Vision and Scope

Background? (14634)

Ted Gordon developed SOFI algorithm (16241)

SOFI produced using Lotus macros past two years (16224)

Problem? (14783)

Building and deploying an integrated, usable SOFI tool (16260)

Allow others to build their own SOFIs (16176)

Simplify task of updating SOFI every year (16201)

Stakeholders? (14757)

Millennium Project and its Node members (16301)

Regional and global policymakers (16313)
Many of them are new to computers, because they're from Third World countries. By and large, will have staff that understand what the tool is and how to use.

95% using Windows (16772)

Proficient with spreadsheets (16999)

Solution vision? (14592)

Freely available (16448)

New releases every year (17049)

Maintain database of data relevant for SOFI (17018)
19 data series kept up to date and available in the same format with known, consistent units. Must be authoritative, accurate, and up-to-date. This is 5 years away. Difficult to get variables for SOFI.

Could be the basis of a regular SOFI publication (16348)
Could be broader than current SoF audience. World Watch's "State of the World 2000" (over million copies sold) and "Vital Signs" (Lester Brown is editor-in-chief) and "World Watch Database." www.worldwatch.org. About a million in circulation.

Newspapers might want to syndicate/track SOFI (16418)

Keeping track of the data is important (16971)

Associate SOFI with scenario (17445)

Scope and limitations? (14607)

Project priorities? (14765)

Easier it is to use, the better (16506)
Simple enough so that it doesn't require training. Small manual should be enough.

Scope of initial release? (14725)

Essentially convert spreadsheets into coherent, easy-to-use program (16889)

Professionals using it initially (16463)
Economists, political and social scientists, scholars, academics, government planners, corporate planners.

More developed countries (16490)
U.S., EU, China, India, Australia.

3-100 users (16705)

Deployed via State of the Future 2003 and Futures Methodology 2.0 (16716)
SOF released May 2003, FM released July 2003. Jerry/Elizabeth would know circ numbers for these.

Success factors? (14623)

Quantitative business objectives? (14651)