International Federation for Information Processing

The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is an umbrella organization for national societies working in the field of information technology. It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization with offices in Laxenburg, Austria. Its members include over 48 national societies and academies of science.

IFIP was established in 1960 under the auspices of UNESCO, originally under the name International Federation of Information Processing Societies (IFIPS). In preparation, UNESCO had organized the first International Conference on Information Processing, which took place in June 1959 in Paris, and is now considered the first IFIP Congress. The name was changed to the current name in 1961. The original contribution of IFIP was the definition of the Algol 60 programming language, which was one of the first examples of truly international collaboration in computer science and left a durable mark on the entire field. In 2009, under the auspices of IFIP, the International Professional Practice Partnership (IFIP IP3) was implemented "Leading the Development of the Global IT Profession."

Technical Committees

IFIP's activities are centered on its fourteen Technical Committees, which are divided into working groups. The working groups (with names like "WG 2.4 Software Implementation Technology") organize conferences, run workshops, and circulate technical papers.

• TC 1: Foundations of Computer Science
• TC 2: Software:Theory and Practice
• TC 3: Education
• TC 5: Information Technology Applications
• TC 6: Communication Systems
• TC 7: System Modeling and Optimization
• TC 8: Information Systems
• TC 9: Relationship between Computers and Society
• TC 10: Computer Systems Technology
• TC 11: Security and Protection in Information Processing Systems
• TC 12: Artificial Intelligence
• TC 13: Human-Computer Interaction
• TC 14: Entertainment Computing

The current IFIP TC1 was founded in 1997. There had been an earlier TC1, Technical Committee 1 on Terminology, which was the earliest Technical Committee of IFIP. Formed in 1961, it produced a multilingual dictionary of information-processing terminology. It was later disbanded.

IFIP TC7

The TC7 was founded in 1972 by A.V. Balakrishnan, J.L. Lions and M. Marchuk. It is currently chaired by J. Henry. The vice-chair and immediate past chairperson is I. Lasiecka.

The aims of this Technical Committee are

• to provide an international clearing house for computational (as well as related theoretical) aspects of optimization problems in diverse areas and to share computing experience gained on specific applications;
• to promote the development of necessary high-level theory to meet the needs of complex optimization problems and establish appropriate cooperation with the International Mathematics Union and similar organisations;
• to foster interdisciplinary activity on optimization problems spanning the various areas such as Economics (including Business Administration and Management), Biomedicine, Meteorology, etc., in cooperation with associated international bodies.

The TC7 is composed of seven Working Groups (WG)

• WG 7.1 on Modeling and Simulation. Chaired by Arunabha Bagchi
• WG 7.2 on Computational Techniques in Distributed Systems. Chaired by Jean-Paul Zolésio
• WG 7.3 on Computer System Modeling. Chaired by Don Towsley
• WG 7.4 on Discrete Optimization. Chaired by Peter L. Hammer
• WG 7.5 on Reliability and Optimization of Structural Systems. Chaired by Dan M. Frangopol
• WG 7.6 on Optimization-Based Computer-Aided Modelling and Design. Chaired by Janusz Granat
• WG 7.7 on Stochastic Optimization. Chaired by Kurt Marti

IFIP TC8

The IFIP TC8 is the IFIP Technical Committee on Information Systems initiated in 1976. This committee "aims to promote and encourage the advancement of research and practice of concepts, methods, techniques and issues related to information systems in organisations. It has established eight separate working groups".

TC 8 has established nine working groups, where as WG 8.7 is closed:

• WG 8.1 Design and evaluation of information systems
• WG 8.2 The interaction of information systems and the organization
• WG 8.3 Decision Support Systems
• WG 8.4 E-Business Information Systems: Multi-disciplinary research and practice
• WG 8.5 Information Systems in Public Administration
• WG 8.6 Diffusion, transfer and implementation of information technology
• WG 8.8 Smart Cards, Technology, Applications & Methods
• WG 8.9 Enterprise Information Systems

Former and current members of IFIP TC8 include:

• Sjaak Brinkkemper, Jan Dietz, Terry Halpin, Brian Henderson-Sellers, John Krogstie, Börje Langefors, G.M. Nijssen, T. William Olle, Dewald Roode, Colette Rolland, Henk G. Sol, Arne Sølvberg, and Chen Yu.

IFIP TC13

IFIP TC 13 is the IFIP Technical Committee on Human-Computer Interaction founded in 1989. It aims to encourage empirical research (using valid and reliable methodology, with studies of the methods themselves where necessary); to promote the use of knowledge and methods from the human sciences in both design and evaluation of computer systems; to promote better understanding of the relation between formal design methods and system usability and acceptability; to develop guidelines, models and methods by which designers may be able to provide better human-oriented computer systems; and to co-operate with other groups, inside and outside IFIP, so as to promote user-orientation and "humani-zation" in system design.

As of 2011, TC 13 has seven working groups (WG's) and two special interest groups (SIG's):

• WG 13.1 - Education in HCI and HCI Curricula
• WG 13.2 - Methodology for User-centered System Design
• WG 13.3 - Human-Computer Interaction and Disability
• WG 13.4/2.7 - User Interface Engineering
• WG 13.5 - Human Error, Safety and System Development
• WG 13.6 - Human Work Interaction Design
• WG 13.7 - Human - Computer Interaction & Visualization HCIV

• SIG 13.1 - Interaction Design and International Development
• SIG 13.2 - Interaction Design and Children

External links

• International Federation for Information Processing
• The INTERACT IFIP International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction