The next generation of information systems — from intelligence to distribution and cooperation -- A data and operation model for advanced database systems -- An object-oriented data model to represent uncertainty in coupled artificial intelligence — database systems -- Common architectures for databases and knowledge-based systems -- The construction of maintainable knowledge bases -- Adding qualitative reasoning to an organizational database for management decision support -- Building human-centered intelligent cooperative information systems with IKEA -- Database organisation for qualitative analysis: the NUDIST™ system -- Using a prolog engine to integrate multiple knowledge sources: the KCM/Help-desk project -- From relations to objects: A translation methodology for an object oriented front-end to RDBMSs -- A framework for cooperative adaptable information systems -- Problem solving in federative environments: The FRESCO concept of cooperative agents -- Heterogeneous database integration architecture based on a conversation theoretic skeleton -- Coarse-grained distributed agents for transparent access to remote information -- A forward-chaining information framework -- Using negotiation and coordination in multiagent Intelligent Cooperative Information Systems -- A distributed cooperative agents architecture for software development -- Knowledge selection in large knowledge bases.

Traditional database systems have been able to manipulate large amounts of data efficiently, whilst artificial intelligence (and in particular expert systems) have reasoned with rules, but rarely with data. It has become evident that to build truly intelligent information systems, facilities are required from artificial intelligence and database and distributed technologies. This book consists of seventeen selected and revised papers on the next generation of information systems, based on papers presented at two workshops, one on integrating artificial intelligence and databases, and the other on intelligent and cooperating information systems. The papers address several core issues, such as intelligence, distribution, and multi-agent/cooperative systems, and focuses on designing and building such systems mainly through the use of intelligent agents. The book presents up-to-date developments in this interdisciplinary field, covering information systems, artificial intelligence, and distributed systems.