Professor of Computer Science Ian Witten remembered by Waikato tech scene, orchestra

University of Waikato Emeritus Professor Ian Witten. Photo / Company-X

The Waikato technology and classical music scene are mourning the passing of the ‘Grandfather of Google’ University of Waikato Emeritus Professor of Computer Science Ian Hugh Witten.

The university announced his death last week.

Witten joined the University of Waikato from Canada in 1992 and is known for his book Managing Gigabytes (1994) which influenced Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin as they built the search engine.

Witten died aged 76 after an illness, leaving behind his wife Pam and two daughters, Nikki and Anna. A celebration of life was dues to be held on Tuesday .

Hamilton-based technology business Company-X co-founder and director David Hallett says Witten was one of the reasons he decided to study computer science at the University of Waikato.

“[The University of Waikato] had the best computer science department in the country. There were many amazing computer scientists in the department who made it a pretty exciting place to be: Ian Witten, Ian Graham, Tony McGregor and John Cleary,” Hallett says.

“Ian Witten headed up compression and search and digital libraries. He was one of those ‘on the shoulder of giants’ kind of guys.”

Hallett’s fellow co-founder and director Jeremy Hughes also studied at the University of Waikato but finished his studies before Witten arrived. Hughes says he was envious of those who got to learn from Witten.

Company-X founders and directors Jeremy Hughes (right) and David Hallett. Photo / Stephen Barker

“He passed on his knowledge to many students, some of whom now work in our team at Company-X,” Hughes says.

Two of the many students who learned from Witten are Company-X senior developer Rob Scovell and Company-X software architect Luke McGregor.

Scovell says he read Managing Gigabytes early in his career and applied techniques to his work as a software developer at Collins Dictionaries in Glasgow.

“When I moved to New Zealand in about 2001, I was very surprised to discover that the author of the book was based in Hamilton. I contacted Ian and he invited me to work in his Digital Library group,” Scovell says.

Scovell worked alongside Witten for a year.

“Ian was a generous, humorous, and fun individual to work with. His laugh was epic. He will be missed,” he says.

McGregor says: “I remember his huge, larger-than-life laugh. His work, particularly his book Managing Gigabytes, was influential in building the technology our world now runs on.

“He will be missed by both the university as well as the Waikato technology sector.”

The University of Waikato says Witten helped establish the university’s international reputation in machine learning, data mining and digital libraries.

“Witten oversaw the development of software that has been adopted in more than 60 countries and is used to collate information for large operations including disaster relief.

“During his time at the University of Waikato, Professor Witten received funding for five Marsden fund grants, and he supervised more than 40 masters and doctoral students.”

Witten was also a long-standing clarinettist with the Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra (TWSO).

The Orchestra Central Trust says Witten had been “a mainstay” of the TWSO’s clarinettist section for the past 30 years, making “valuable contributions” as an enthusiastic woodwind tutor for the Rusty Player Orchestra.

“Prior to TWSO’s migration to Orchestras Central [he] was a valued member of the Waikato Orchestral Society’s board. It is thanks to Ian that we have a comprehensive TWSO archive, detailing the history of the orchestra, its concerts and its musicians back to the early 1960s,” the trust says on its Facebook page.

“Ian’s memory will live on through the generous donation of his A clarinet for the use of Orchestras Central players who do not have their own instrument.”