Conference INFORMATICS 2014 - „Big Data – Mastering Complexity“

September 17, 2014, Nr. 62

Future questions regarding data processing

Under the auspices of Prof. Johanna Wanka, Federal Minister of Education and Research, the 44 th annual meeting of Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI) is taking place from 22 nd until 26 th September 2014 on the Vaihingen campus of the University of Stuttgart. The complexity of the data as well as the complexity of the systems and applications are the major themes of the conference that goes by the motto of “Big Data – Mastering Complexity“. Informatik-Forum Stuttgart e.V. (infos) is conducting the event on behalf of GI. Over 1,000 participants are expected, including numerous top-class representatives from science, business and politics.

“Big Data“ characterises the data flow and mastering it keeps us busy everywhere: on the Internet, in the communications sector, during medical imaging, when simulating crash tests, special effects in the film industry, the sensor fusing of driver assistance systems, market research; in brief in almost all fields in which informatics have provided impetus for new functions. Beyond this complexity an exploding complexity of applications characterises many of today’s problems faced by the IT industry. Catchphrases like Cloud Computing, Industry 4.0, Smart Factory or Smart Mobility portray a future in which an intelligence of the systems is created through the interaction of many hardware and software components that go far beyond what we are familiar with. However, the prerequisite is that in so doing it succeeds in mastering the resulting complexity of these systems.

With a view to these challenges, Federal Minister Wanka in her welcoming address calls for the following: “We need science and research in order to be able to react appropriately to the existence of large data quantities. The enormous quantity of valuable data needs to be used responsibly. Intelligent methods and data management and analysis tools give us strategically clear advantages in many fields and strengthen our competitiveness. Yet this will only apply if we simultaneously prevent the misuse of data and prevent the misuse of the possibilities of big data.“

Conference chair Prof. Erhard Plödereder, Managing Director of Institute for Software Technology (ISTE) at the University of Stuttgart, underlined the significance of this year’s event: “The conference INFORMATIK 2014 is geared towards great challenges in information and communication technology and accordingly wishes to make a contribution towards solving future grand challenges in the informatics and IT economy. In Stuttgart, an internationally significant science and business location, we have also placed great importance on the involvement of industry and business. Companies participate with contributions towards to the debate and the overall programme in the form of discussions, work groups and events.“

The conference with its excess of 300 lectures offers a broad range of topics. The motto of the conference takes centre state on two topic days: the “Economy Day“ (Tuesday, 23 rd September) and the “Informatics Day“ (24 th September). Keynote spokesperson from the executive floors of business and science such as, for example Michael Gorriz (CIO Daimler AG), Dirk Wittkopp (Managing Director IBM Deutschland), Karlheinz Streibich (CEO Software AG) as well as Manfred Broy (TU München), Peter Schaar (European Academy for Freedom of Information and Data Protection) and Gerhard Weikum (Max-Planck-Institute of Informatics) will be giving their views on big data and mastering the complexity. Four associated conferences and 29 workshops, work group events, industry and science, programmes for students and postgraduates as well as offers for career advancement and tutorials form a group around the topic days.

The attractive framework programme of the conference includes a reception in the town hall of the city of Stuttgart (Tuesday, 23 rd September 7 pm) with the award of the innovation and entrepreneurial prize by GI through Andreas Goerdeler, Director General in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The conference participants will be welcomed by the Lord Mayor Fritz Kuhn and Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Rector of the University of Stuttgart.

On the “Economy Day” the projects of the new BMWi technology competition “Smart Data – Innovations from Data” will also be presented. Innovative companies from various sectors as well as numerous research institutes will be involved in the 13 projects. The competition is to form a basis “to promote research and development for big data solutions made in Germany“, according to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel, in his welcome speech at the conference.

Winfried Kretschmann, Minister President of the State of Baden-Württemberg, described information and communication technology in his welcoming address to the INFORMATIK 2014 as decisive cross-sectional technology: “The wealth of available data and information is changing scientific work and is able to influence entrepreneurship. With this big data and smart data attain new significance for science and business“, according to the Minister President.

Conference address: University of Stuttgart, Vaihingen campus, Universitätsstraße 38, 705659 Stuttgart,

Conference programme: h ttp://www.informatik2014.de

Registration for the media: hkom@hkom.uni-stuttgart.de

Further information: Dr. Hans-Herwig Geyer, Head of University Communication and Spokesperson, University of Stuttgart, Tel.: 0711/685-82555, Email: hans-herwig.geyer [at] hkom.uni-stuttgart.de

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