Digital platform for disruptive trends – SDG Trend Scanner

Aim and goal

Provide an opportunity to understand how different disruptive trends and key trends assessments are – or under which conditions can be – linked to the global SDGs, with the help of an online web-based platform.

Make it easier to identify disruptive trends with low probability high-impact characteristics.

Allow companies, the public sector, and other stakeholders to turn trend assessments into drivers for sustainable and scalable innovation, including by catalyzing opportunities for public-private partnerships.

Support decision-makers to develop, deploy and accelerate the uptake of solutions to sustainable development challenges with the help of disruptive trends.

Encourage providers of trend assessments to include possibilities to deliver on the SDGs in their reports

Challenge

1. The rapid changes in society in general, and within business in particular, triggered by rapid technological development, new business models and shifting values have created a demand for trend assessments that are more science based.
2. Disruptive trends are becoming more important and it is important to understand and identify different kinds of trends depending on need (impact, probability, uncertainty, agreement, time horizon, etc.)

Solution

1. New ways to collect and process data allow for tailor-made assessments.
2. New ways to visualize, and tools that allow for interaction with large data sets, provides the opportunity to present large amounts of complex data in a way that can be understood and used by more stakeholders.

Effect

More informed strategic decisions for a large range of stakeholders and enhanced possibilities for these stakeholders to utilize disruptive trends to support global sustainability.