FLIServices tools development: what?

FLIServices tools development:what? NRC FLIS annual meeting, 30-31 May 2013, Berlin Anita PircVelkavrh Strategic futures

Outline of the presentation • FLIS working platforms • EEA, countries/regional , common • Tools: • Catalogue of needs and offers for FLIS • Trends tool (GMT) • Use of forward-looking information (BLOSSOM) • Glossary

FLIServices priority actions In 2012 priority of work is given to 1. Drivers and trends services: Global megatrends, 2. Use of forward-looking information in policy making : Blossom 3. Glossary as part of the Methods and tools component 4. Developing generic services Second priority - to continue initiated activities in 2012 and some additional services: 1. Drivers and trends : horizon scanning 2. Catalogue of scenarios studies 3. Methods and tools (ie. Models inventory, “ methods corner”)

Aims of the FLIServices development • To improve: • accessibility and transparency of forward-looking information for users; experts and non-experts • management, sharing and use of information • sharing of expert knowledge widely (cooperation and communication) • to reinforce institutional capacity in the EEA and member countries;

Networking, capacity building, governance The EEA aims to strengthen cooperation with countries and other organisations involved in forward-looking information and services. The aim is to form strategic partnerships to promote capacity-building, facilitate exchange of experiences, improve methodological approaches and extend them to business and NGOs where relevant. This is achieved both using existing formal and informal networks and by building new partnerships. See the EEA Strategy 2009–2013 (EEA, 2009), strategic area 3.5. EEA brochure 2011: Knowledge base for forward-looking information and services (FLIS) A platform to support long-term decision making

Different working platforms, different roles • Each folder includes tools: • GMT • HS trends • Wild cards… • Blossom • Links (exampla): • Glosssary • Liv Cat

Different platforms, different roles; cont. Working platforms are defined by the rights of manipulating workflow and disclosing the information: • EEA – decides which infrmation wants to include in order to compile European level picture or to communicate directly informaiton further to users • EIONET comunity - sharing information beetween countries and agree which information to report to EEA • Inidvidual country – decide what they display; information is streamlined to specific country folder

Catalogue of needs and offers for FLIS knowledge base (LivCat) Forward looking information is unevenly used in state of environment reporting and expert and institutional capacities are also unevenly developed. • Catalogue will help in sharing best practices and knowledge across EIONET community and serve as a tool for quick exchange of information with peers and projects development. • For the EEA it will be guidance for further development of work programme and interlincages with other thematic areas.

Drivers, Trends, Emerging Issues The aim is to provide the updated information on the main trends and their interlinkages at different spatial scales and in different timeframes which are influencing or will be able to influence European environment. Their impacts pathways to environment should be analyzed as well. New trends and developments should be monitored and assessed as well. • Trends detection and description is one of the very essential tasks and activities of foresight research. Trend analysis is a study of historic performance in order to indicate possible future situation and new trends. It comprises of several activities, for example, identification of existing trends and their interrelatedness, understanding of underlying drivers and uncertainties, assessment of trend longevity and impact. Trends are usually described as short, medium or long term. In case of very strong and stable trends one speaks of megatrends. For megatrends as well, the determination of drivers, interrelations and uncertainties is key. • The systematic detection of new Trends, “weak signals” and “emerging issues” is touched by “Horizon scanning” systems. CoG draft document EEA brochure 2011: Knowledge base for forward-looking information and services (FLIS) A platform to support long-term decision making

Trends services Trends tool will serve for different types of trends analyses • Global megatrends • Horizon scanning • Wild cards, uncertainties • Early warnings

Example of the concept and information flow for“Trends services”

Support to “blossom” -to enhance use of forward-looking information Forward-looking information is increasingly accepted and used by policymakers, governments and the scientific community in the context of: • broad policy-oriented environmental forward-looking assessments; • strategic planning and decision-making; • education, information science and research EEA brochure 2011: Knowledge base for forward-looking information and services (FLIS) A platform to support long-term decision making

BLOSSOM 'toolbox' of approaches, countries varieties, factors of success or failure of efforts EEA: crosscutting analyses Country: use of forward-looking information in policy making Methods used in future studies Governance culture Institutional characteristics Actors, mechanisms, processes Level of political support Input from country Blossom studies: Template 1, Template 2, Swot tails, reports Input from other country studies: elements to support crosscutting analyses Country BLOSSOM study Other national analyses

Services to support BLOSSOM studies –added value to countries: Are any web tools needed? Blossom workshop, Nov 2012 Cph Services developed for the 1st phase: No. Yes. To register start and end od new country study or activity Web available guidance support national workflow: checklist of actions, tasks, templates, glossary No. Included in Liv Cat • To follow and control workflow of the study? • To perform more transparent process of study undertaking? • To facilitate process of compiling national studies and “sharing” with the EEA? • To exchange experiences with others (community of practitioners)

Structure of BLOSSOM tool • Registration of Blossom study or other activity with the same purpose • Process of Blossom case study development • Sharing the results of the study to the EEA, EIONET, public

Registration of country study on countries platform (restricted to EIONET) • New OR update of existing Blossom country study OR other sources • Language • Who is ordering Blossom; ownership • one or more institutions • status: commissioned, independent, part of official process • Who is doing Blossom study • Purpose and target audience • Stakeholders involved in development of the study (planed and final) • Stakeholders involved in review of key messages (planed and final) • Time plan and date of conclusion (planed and actual) • Contacts: • Project team..

Process of Blossom case study development – restricted to countries

Sharing the results of the study to the EEA, EIONET, publicEEA platform and/or other web sites • Elements needed for the EEA crosscutting analyses • Pdfreport • Elements from the study: • KEY MESSAGES • SWOT tail diagram • INSTITTUIONAL CHARACTERISTICS • summery, fact sheets if wished • ACTORS, MECHANISMS, PROCESSES • summery • METHODS/APPRAOCHES USED IN FUTURE STUDIES • summery, fact sheets uploaded to scenario catalogue • GOVERNANCE, CULTURE • summery • LEVEL OF POLITICAL SUPPORT • summery • Countries platform: working material at countries platform as decided by countries • Other web sites – as designed and decided by country

Glossary Provide bases for common understanding and better communication Template for FLIS: • Agreed definition used by FLIS network • Other definitions with sources Start with 20 terms: 10 were proposed at Vienna meeting, dec 2012 Define workflow, consultation and contributions of various experts and stakeholders (policy, science?)

Meetings Meetings 2013 BLOSSOM: 17-18 June 2012, Cph FLIServices: 18-19 June 2013, Cph September 2013 (tbc) INTERESTED COUNTRIES

Build relationship-manage challenges Dynamic area- continually evolving user requirements the speed and ferocity of change has imposed unprecedented demands for immediacy and elasticity Understandability language, tone, terminology… guidances, templates… Managing up to expectations- satisfaction is a measure, lessons learned, evaluations Trust communication, to separate expert workspace form publication, dedicated decisions and participation

Thank you!

Principles of development FLIServices • SEIS principles • Managed as close as possible to its source. • Collected once, and shared with others for many purposes. • Readily available to easily fulfil reporting obligations. • Easily accessible to all users. • Accessible to enable comparisons at the appropriate geographical scale, and citizen participation. • Fully available to the general public, and at the national level in the relevant national language(s). • Supported through common, free open software standards. • Examples of SEIS principles already applied in FLIS: • Inventory of models – decentralised management of information • Development of facts sheets (scenarios studies, GMTs, FL Ind., Blossom) to improve transparency, comparability, quality, streamlining and reuse.

Principles- specific to FLIServices • Not holistic system. We don’t mean to develop one system of services supporting everything. We identify and prioritise various possible services which will serve needs of users of FLIS. • Reuse. FLIS service will prepare selected information (from the European and national level) of core importance to be used and reused by several users. Reuse will not be further controlled, FLIS services just liaise further uses. However, it establishes controlled process to support selection and approval of information of relevance. • Web orientation of FLIS services. • Dynamic system. Services should be able to adapt to changing needs. They will more focus on the relationships between information blocks rather than within blocks.

Definition An Information Service is this part of an Information system that serves data/knowledge/information to customers and collects it from its contributors, to manage and store it by optionally using administrators. “service,” reflects the process of doing something beneficial for and in conjunction with some entity

WHY • Much emphasis is put on services in the definition of the aim of the FLIS development: • to ensure that appropriate knowledge and information on forward-looking perspectives is available and used in policy making and in environment assessment. This living knowledge base will support networking (EIONET), exchange of experience and capacity building. • Already in this definition it is embraced importance of provision of different types of services between different users, based on requrments.

FLIServices tools development: what?