6th International IBM Cloud Academy Conference
ICACON 2018

ICA CON 2018
ICA CON 2018, the 6th International IBM Cloud Academy Conference, will provide an exciting opportunity for educators and researchers to share ideas and experiences in cloud computing.

The program will be derived from the refereed review of proposals, presently envisioned to include invited keynotes, technical papers, position papers, workshops and a technology showcase. The technical papers portion of the conference program will feature experience reports and original research papers. The technology showcase will feature poster presentations and demonstrations on cloud computing research or implementations in progress. Selected papers from conference proceedings will be published as a special edition of the International Journal of Cloud Computing (IJCC) and International Journal of Cloud Applications and Computing (IJCAC).

Conference venue
Tokyo is rich in historical and cultural sights. The chief attraction of Tokyo's Marunouchi district is the Imperial Palace with its beautiful 17th-century parks surrounded by walls and moats, as well as the Nijubashi Bridge leading to its interior. One can also visit Edo Castle, built in 1457 and located in Tokyo's Chiyoda district. The Sensō-ji Temple in the Asakusa district, established in AD 645 and rebuilt numerous times, is the city's most famous shrine. Its highlights include the Kaminari-mon Gate with its 3.3-meter-high red paper lantern, the much-loved Incense Vat (reputed to drive away ailments) and the temple doves (Kannon's "sacred messengers" and fortune-tellers).

Ueno Park is an oasis of green in the heart of busy Tokyo, and one of its most popular tourist attractions.

The park boasts the Ueno Park Zoo (Japan's oldest zoo, famous for the pandas presented by the People's Republic of China), the Aqua-Zoo (one of the largest aquariums in Asia) and numerous temples and museums to explore, including the reed-fringed Shinobazu pond around a little island with its Bentendo Temple, the 17th-century Toshogu Shrine with its 256 bronze and stone lanterns. Tokyo also has many museums, including the Tokyo National Museum, the country's largest museum and specializing in traditional Japanese art, and the National Museum of Western Art. And Ginza is Tokyo's busiest shopping area.

Tokyo is the capital city of Japan with over 9 million people in the city proper. It is also one of the country's 47 prefectures, with a total population exceeding 13 million. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with upwards of 37.8 million people. Formerly known as Edo, it has been the de facto seat of Japanese government since 1603, and has been the home of the Emperor of Japan since 1868. It is also an economic powerhouse, ranked first in the Global Economic Power Index and third in the Global Cities Index, and hosts over 50 of the Fortune Global 500 companies. As a major international finance center, the city houses the headquarters of several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, electronics and broadcasting industries. While it is ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world (as far as cost-of-living), it has also been named the most liveable and safest city in the world by numerous magazine polls.

The Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken, first completed in 1926 and then rebuilt after being destroyed during WWII, remains one of Tokyo's most important religious sites. Surrounded by a 175-acre evergreen forest, the shrine's highlights include its Inner Precinct (Naien) with its museum containing royal treasures, and the Outer Precinct (Gaien), home to the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery.

Founded in 1944, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics (ISM) is Japan's premiere national research institute for statistical science. Founded in 1944, it has been part of the Research Organisation of Information and Systems (ROIS), and is represented on the national Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction.

Its new campus in Tachikawa (which is hosting ICACON 2018), its primary goals include reinforcing of inter-university research through the development of Networks of Excellence (NOEs), while supporting long-term open and collaborative joint research projects that contribute to academic and social development.

We are therefore excited that ISM will be hosting this 6th International IBM Cloud Academy Conference in 2018. ICA CON 2018 will be an excellent venue for presenting original work, exchanging new ideas, embracing cloud technologies, sharing results and experiences, and networking with other leading institutions globally who are also already implementing cloud solutions.