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Foresight is a deliberate process of expanding awareness and understanding through futures scanning and the clarification of emerging situations.

But what is futures studies? One working definition is: the science, art and ethics of negotiating and creating alternative societies and the ideas and meanings that govern them. Futures studies has six pillars:

Mapping the Present and the Future through methods and tools such as the futures triangle and the futures landscape

Anticipating the Future through methods such as emerging issues analysis and the futures wheel

Timing the Future, understanding the grand patterns of change, macrohistory and macrofutures.

Deepening the Future through methods such as causal layered analysis and four quadrant mapping

Creating Alternatives to the Present through methods such as scenarios and nuts and bolts

Transforming the Present and Creating the Future through visioning, backcasting, action learning and the transcend conflict resolution method.

Future studies (also called futurism, futurology, and futures studies) is the study of the medium to long-term future, by extrapolating present technological, economic or social trends, or by attempting to predict future trends. Extrapolation is just one of many dozens of methods and techniques used in futures research; others include scenarios, the Delphi method, brainstorming, and morphological analysis.

Foresight, and its associated horizon scanning centre, aims to provide challenging visions of the future, to ensure effective strategies now. It does this by providing a core of skills in science-based futures projects and unequalled access to leaders in government, business and science.

Futures studies is the systemic analysis of possible, probable and preferred futures, and the worldviews and myths that underlie each future.