Dimitris A. Beis: Total Integration - The Case of Information Systems for Olympic Games
Dimitris A. Beis
The Olympic Games, the most demanding Sports Mega Event, have evolved through the years to complexity levels unparallel in any man designed process. Information Systems play the key role both as an enabler and critical performer for an Olympic Event if not surpassing at least in equal terms with the stars of the Games, the Athletes. Just data registering of records and performance of sports and athletes is not a viable option today for the Olympic Games. The total integration of all functions that make the 15 dream days of the Olympics is the target. Olympic family services, spectator services, cultural integration, media and broadcasting services, world participation and host city performance in transportation, crowd regulation and security must be supported in a first time easy to use, reliable and sub second response performance with 100% availability of all systems. The IS implemented in support of the last three Olympiads in Sydney, Athens and Beijing will be presented, critical issues of success factors analysed and expected developments projected.
Bio
Scientific Secretary and Member of the Board of the Greek Energy Council until December 2009 responsible for the proposal to the government of the long term energy strategy for Greece. As Scientific Secretary he was responsible for recommending to the Board the yearly energy white paper as the head of the Secretariat of the Council.
Prior to this position D. A. Beis was General Manager for Technologies for the Athens 2004 Olympics Games Organising Committee. The field of responsibilities for the Athens 2004 Games included Information Technologies, Telecommunications, and Energy. During games time he was a member of the Olympic Games Operations Board that delivered the "DREAM GAMES" as acknowledged by the President of the International Olympic Committee. D. A. Beis is currently energy advisor to the International Olympic Committee.
For his work in the planning and design of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and in particular the work undertaken in cooperation with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) and the Athens Economics University for the work in applying Operations Research methodologies and developing the PLATO tool ( Process Logistics Advanced Technical Optimiser), he was awarded, together with Professors P. Loucopoulos, C. Zografos and J. Pyrgiotis, the first prize in 2005 from the Operations Research Society in England and a commendation from the Edelman OR Society of the USA.
Prior to the appointment to the Athens Olympics, D.A.Beis occupied a variety of top management positions both in the private sector and the Greek Government. In brief from 1973 till 1988 he was responsible for the design and implementation of engineering projects including the design and construction of the Energy Control Centre for the Public Power Corporation. From 1989 till 1992 he was responsible for the introduction of advanced information systems for the Greek Government, while from 1993 till his appointment to the Olympics Committee he was responsible successively for the planning of energy production facilities and later for the privatisation of the electricity incumbent company.
D.A. Beis holds the degrees of BSc (Eng) from Aston University in England, Diploma of Technical Sciences of UMIST, MSc and DIC in Systems Analysis from Imperial College in London.
From 1999 until 2004 Mr D. A. Beis was Visiting Professor at UMIST.
Mr Beis hold at various times the following Membership of Professional Bodies: Technical Chamber of Greece, CIGRE, UNIPEDE ( Informatics Committee), and Member of the Directing Committee of EURELECTRIC in Brussels.