenges and opportunities of postnormal times.

In consultation with a number of interested parties, we now begin developing a second iteration of the system for use in Spring 2015.

The Arctic Futures Scenario Exploration System is a joint project between arcticfutures, the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies (CPPFS), and the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies (HRCFS).

Related Links: see our later work with the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) which extended and further developed this futures gaming approach | More