'Wikipedia' Entry

Overview

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Peter Aiken is a practicing data consultant, author and researcher. He is the Founding Director of Data Blueprint, a firm that helped organizations leverage data for competitive advantage and operational efficiencies for more than 21 years.  He is also Associate Professor of Information Systems at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and past President of the International Data Management Association (DAMA-I). Aiken is often quoted as an advocate for increased awareness of data's uses as a strategic asset, for increased data centric solution design activities, and for improving emphasis on data specific education.  His latest adventure is Anything Awesome.

Early Life

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Peter Aiken grew up in Falls Church VA and attended Landon and McLean High Schools. He has been continuously employed since 1975 and in information technology/management related positions since 1980. Following a career in retailing, he began his current avocation when he managed the Information Center of a major research university, delivering consulting and end user support services to thousands of diverse, distributed users. He was promoted to the position of Computer Systems Senior Engineer, responsible for the distributed online program development (CICS) and telecommunications systems (VTAM). His 1989 doctoral dissertation entitled “A Hypermedia Workstation for Requirements Engineering” was one of the first research projects illustrating how hypermedia technologies could be applied to systems requirements and development. (More concisely packaged as [1] ). Later, as Director of the George Mason University Hypermedia Technologies Laboratory, he led a research team investigating the application of hypermedia-based tools and techniques to the process of requirements engineering, and developed hypermedia-based applications supporting group consensus building (GDSS).

Data Career

In more than three decades of focus, he has participated in hundreds of data management practices including multiyear immersions with organizations ranging from banking to technology to retail. In 2009, Aiken co-published the first cross-industry data management maturity assessment [3] and in 2011 published as well as the first quarter century perspective of data management practices (spoiler alert - things are not improving!). [4]

US DoD:  In 1992 he was recruited by the Department of Defense to work in the Center for Information Management's (CIM) Information Engineering Directorate. At CIM, he co-developed (with Alice Muntz and Russ Richards) and directed a multi-million dollar DoD-wide reverse engineering [5] program aimed at recovering data architectures from legacy information systems. [6] He also participated in the development of a DoD-wide strategic level data model/architecture, as well as other projects for the DoD and DISA Chief Information Officers in support of DoD Directive 2167A.

VCU:  In 1993 he switched his academic base to the Department of Information Systems in the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University where he is currently an Associate Professor of Information Systems. At VCU, he has managed millions of dollars worth of sponsored research projects jointly with local, national, and international organizations in the private and public sectors. These projects have been the basis for his publications and have provided valuable learning experiences for the hundreds of students who have participated in them. In addition, they have generated surplus resources able to fund additional research activities. [7]

Data Blueprint:  Between 1999 and 2020, VCU spun off Data Blueprint to capitalize on disclosed intellectual property. [8] It has received recognition for data-focused expertise (often involving data reverse engineering, business, and systems reengineering, systems integration/systems engineering, strategic planning, information engineering, software requirements engineering, human-computer interaction, and decision support/data warehousing systems). The company has developed a reputation in these and associated areas. [9] [10]

DAMA International:  Aiken is currently the past-President of DAMA Intenational. He served as President of DAMA International from 2010-2013. [11] He has held leadership positions with the organization since the 90's and on the International Board since 1999. [12] In 2001, he was awarded (with Dr. E. F. "Ted" Codd) the DAMA International Achievement Award and in 2005 he was presented with the DAMA International Community Award for his active support of the Chapters.

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International Society of Chief Data Officers:  Aiken was a found member of and is currently the Associate Director of the Society.  

Anything Awesome:  Current focus.

Recognition

Dr. Aiken's achievements have resulted in recognition in The Dictionary of International Biographies and other vanity awards/biographical compilations. His YouTube Channel is pretty boring - no more than a collection of videos of various speeches and interviews. He was awarded the IEEE Computer Society International Stevens Award in recognition of his contributions to the literature or practice of methods for software and systems development. His ideas have been published by the ACM, IEEE Computer, IEEE Software, the IBM Systems Journal, Information Week and others. Dr. Aiken has been interviewed by publications including USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, the Dallas Morning News, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Compliance Week and Federal Computer Week.

At the direction of the DoD, in 1996 Aiken published the first book (and a subsequent, more detailed IBM Systems Journal article [13] ) codifying the concept of reengineering data and associated potential - concepts codeveloped with colleagues Alice Muntz and Russ Richards while implementing the DoD Reverse Engineering Program in the early 1990's [6]

In 1999, he and co-author Clive Finkelstein published the first book on XML Portals. [14] That same year he published (with co-authors O. Negwanyama and L. Broome) the first article describing the approach to, and benefits obtained when reverse engineering ERP and other 'new' software systems. [15]

In 2004 (with co-author M. D. Allen), he published the first book on XML and data management [16] - an area of vast, still untaped potential.

In 2007, he (with co-authors M. D. Allen, B. Parker, and A Mattia) published the first approach and results of a data management maturity assessment - a precursor to the CMMI/DMMsm. [17]

In 2010, he published the first article illustrating external uses of internal codes of conduct. (Note: the IEEE enthusiastically published this article after the ACM declined to publish because it represented a "misuse" (ACMs words) of the shared codes of conduct - the article was reporting on what was not what should be.) [18]

In 2016, he was a guest of the very gracious Sarah McConnell for a terrific interview on With Good Reason. [19] Also in 2016, he published the first data management case study in an academic journal. [20]

In 2017, he was interviewed by Bill Fitzgerald of television station WTVR as part of the Equifax data breech coverage. [21]

Academic Affiliations

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Associate Professor of Information Systems • Virginia Commonwealth University • 1999 – Present

Visiting Professor • Volgenau School of Engineering George Mason University • 2012 – 2017

Visiting Professor • Donaghey College of Engineering and IT University of Arkansas • 2012

Visiting Scientist • Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University • 2001 – 2002

Visiting Asst. Professor of Information Systems & Systems Engineering • George Mason University • 1989 – 1993

References

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[1] Aiken, P Hypermedia-based Requirements Engineering chapter in (Stephen J. Andriole, editor) Advanced Technology for Command and Control Systems Engineering, AFCEA International, 1991

[2] Aiken, P., Armour, P. Brouse, N. Fields, M. Hassanpour, J. Liang, J. Palmer: Use of multimedia to augment simulation. Winter Simulation Conference 1990: 775-783

[3] Aiken, P, M. David Allen, Burt Parker & Angela Mattia Measuring Data Management Practice Maturity: A Community's Self-Assessment IEEE Computer 40(4) 23 April 2007 ISSN 0018-9162 DOI: 10.1109/MC.2007.139

[4] Aiken, P Gillenson M, Zhang X, Refner D. Data management and data administration: Assessing 25 years of practice Journal of Database Management Volume 22 Issue 3, July 2011 Pages 24-45 doi>>10.4018/jdm.2011070102

[5] Chikofsky, E. J.; Cross, J. H. (January 1990). "Reverse engineering and design recovery: A taxonomy" IEEE Software. 7: 13–17. doi:10.1109/52.43044

[6] Aiken, P, A. Muntz, R. Richards DoD legacy systems: reverse engineering data requirements Communications of the ACM archive Volume 37 Issue 5, May 1994 Pages 26-41

^[7] 'Lies, dammed lies and statistics': School of Business delivers benefits of better data management by Leila Ugincius for University Public Affairs Monday August 3 2015

[8] Official Company Website: http://datablueprint.com

[8] Data Blueprint Selected as Finalist for 2011 RichTech Technology Innovation Healthcare Award April 12 2011

[10] Data Blueprint Selected as Finalist for 2014 RichTech Innovation In Development Award April 14, 2014

[11] Newly Elected President of DAMA International 1/1/2009

[12] DAMA International Symposium and Technology Transfer Institute (TTI) Metadata Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey – April 1999 Posted on June 1, 1999 by Robert S. Seiner

[13] P. Aiken Reverse engineering of data IBM Systems Journal Volume 37 Issue 2, April 1998 Pages 246 - 269

[14] http://www.ies.aust.com/cbfindex.htm

[15] P. Aiken, O. Negwanyama and L. Broome Reverse-engineering new systems for smooth implementation IEEE Software Volume: 16, Issue: 2, Mar/Apr 1999

[16] https://www.amazon.com/XML-Data-Management-Understanding-Applying/dp/0120455994/

[17] P. Aiken, M. David Allen, Burt Parker, and Angela Mattia Measuring Data Management Practice Maturity: A Community's Self-Assessment IEEE Computer ( Volume: 40, Issue: 4, April 2007 )

[18] P. Aiken, R. Stanley, J. Billings and L. Anderson Using Codes of Conduct to Resolve Legal Disputes IEEE Computer Volume 43 Issue 4, April 2010 Pages 29-34

[19] Navigating Big Data segment of "Are Our Pets Making Us Sick? on With Good Reason August 16, 2016

[20] P. Aiken Succeeding at Data Management—BigCo Attempts to Leverage Data Journal of Data and Information Quality (JDIQ) - Volume 7 Issue 1-2, June 2016 Article No. 8

[21] Equifax breach: What you need to know thanks to VCU IT professor published on the WTVR website September 14, 2017.