Horizon scanning is crucial for the modernisation of official statistics as it allows NSOs to take advantage of upcoming innovations and to strategically plan for future challenges. Taking a proactive and agile approach to emerging technologies and social trends positions NSOs to be more resilient, adaptive, and responsive to societies. Horizon scanning leads to the development of tools, frameworks, and policy that will meet the future headfirst.
The Blue Skies Thinking Network (BSTN) conducts horizon scanning throughout the year and serves as an “idea factory” for the HLG-MOS. The group identifies and evaluates new opportunities for official statistics by inviting presentations from statisticians and experts on upcoming or trending topics and discussing their implications for official statistics.
BSTN also leads activities under its own purview to explore synergies and opportunities of topics under the work of the other HLG-MOS modernisation groups.
The group is chaired by The Netherlands.
Previous work of BSTN includes: