Traditional database systems have been able to manipulatelarge amounts of data efficiently, whilst artificialintelligence (and in particular expert systems) havereasoned with rules, but rarely with data. It has becomeevident that to build truly intelligent information systems,facilities are required from artificial intelligence anddatabase and distributed technologies.This book consists of seventeen selected and revised paperson the next generation of information systems, based onpapers presented at two workshops, one on integratingartificial intelligence and databases, and the other onintelligent and cooperating information systems. The papersaddress several core issues, such as intelligence,distribution, and multi-agent/cooperative systems, andfocuses on designing and building such systems mainlythrough the use of intelligent agents. The book presentsup-to-date developments in this interdisciplinary field,covering information systems, artificial intelligence, anddistributed systems.