I recently had the privilege of visiting this leading group for a week. We exchanged ideas, experiences, critique and camaraderie. I presented my work on design and support of effective visual modelling languages, while local participants provided insights into work on multi-level modelling, generation of multi-level models from more conventional models and supporting tooling.

The team is led by Prof Ulrich Frank and has a deep history and impressive track record in enterprise modelling, meta modelling and multi-level modelling. One product of this research is Multi Perspective Enterprise Modelling (MEMO), a meta modelling foundation and several integrated modelling languages which address strategy, organisation, goals, process, information and other aspects crucial to enterprise success. This has been one of several motivations behind our own Holistic Architecture Language and integrated Strategy and Enterprise Modelling approach.

The group collaborates with Prof Tony Clark at Middlesex University, North London on multi-level modelling, language design and tool development. Part of this work is the development and evolution of the X-Modeler, an innovative modelling and language execution platform. This work is one of the sources informing our own meta modelling approach.

Personally, I met Ulrich at my first international academic conference, and the first instance of the European Conference on Information Systems, at Henley on Thames, in 1993. His work and a subsequent visit to the Gessellschaft fur Matematik und Datenverwerking (GMD) research institute in Cologne (Koln) inspired much of my early research and provided validation of ideas I and colleagues were working on less formally.
We share a lot of common understanding, beliefs and approach to methods, models and modelling, tool building and what is important to the effective use of models.

Thanks to Ulrich and the group for their sharing and hospitality. Long may our fruitful interaction continue!