( * 15.04.1954 + 07.02.2022 )
Joachim Rix, after a grave, lengthy illness, died at home in Mainz, Germany, on 07.02.2022 at the age of 67. He left behind three children and five grandchildren. With him we lost an important expert in Computer Graphics and Visual Computing, a very friendly and strong personality, a valued colleague, and a good friend.
Joachim Rix studied Computer Science at the Technische Universität Darmstadt ( TUD ) in Germany. He joined the newly installed “Interactive Graphics Systems Group” in the Computer Science Department of the TUD as a student and finished his M.Sc.-Thesis in 1979 working on the “Extension of the Graphics Standard GKS ( Graphics Kernel System ) to GKS-3D “. After finishing his diploma, he joined the newly created “Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics ( IGD )” in 1986 as a research associate. In 1988 he finished his Ph.D. with a thesis entitled “Fast interactive generation of line and surface-based objects in Raster Systems”. He was then promoted to head the Department on “Geo-Information Systems” at Fraunhofer IGD. In 1999 he joined the “INI-GraphicsNet Foundation” in Darmstadt as its Scientific Managing Director and stayed in this position until 2009. In this position he was instrumental and gave major, fundamental contributions to build an international network of institutions jointly working, cooperating, and doing advanced research and innovation in Computer Graphics and its applications. After ten years in this position, he then returned to his former Department at the Fraunhofer IGD until his retirement in 2020.
Joachim Rix was a distinguished, experienced, and successful colleague in applied research, being involved and contributing over the years and in different positions to a wide spectrum of regional, national, and international R&D projects in the area of Geo-Information Systems. His strong focus and expertise was on 3D-visualisation and interactive analysis for 3D city models and for landscape management. Over the last few years his strong interest and focus related to finding ways and to developing systems enabling better opportunities for citizen participation in the context of city planning and development.
Joachim Rix was an active member of the advisory board of the “Deutscher Dachverband für Geoinformation ( DDGI )” and of the executive board of the “InGeoForum”. He was a member of the Eurographics Association and of the German Computer Society (GI).
In all his positions and stages of his career, Joachim has shown in all his activities to be not only very competent and hardworking, but also a good, fair, responsible, and constructive leader.
Joachim Rix will be missed greatly by all that had the privilege to know him personally and to work with him over the years. And we will keep a honourable memory of him as a colleague, as a partner and as a friend.
Darmstadt, April 2022
José L. Encarnação and Dieter W. Fellner