Due to increasing practical needs, the software support of environmental protection and research tasks is growing in importance and scope. Environmental Information Systems (EIS) are an important factor in environmental research, decision support, management and policy. The subject is still growing in a mutlidisciplinary work environment which changes quickly. Perhaps this is the major challenge we face as the practical need for the software support of environmental protection and research tasks continues to grow.

ISESS, the International Symposium on Environmental Software Systems, was initiated in 1995 as a forum in which to present and discuss the fundamentals, progress and actual trends in this area in terms of methods, tools and state-of-the-art applications. Over the years, it has also evolved into an important networking tool for academics, environmental professionals, and other interested parties.

These conferences on Environmental Informatics continue to be co-sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), the world’s umbrealla organization of computer socities. It has been held at Penn State University, USA (1995), at Whistler Resort, Canada (1997), at the Nature Parc Soelk Valleys, Austria (1998), at the University of Otago, New Zealand (1999), at Zell am See, Austria (2000), in Banff, Canada (2001), at the Panhans, Semmering Austria (2003) and at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. In addition there was a paper stream within the IEMSS conference in Switzerland in 2002.