ADAC Editorial 1/2012

Dear readers, it is a wonderful honor and a privilege to assume the coordinating editorship of the journal Advances in Data Analysis and Classification, following the footsteps of the previous Coordinating Editor Hans-Hermann Bock and working with the other two founding editors of ADAC: Wolfgang Gaul and Akinori Okada, and with the new, very welcome Editor Claus Weihs who joins the board in 2012. We founded ADAC in 2007, with the idea to foster and support technical and scientific information in the context of Data Analysis, Classification and in general in Multivariate Statistics, by combining different international viewpoints. Our auspices were to have a great resonance with readers and contributors, from all relevant scientific communities, by offering a tool for augmenting their scientific research impact. After five years of activities, thanks to the papers submitted by significant contributors and the appropriate peer review selection, perfectly coordinated by Hans Bock, the journal has quickly increased its scientific influence in the international community, as evidenced by the impact factor obtained, in 2010, just three years after the journal has been created and despite the high competition generated by numerous new journals, proposed in the last five years from all parts of the world. For this reason I start this new task and challenge with a positive sensation and great enthusiasm. My major purpose is to continue the work done by Hans in improving the scientific impact of the journal as a premier communication medium in Data Analysis, Classification and Multivariate Statistics, including their applications.