25 Years of IDIMT: A History of Continuity and Change

Gerhard Chroust is an Austrian systems scientist and Professor Emeritus for Systems Engineering and Automation at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria. He is the Secretary General of the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR) and a Board Member of the Austrian Computer Society (OCG). He is an Honorary Member of the Austrian Society for Informatics (ÖGI) and of the Bertalanffy Center for Study of Systems Sciences (BCSSS). Chroust is an authority on formal definition of programming languages, compiler technology, software/system development processes, software quality standards, process assessment, on cultural differences in system development and on systemic aspects of disaster management. His current key research is in Human Aspects, Cultural Differences and Systemic Aspects of System Development and Disaster Management, and Representation and Enactment of Software Processes. 1964 he received a Master of Science (Electrical Engineering ) from the Technical University, 1965 a Master of Science (Computer Science) from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1975 he was awarded a PhD (Computer Science) from the Technical University Vienna and in 1980 a Habilitation (Computer Science) from the Johannes Kepler University Linz. From 1966 to 1991 Chroust worked at the IBM Laboratory Vienna, mostly on computer languages and compiler technology. From 1992 until 2007 he was tenured Professor for 'Systems Engineering and Automation' at the Kepler University of Linz. Since the foundation of the yearly IDIMT-Conferences in 1993 (see www.idimt.org) he is , together with Prof. Petr Doucek from the University of Economics, Prague, the co-chair of the IDIMT-Conferences. He has published 10 authored books, edited/co-edited approx. 60 proceedings, written approx. 220 scientific publications and approx. 300 other publications. Chroust is bearer of the Silver Medal of Honor of Upper Austria.

Petr Doucek is a Czech computing expert with specialization information management and information security management systems. He has graduated in 1984 at University of Economics, Prague in Economic-mathematical modelling. He finished his Ph.D. studies in 1993 and presented a PhD Thesis with Title: "Model Approach to Estimation of Economic Characteristics of Software Projects". He defended successful a thesis "Managerial Applications - EIS in the Czech Practice" and has been appointed Associate Professor in Information Management at the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics at University of Economics, Prague. Since 2007 is Professor for Informatics and since 2010 he is the head of Department of System Analysis. Topics of his activities are Information Management, Information Systems and Information and Communication Technology, Security Management Systems and Project Management. He took part in several research activities supported by Czech Funding Agencies as well as by international funds. He participated in more than 35 projects in improvement of information systems in Czech or international firms or in state and public administration bodies. His rich publication activity consists from eight monographs, 18 education texts, approximately 45 articles in reviewed journals and more than 100 contributions in international conferences and workshops. From 1993 onward he was co-chair of the IDIMT Conferences and for many years has also been Co-Editor of the Proceeding

Lea Nedomova has been working as assistant professor of the Department of System Analysis at the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics at the University of Economics, Prague since 1996. She graduated at the Natural Science Faculty of the Charles University, with a specialization in Chemistry and Biology. Her main work areas are system approach to global development and sustainable development, especially in relation to ISO Standard 9000 (Quality Management) and ISO Standard 14000 (Environmental Management). Further fields are sustainability, IMS, and the use of information in social system, including a Pedagogic orientation in Office automation systems. Her main research and development topics include system approach to global society, sustainable development and its relation to integrated management system and its components. A further area of her interest is gender aspects of Information technology implementation and operation. She is author and co-author of 5 monographs, 18 research articles and 70 papers on conferences. Since 2001 she is working as the Organizing Chairperson ind the Organizing Committee of the IDIMT Conferences.