These Proceedings are based on the papers presented at the 5th IFIP
Conference on Optimization Techniques held in Rome, l~Iay 7-11, 1973. The
Conference was sponsored by the IFIP Technical Committee on Optimization
(TC-7) and by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italian National Research
Council).
The Conference was devoted to recent advances in optimization techniques
and their application to modelling, identification and control of large systems.
Major emphasis of the Conference was on the most recent application areas,
including: Environmental Systems, Soeio-economic Systems, Biological Systems.
An interesting feature of the Conference was the participation of specialists
both in control theory and in the field of application of systems engineering.
The Proceedings are divided into two volumes. In the first are collected
the papers in which the methodological aspects are emphasized; in the second
those dealing with various application areas.
The International Program Committee of the Conference consisted of:
R. Conti, A. Ruberti (Italy) Chairmen, Fe de Veubeke (Belgium), E. Goto (Japan),
W. J. Karplus (USA), J. L. Lions (France), G. Marehuk (USSR), C. Oleeh (Poland),
L. S. Pontryagin (USSR), E. Rofman (Argentina), J. Stoer (FRG), J.H. Westcott (UK).