Joost’s first contact with — first generation — computers was in the late fifties, and he became totally fascinated with those electronic devices that could help thinking. After his studies of electronics, mathematics, and logic (then considered a remarkable combination — Computer Science did not yet exist as a subject) he began as an electronics engineer for computer hardware, but soon in the late sixties he changed to software engineering, specializing in information system design and information engineering. He was one of the first to use formal logic as a basis for information engineering and enterprise modelling.
In ISO TC97/SC5/WG3 - Conceptual Schema, he was the editor and as well as a co-author of the ISO Report TR9007 "Concepts and Terminology for the Conceptual Schema and Information Base." Later, he was the first Convener of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC21/WG7 - Open Distributed Processing (ODP). He participated in many other groups on Data Base Technology and Information System Design.
Since his retirement from Philips in the nineties Joost has concentrated particularly on his other profession/passion: Marine Painting. However, he still is very much interested in the subject of conceptual modelling, enterprise modelling, and SBVR. He is member of the Board of the Dutch SBVR Foundation. He is, of course, a member of the Business Rules Community. Joost can be reached at Joost@mmj-atelier.nl.
