For as far as I'm aware (being non-British and non-Amarican), a scout in the meaning of person has two meanings. One is a talent searcher. The second one, that probably fits your sentance best, is that of an explorer.
Quoting from this
online dictionary :
1 : to explore an area to obtain information (as about an enemy)
2 a : to make a search b : to work as a talent scout
transitive senses
1 : to observe in order to obtain information or evaluate
2 : to explore in order to obtain information
3 : to find by making a search -- often used with up
There are many more online dictionaries, you should give that a try if this isn't clear enough (what I will expect).
Saskia
