OHorizont

Ohorizont is an international research and development initiative dedicated to horizon scanning, futures studies, and data-driven visualization of long-term trends. The network brings together universities, think tanks, and technology companies to explore potential futures and implications for policy, industry, and society.

Originating in Central Europe, Ohorizont formally emerged in 2012 as a cooperative umbrella for cross-disciplinary projects. It operates with a rotating governance model and maintains a virtual center that coordinates research agendas, data standards, and collaborative publications.

Activities include regular publications such as the Horizon Atlas, a multimedia database of technological signals and social indicators, and scenario-based reports that examine plausible future developments. Ohorizont also hosts workshops, trainings, and public lectures intended to improve data literacy and futures thinking.

Methodologically, Ohorizont emphasizes weak signal detection, cross-domain collaboration, and transparent methodologies. It combines qualitative horizon-scanning with lightweight quantitative analytics and shareable datasets to enable reproducibility.

Funding comes from member institutions, research grants, and philanthropic support. The organization maintains open-access outputs and engages with policymakers to translate insights into planning and risk assessment.

Critics have noted limitations in sample diversity and the challenge of communicating uncertainties inherent in futures work. Proponents argue that the initiative provides a constructive framework for long-range thinking and evidence-based decision making.