The 14th DEXA 2003 International Conference on Database and Expert - stems Applications was held during September 1–5, 2003 at the Czech Technical UniversityinPrague,CzechRepublic.TheDEXAlineofconferenceshasalready gained its own reputation and respected position as a platform for the exchange of ideas among theoreticians and practitioners in the wider area of computer science, but mainly in the areas of database and knowledge-based technologies. Since DEXA 1993, which was held in Prague, DEXA has grown into a m- ticonference consisting of four more focused and specialized conferences besides DEXA itself, namely the DaWak conference, EC-Web conference, eGOV c- ference, and this year happening for the ?rst time, the HoloMAS conference. In addition, the DEXA workshop is a special event o?ering enough space for specialized discussion, and acting – in a certain sense – as an incubator for new conferences. The DEXA conference itself is growing in volume and quality each year. This time there were 236 papers submitted and reviewed and the program committee selected 91 of the best papers to be included in this volume. Each of the subm- ted papers was carefully reviewed by at least three independent PC members or external reviewers. The DEXA proceedings quite clearly re?ect the current trends in the da- base area and we are happy with the balanced content of both the conference and the proceedings.

The Advanced Course on Artificial Intelligence ACAI 2001 with the subtitle M ulti- Agent Systems and Their Applications , held in Prague, Czech Republic, was a joint event of ECCAI (the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence) and AgentLink, the European Network of Excellence for Agent-Based Computing. Whereas ECCAI organizes two-week ACAI courses on different topics every second year, AgentLink s European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) has been an annual event since 1999. This year, both of these important events were merged together, giving weight to the fact that multi-agent systems currently represent one of the hottest topics in AI research. The name, ACAI 2001 Summer School, is intended to emphasize that this event continues the tradition of regular ECCAI activities (ACAI), as well as the EASSS summer schools of AgentLink. The Prague ACAI Summer School was proposed and initiated by both the Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague (GL-CTU) and the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI), with the support of the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Vienna (OFAI). Part of our motivation was catalyzed by experience gained in 1992 during the International Summer School Advanced Topics in Artificial Intelligence (see Springer s LNAI vol. 617) which was organized by the same Czech and Austrian bodies. One of the most important stimulating factors behind the organization of ACAI 2001 was the support provided by the European Commission to the Gerstner Laboratory within the frame of the MIRACLE Center of Excellence project (IST No.

TheAdvanced Course onArti?cial IntelligenceACAI2001, with the subtitle of "Multi- Agent Systems and Their Applications", held in Prague, Czech Republic, represented a joint event of ECCAI (the European Coordinating Committee for Arti?cial Intel- gence) andAgentLink, the European Network of Excellence forAgent-Based Comp- ing. Whereas ECCAI organizes two-weekACAI courses on different topics each second year, AgentLink's European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) has been an - nual event since 1999. In 2001, both of these important events were merged, giving weight to the fact that multi-agent systems currently represent one of the hottest topics of AI research. The name, ACAI2001 Summer School, was intended to emphasize that this event continued the tradition of regular ECCAI activities (ACAI), as well as that of the EASSS summer schools ofAgentLink. The PragueACAI Summer School was proposed and initiated by both the Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague (GL-CTU) and the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI), with the support of theAustrian Research Institute forArti?cial Intelligence in Vienna (OFAI).One of the most important stimulating factors behind the organization ofACAI2001 wasthesupportprovidedbytheEuropeanCommissiontotheGerstnerLaboratorywithin the frame of the MIRACLE Centre of Excellence project (No. ICA1-CT-2000-70002). Additional support was later provided by both the Commission's AgentLink II project (IST-1999-29003) and ECCAI. The combined ?nancial and conceptual participation of these important international bodies enabled the invitation of a large number of truly world-class lecturers in this ?eld, who added a unique ?avor to the event.

The 14th DEXA 2003 International Conference on Database and Expert - stems Applications was held during September 1–5, 2003 at the Czech Technical UniversityinPrague,CzechRepublic.TheDEXAlineofconferenceshasalready gained its own reputation and respected position as a platform for the exchange of ideas among theoreticians and practitioners in the wider area of computer science, but mainly in the areas of database and knowledge-based technologies. Since DEXA 1993, which was held in Prague, DEXA has grown into a m- ticonference consisting of four more focused and specialized conferences besides DEXA itself, namely the DaWak conference, EC-Web conference, eGOV c- ference, and this year happening for the ?rst time, the HoloMAS conference. In addition, the DEXA workshop is a special event o?ering enough space for specialized discussion, and acting – in a certain sense – as an incubator for new conferences. The DEXA conference itself is growing in volume and quality each year. This time there were 236 papers submitted and reviewed and the program committee selected 91 of the best papers to be included in this volume. Each of the subm- ted papers was carefully reviewed by at least three independent PC members or external reviewers. The DEXA proceedings quite clearly re?ect the current trends in the da- base area and we are happy with the balanced content of both the conference and the proceedings.

The Advanced Course on Artificial Intelligence ACAI 2001 with the subtitle M ulti- Agent Systems and Their Applications , held in Prague, Czech Republic, was a joint event of ECCAI (the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence) and AgentLink, the European Network of Excellence for Agent-Based Computing. Whereas ECCAI organizes two-week ACAI courses on different topics every second year, AgentLink s European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) has been an annual event since 1999. This year, both of these important events were merged together, giving weight to the fact that multi-agent systems currently represent one of the hottest topics in AI research. The name, ACAI 2001 Summer School, is intended to emphasize that this event continues the tradition of regular ECCAI activities (ACAI), as well as the EASSS summer schools of AgentLink. The Prague ACAI Summer School was proposed and initiated by both the Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague (GL-CTU) and the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI), with the support of the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Vienna (OFAI). Part of our motivation was catalyzed by experience gained in 1992 during the International Summer School Advanced Topics in Artificial Intelligence (see Springer s LNAI vol. 617) which was organized by the same Czech and Austrian bodies. One of the most important stimulating factors behind the organization of ACAI 2001 was the support provided by the European Commission to the Gerstner Laboratory within the frame of the MIRACLE Center of Excellence project (IST No.

This volume presents the written versions of talks delivered at the symposium "The advent of AI in Higher Education" held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, October 23-25, 1989. Contributions review the current impact of AI on the educational process, stressing the problems and needs of universities. Particular systems, projects and methodologies are de scribed with the aim of gathering and generalizing the experience obtained. The latest developments prove that AI offers interesting methods which could be used with success across a wider range in the domain of education. The nature and spirit of AI forms a new phenomenon which necessitates reconsidering the whole educational process. Papers in this volume describe sophisticated tutoring systems as well as suggestions for new curricula.

The 14th DEXA 2003 International Conference on Database and Expert - stems Applications was held during September 1–5, 2003 at the Czech Technical UniversityinPrague,CzechRepublic.TheDEXAlineofconferenceshasalready gained its own reputation and respected position as a platform for the exchange of ideas among theoreticians and practitioners in the wider area of computer science, but mainly in the areas of database and knowledge-based technologies. Since DEXA 1993, which was held in Prague, DEXA has grown into a m- ticonference consisting of four more focused and specialized conferences besides DEXA itself, namely the DaWak conference, EC-Web conference, eGOV c- ference, and this year happening for the ?rst time, the HoloMAS conference. In addition, the DEXA workshop is a special event o?ering enough space for specialized discussion, and acting – in a certain sense – as an incubator for new conferences. The DEXA conference itself is growing in volume and quality each year. This time there were 236 papers submitted and reviewed and the program committee selected 91 of the best papers to be included in this volume. Each of the subm- ted papers was carefully reviewed by at least three independent PC members or external reviewers. The DEXA proceedings quite clearly re?ect the current trends in the da- base area and we are happy with the balanced content of both the conference and the proceedings.

The Advanced Course on Artificial Intelligence ACAI 2001 with the subtitle M ulti- Agent Systems and Their Applications , held in Prague, Czech Republic, was a joint event of ECCAI (the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence) and AgentLink, the European Network of Excellence for Agent-Based Computing. Whereas ECCAI organizes two-week ACAI courses on different topics every second year, AgentLink s European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) has been an annual event since 1999. This year, both of these important events were merged together, giving weight to the fact that multi-agent systems currently represent one of the hottest topics in AI research. The name, ACAI 2001 Summer School, is intended to emphasize that this event continues the tradition of regular ECCAI activities (ACAI), as well as the EASSS summer schools of AgentLink. The Prague ACAI Summer School was proposed and initiated by both the Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague (GL-CTU) and the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI), with the support of the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Vienna (OFAI). Part of our motivation was catalyzed by experience gained in 1992 during the International Summer School Advanced Topics in Artificial Intelligence (see Springer s LNAI vol. 617) which was organized by the same Czech and Austrian bodies. One of the most important stimulating factors behind the organization of ACAI 2001 was the support provided by the European Commission to the Gerstner Laboratory within the frame of the MIRACLE Center of Excellence project (IST No.

TheAdvanced Course onArti?cial IntelligenceACAI2001, with the subtitle of "Multi- Agent Systems and Their Applications", held in Prague, Czech Republic, represented a joint event of ECCAI (the European Coordinating Committee for Arti?cial Intel- gence) andAgentLink, the European Network of Excellence forAgent-Based Comp- ing. Whereas ECCAI organizes two-weekACAI courses on different topics each second year, AgentLink's European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) has been an - nual event since 1999. In 2001, both of these important events were merged, giving weight to the fact that multi-agent systems currently represent one of the hottest topics of AI research. The name, ACAI2001 Summer School, was intended to emphasize that this event continued the tradition of regular ECCAI activities (ACAI), as well as that of the EASSS summer schools ofAgentLink. The PragueACAI Summer School was proposed and initiated by both the Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague (GL-CTU) and the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI), with the support of theAustrian Research Institute forArti?cial Intelligence in Vienna (OFAI).One of the most important stimulating factors behind the organization ofACAI2001 wasthesupportprovidedbytheEuropeanCommissiontotheGerstnerLaboratorywithin the frame of the MIRACLE Centre of Excellence project (No. ICA1-CT-2000-70002). Additional support was later provided by both the Commission's AgentLink II project (IST-1999-29003) and ECCAI. The combined ?nancial and conceptual participation of these important international bodies enabled the invitation of a large number of truly world-class lecturers in this ?eld, who added a unique ?avor to the event.

The 14th DEXA 2003 International Conference on Database and Expert - stems Applications was held during September 1–5, 2003 at the Czech Technical UniversityinPrague,CzechRepublic.TheDEXAlineofconferenceshasalready gained its own reputation and respected position as a platform for the exchange of ideas among theoreticians and practitioners in the wider area of computer science, but mainly in the areas of database and knowledge-based technologies. Since DEXA 1993, which was held in Prague, DEXA has grown into a m- ticonference consisting of four more focused and specialized conferences besides DEXA itself, namely the DaWak conference, EC-Web conference, eGOV c- ference, and this year happening for the ?rst time, the HoloMAS conference. In addition, the DEXA workshop is a special event o?ering enough space for specialized discussion, and acting – in a certain sense – as an incubator for new conferences. The DEXA conference itself is growing in volume and quality each year. This time there were 236 papers submitted and reviewed and the program committee selected 91 of the best papers to be included in this volume. Each of the subm- ted papers was carefully reviewed by at least three independent PC members or external reviewers. The DEXA proceedings quite clearly re?ect the current trends in the da- base area and we are happy with the balanced content of both the conference and the proceedings.

The Advanced Course on Artificial Intelligence ACAI 2001 with the subtitle M ulti- Agent Systems and Their Applications , held in Prague, Czech Republic, was a joint event of ECCAI (the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence) and AgentLink, the European Network of Excellence for Agent-Based Computing. Whereas ECCAI organizes two-week ACAI courses on different topics every second year, AgentLink s European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) has been an annual event since 1999. This year, both of these important events were merged together, giving weight to the fact that multi-agent systems currently represent one of the hottest topics in AI research. The name, ACAI 2001 Summer School, is intended to emphasize that this event continues the tradition of regular ECCAI activities (ACAI), as well as the EASSS summer schools of AgentLink. The Prague ACAI Summer School was proposed and initiated by both the Gerstner Laboratory, Czech Technical University, Prague (GL-CTU) and the Czech Society for Cybernetics and Informatics (CSKI), with the support of the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Vienna (OFAI). Part of our motivation was catalyzed by experience gained in 1992 during the International Summer School Advanced Topics in Artificial Intelligence (see Springer s LNAI vol. 617) which was organized by the same Czech and Austrian bodies. One of the most important stimulating factors behind the organization of ACAI 2001 was the support provided by the European Commission to the Gerstner Laboratory within the frame of the MIRACLE Center of Excellence project (IST No.

This volume presents the written versions of talks delivered at the symposium "The advent of AI in Higher Education" held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, October 23-25, 1989. Contributions review the current impact of AI on the educational process, stressing the problems and needs of universities. Particular systems, projects and methodologies are de scribed with the aim of gathering and generalizing the experience obtained. The latest developments prove that AI offers interesting methods which could be used with success across a wider range in the domain of education. The nature and spirit of AI forms a new phenomenon which necessitates reconsidering the whole educational process. Papers in this volume describe sophisticated tutoring systems as well as suggestions for new curricula.