What are the origins of SIG DSS?
by Dan Power
Editor, DSSResources.com
SIG DSS is the Special Interest Group about Decision Support and Analytical Information Systems affiliated with the Association for Information Systems (AIS). AIS is the "premier global organization for academics specializing in Information Systems". On January 26, 2001, AIS members were invited to propose Special Interest Groups. SIG DSS was approved by AIS Council in mid-December 2001 after some revisions to the initial proposal. It is one of nine AIS SIGs.
SIG DSS is a forum for AIS members to discuss, develop, and promote issues, ideas and research related to using Information Technologies to support decision-makers and improve decision processes in businesses and organizations. Seven AIS members, S. Alter, J. Courtney, D. Power, R. Sharda, V. Sugumaran, M. Turoff, and H. Watson, joined in submitting the revised proposal for SIG DSS. The abbreviated name SIG DSS provides a shortened label that is easy to recognize and is meaningful in terms of the domain of the SIG. The proposal notes the "SIG tries to build on established concepts and recognize the evolving nature of this research area".
Some topics covered by SIG DSS include: Communications-Driven and Group DSS, Knowledge-Driven DSS and Management Expert System Applications; Data-Driven DSS, including Data Modeling and Database Design for Data Warehouses; OLAP and Executive Information Systems; Document-Driven DSS; Model-Driven DSS including quantitative model formulation and model management; Design and Development of Decision Support and Analytical Information Systems; Decision Support Technologies including software and hardware; Decision Support and Analytical IS Applications; and Decision Support user interface design, standards, and features.
SIG DSS hosted an initial reception for members and a business meeting at AMCIS 2002 in Dallas. The SIG Officers and Board developed by-laws in 2002 and provided some initial services to members. For example, the ISWorld pages on Decision Support Systems will be maintained as a SIG DSS Electronic Resource. SIG DSS will try to facilitate discussions of interest to the membership using a threaded message board. Also, SIG DSS may sponsor a Decision Support Technology Trade Fair and Virtual Conference in 2002.
Daniel Power, University of Northern Iowa and DSSResources.COM, was the founding Chair
of SIG DSS. Ramesh Sharda, Oklahoma State University, Secretary/Treasurer and Vijay Sugamaran, Oakland University, the Resource Coordinator. Other Board members include: Steven Alter, University of San Francisco; James Courtney, University of Central Florida; Murray Turoff, New Jersey Institute of Technology; and Hugh Watson, University of Georgia. A plan for election of Officers and Board Members will be part of the by-laws discussed at the SIG DSS business meeting in Dallas in August 2002.
The AIS SIG page is at URL http://www.pitt.edu/~galletta/sigs.html. Registration for AIS SIGs is now in progress at www.aisnet.org. Currently, the annual dues for SIG DSS are USD $10 for AIS members (dues are prorated this year). To become a Charter member of SIG DSS you'll need to be a member of the Association for Information Systems (AIS) AND you'll need your member number. If you've lost your AIS membership card or want to join AIS, contact James Kizer . For more information about SIG DSS or to volunteer, contact Dan Power (Daniel.Power@uni.edu) or Ramesh Sharda (Sharda@okstate.edu).
Many thanks to Dennis F. Galletta, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, for his hard work in promoting and encouraging development of AIS SIGs.
The above response is updated from Power, D., What is SIG DSS? DSS News, Vol. 3, No. 5,
Last update: 2014-02-13 04:04
Author: Daniel Power
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