Andrew Targowski – Informatician
Targowski Andrew, Stanisław, born in 1937 in Warsaw, informatician
(computer scientist), politolog and historian, professor. In the Warsaw Uprising in
1944, as a child he survived the execution under dead corps at the Madaliniskiego and
Kazimierzowska streets. He comes from a patriotic family, his mather Halina was 14
times wounded in the Warsaw Uprising and his father Stanisław, lawyer and
diplomat, was executed by hanging for sabotaging the production of V2 rackets in the
concentration camp in Nordhausen-Dora in Germany in March 1945.
He is married with Irmina DuraTargowski, who has Ph.D in medicine
and has three children; Agnieszka
(geo-physicists),
Stan
(computer
scientist), and John (lawyer).
He is a graduate of the T. Reytan HighSchool in Warsaw (1954) and the
Warsaw Polytechnic (1961).
He
defended the doctoral dissertation on
“The Conditions of the Optimization of
Data Processing in an EnterpriseCentre Structure” at the Warsaw
Polytechnic(1969).
He designed the first computer information systems for management in Poland
(the Radar Factory-RAWAR-1961, the Radio Factory “Kasprzak”-1962 in Warsaw,
The Truck Factory-1966 in Starachowice and the Car Factory-FSO-1966 in Warsaw).
He was a cofounder of a service computer centers national network – ZETO and he
managed the design of large-scale national information systems: MAGISTER/PESEL
(Polish Social Security Number and Records) (1972-74), WEKTOR (the national
investments control,
1972-74) and
INFOSTRADA (The first
Information
Superhighway in the world, 1972-74). He brought the first IBM computers to Poland
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(1966+). Also, he planed the first Polish National Computer Development Program
for 1971-75 and later he was in charge of implementing it as a deputy general director
of the National Bureau for Informatics (1971-74).
He generalized his professional experience in the first books on data
processing in Poland: Data Processing Automation (1970), Organization of
Computing Centers (1971), Organization of Data Processing Process (1975),
Informatics, Models of Systems and Development (1980).
He published a best-seller book: Informatics a Key to Prosperity (1971), in
1965 he was a cofounder of the scholarly monthly Mathematical Machines, later
renamed for Informatyka (Informatics). Targowski launched in Poland such terms as
“informatics” and “infostrada.” His projects of “the informed society” put him out of
work in 1974-79 and he was not allowed to publish. These type of discriminations
forced him to immigrate.
In 1974-75 Targowski was a visiting professor at the Hamilton College in
Clinton (New York). He returned to Poland to learn that he is still discriminated. In
January 1980 he left Poland as a worker of the Polish Peace Corps (via a Polservice
company) to Mexico. After one semester he escaped to the U.S. where he received a
political asylum.
In the U.S. Targowski undertaken the political activities, publishing in the
Polish-American press; in Nowy Dziennik (New York), Dziennik Zwiazkowy
(Chicago), Gwiazda Polarna (Stevens Point in Wisconsin), Nowy Kurier in Toronto,
and in a free Poland after 1997 in Rzeczpospolita, Polska Zbrojna, Zycie Warszawy.
During the Marshal Law in Poland (1981+) Targowski spoke through the
Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. In 1988, Targowski survived the
assassination attempt (according to FBI information he was purposely attacked by the
heavy car), one person was dead and he has 7 ribs broken and concussion.
In the Polish patriotic, immigrant organization the North-American Center for
the Polish Affairs – STUDIUM, Targowski was a chairman of the Planning
Committee and the Studium Library. He published as an editor or a sole author the
following books: The Momentary End of History (1991), In the Pursuit of Time
(1993), Poland’s Defence (1993), Vision of Poland (1995, 1997, 2000, Figure 1) and
Fate of Poland and the World (2000). In English, he published Red Fascism (1982)
and books on information technology; The Architecture of Enterprise-wide Systems
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(1990),
Global
Information
Infrastructure
(1996),
Enterprise
Information
Infrastructure (1999, 2001) and in Polish Informatyka bez złudzeń, Wspomnienia
(Informatics Without Illusions, Memoirs 2001) and in English Electronic Enterprise,
Strategy and Architecture (2003).
Since 1980, Targowski is a full professor (tenured) of computer information
systems at the Western Michigan University, publishing about 40 scientific papers in
English and about 160 columns in Polish press abroad. He is a chairman of the
Advisory Council of the Information Resource Management Association, whose
members come from about 40 countries.
Managing of Institutional
Transformation
P1: Conversion 11 yrs
Introduction of
Democracy Foundation
Elimination of
State Arbitrary Control
Currency Stabilization
Privatization
Beginning of
National Information
Infrastructure
1989
PRL
RP III
a
P2: Stabilization 10 yrs
F3: Consolidation 15 yrs
Mergers of Political Parties
New Constitution
New Election Rules
Demonopolization
Privatization
Foreign Investments
New Financial System
Membership of
NATO and UE
Economic Growth
Development of
Political Culture
3-5 Parties
State of Law
Entrepreneurship
Modernization of Economy
2001
TARGETS
2010 2011
1025
PRL II
Introduction of
Remodeling of Education
New Educational Programs
and Research According
and Research
to Priority of Knowledge and
Development of
Pragmatic Thinking
Polish
and
Political Thinking
Behaving
P1
Self-acting Development
P2
Steering of Awareness
Transformation
RP III
z
2040
Changes in Poles’
Thinking and Behaving
Innovations of
Processes, Systems,
Products, and
Services
P3
Self-acting Development
Figure 1 A Model of Poland’s Transformation in 1989 - 2040
(PRL-Polish People’s Republic, RP-Polish Republic)
(The Targowski Model)
Targowski was a president of non-profit organization Colleagues International
(1999-2001), financed by the US Departament of Defence, which organizes practices
for the mid-career professionals from abroad. He is a member of the Polish Instutute
of Art and Sciences (New York), the engineering association Polonia Technica (New
York) and the Polish Scientific Association in London. In 1971-72 he was a president
of the Polish Tennis Association and he is a former champion of Warsaw (juniors) and
of Poland (players after the 40s in doubles). He received the Gold Medal for the
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Defence of Poland (1998) and the Cavalry Cross awarded by Poland’s president
(2000).
Targowski is a pioneer of information technology in Poland, where he forced a
change of terminology from Electronic Computing Technology to Informatics (1971)
which means automated information.
equipment to its applications.
This attempt switched the emphasis from
It was done not without the resistance from the
hardware producers. In 1971-74 he forced the development of the INFOSTRADA,
which was a public, national data communication network, as pilot system operated
between Gdansk-Warsaw-Katowice. This network was the foundation of the National
Information System (Figure 2).
When the pilot INFOSTRADA was working, the Polish authority censored its
existence and later closed its operations saying that there is no….customers. Among
the first National Information Systems were such systems as PESEL (Polish Social
Security system), SWIATOWID (Library Network System), WEKTOR (Investment
Projects-about 25% of the Polish GNP), SPIS (National Census), and other.
Targowski was if not a head designer of these systems, he was the initiator of some of
them.
The Polish communistic authority perceived these systems as the threat for the
controlled flow of information, which could brake the censorship. Targowski was
removed from the National Bureau for Informatics and from consecutive universities
(not without some help from disposal professors).
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ORGANIZATIONAL
SYSTEMS
PUBLIC UTILITY
SYSTEMS
National
Census
N
I
National
Financial
System
S T
F O
Ministries
R A
CEN
PLAN
Government
RES
LAN
STEERING
SYSTEMS
D
WEKTOR
A
Planning
Comm.
Investments
Logistics
MAGMA
Regional
Governments
REG
PLAN
MERKURY
Marketplace
HERKULES
(MAGISTER)
Graduates
SOKRATES
R&D
PESEL
Social
Security
APJ
TEREN
APJ
MIS
Enterprises
Local
Governments
MIS
ATP
ATP
TRAKT
LIBRARIES
Transportation
CYFRO
NET
Inne
Other
Other
Citizens
Figure 2 National Information System - 1972
(The Targowski Model)
(APJ-Automation of Professional Jobs
ATP-Automation of Technological Processes,
MIS- Management Information Systems, CYFRONET - Time-sharing Network)
In 1976, Targowski successfully defended a habilitation dissertation at the
Warsaw Polytechnic, based on his pioneering three books (usually one book was
enough). However, the Central Qualification Commission at the Polish Workers
United Party did not accept his habilitation, what was the signal that he is persona non
grata at Polish universities.
After leaving Poland in January 1980, Targowski focused on the promotion of
his concept of the National Information Systems under the form of such books as
Enterprise Information Infrastructure, Global Information Infrastructure and Local
Information Infrastructure. His INFOSTRADA concept was taken by Albert Gore,
later U.S vice-president, who as a young congressman was a member of the Congress
Intelligence Committee and knew quite well what we are doing in Poland, behind the
Iron Curtin. Al Gore promoted INFOSTRADA in the US after the English translation
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into the Information Superhighway. He admitted it later in the WIRE magazine in the
December 1995 issue.
A term Information Superhigway is very popular in America and it is a
synonym of the growing role of the Information Wave in our civilization. The Polish
NIS concept was applied as the National Information Infrastructure by the US
Department of Commerce (Figure 3).
Targowski provided a seminar on the Polish NIS-INFOSTRADA at the IBM
System Science Institute in New York in 1975. In 1980 when he returned to the US
he was informed that his concept was “sold” by IBM to Singapore, the state which is
today famous for its rigorous NIS.
In 1991-98 Targowski was a project director of Telecity of Kalamazoo,
supported by $2 million, which was a continuation of his works from Poland. He
called this solution as the Local Information Infrastructure.
The project was
recognized by the US Department of Commerce as one of the first American digital
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cities. Because the Telecity could not provide fee-based services for customers, since
it was financed from the tax payers money, the project could not sustain its operations
and was donated to the Kalamazoo School District.
Based on the concept of Telecity, several local digital businesses were
developed in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Later, In Chicago was created a company
Chicago on Line, which grown to America on Line (AOL), the strongest media
company in USA. It validates the concept of Telicity, although the Author is not
aware whether were are some relationships between these projects.
In 1995-97, Targowski designed systems for the Polish Employment Offices
(570) within the larger project conducted by the Upjohn Unemployment Research
Institute in Kalamazoo, which was selected by the US Department of Labor in
agreement with the World Bank. His solution replaced Coopers-Librant’s project,
however, $100 million grant from the World Bank was too “hot” for the local
decision-makers, who reduced the project to the installation of computer hardware
only.
In 1990-2000, Targowski continues his research (that he had begun in the
1960’s at the Warsaw Polytechnic at the Industrial Engineering Department led by
prof. S. Chajtman) on the modern enterprise system architecture. He published the
first book in the US on Architecture of Enterprise-wide Information Management
Systems, (1990), followed by books on Enterprise Information Infrastructure (1999
Figure 4) and Electronic Enterprise (2003).
This research defines elementary phases of the enterprise development and its
systems architectures (Figure 4). At this time, in the U.S. takes place the impetuous
development of ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning), which requires the
holistic approach towards the enterprise management.
As a by-product of this
approach, Targowski developed a concept of the Semantic Ladder (Figure 5), which
defines such elementary terms as data, information, concept, knowledge, and wisdom.
Needless to say these entities are inputs/outputs of computer processing. It is the
arithmetics of information technology.
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8
Frame
The accelerated development of the Information Wave and social
perturbations associated with so called globalization encouraged Targowski to
undertake research on the role of information in civilization. As a result of it, he
wrote a manuscript Civilization and Information (2003), where he applies the
cybernetic-systemic language to generalize concepts of F. Koneczny, A. Toynbee, F.
Braudel, and S. Huntington (Figure 6). For the first time in this type of research he
applied a technique of graphic modeling. The work is inter-disciplinary, embracing
history and cross-culture communication also.
The graphic technique was applied by Targowski in his book (he was a coeditor and main author) on Fate of Poland and the World (2000) (Figure 7) and in a
chapter on The Framework for Cross-Cultyre Communication, Process Efficiency and
Cost in the Global Economy, w ed. Ed. Szewczyk and Coral Snodgras, Managing the
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Human Side of Information Technology (2002). His communication models have
been cited in several books and papers.
After Targowski’s removal by the communistic authority from system
designing in Poland, for a long time he was searching for a place for himself in
Poland and the world informatics. Immigration and serious illnesses of the daughter
and son (cancer and paralyze) were not conductive to seek aggressive entrance into an
information business in the U.S., what is the popular measure of the Poles’ success in
the West. On the other hand, in Poland the current owner of service network ZETO is
one of the richest man, needless to say that Targowski co-founded this enterprise but
in times when it was owned by the state.
10
11
IV B.Ch.
Mohammed
632
St. Augustine
420
Constantine
342
Fall Of Rome
476
DEVELOPMENT OF
CHRISTIANITY
Caesarism
0
1000
Figure 7 The Grand Civilization Bifurcations and Poland
(The Targowski Model)
Buddhism
Chism of Christian Church
1054
Anarchy
England
France
Spain
Austria
Prussia
Germany
Orthodox Church
Russia
(Poland)
Red
T
Black
T
England, USA, France
Democracy
Industrialization
Absolute
Monarchies
Enlightenment
2000
American, French, and
Industrial Revolutions
DIVISION OF RESOURCES BY
ATLANTIC EUROPE
Discovery of America
1500
New
Monarchies
Islam
Poland
Osman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
(Germany)
European Empires
Roman-Catholic
Christianity
BIRTH AND CONSOLIDATION
OF EUROPE
Targowski rejected the strategy of making “quick” money from the
information business in the U.S. He chosen a path in research on defining the most
elementary information technology solutions and ideas in organizations and the
society. According to Targowski, this type of contribution is more important than
“money.”
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