The paradigm for the next generation of information systems (ISs) will involve large numbers of ISs distributed over large, complex computer/communication networks. Such ISs will manage or have access to large amounts of information and computing services and will interoperate as required. These support individual or collaborative human work. Communication among component systems will be done using protocols that range from conventional ones to those based on distributed AI. We call such next generation ISs Cooperative Information Systems (CIS).

The International Journal of Cooperative Information Systems (IJCIS) addresses the intricacies of cooperative work in the framework of distributed interoperable information systems. It provides a forum for the presentation and dissemination of research covering all aspects of CIS design, requirements, functionality, implementation, deployment, and evolution. IJCIS will publish papers describing original ideas and new results, on topics that include, but are not limited to:

    CIS Principles - cooperation, intelligence, autonomy.
    Architectures and communication protocols for CIS - open architectures, blackboard systems, multiagent planning frameworks, speech acts, advanced information services in support of interoperability.
    Information Agents - models and organisations, application of information agent technology in virtual laboratories, concurrent engineering and other groupware frameworks.
    Large-Scale Knowledge Bases for CIS-sharing and reuse of worldwide knowledge, knowledge of knowledge structures, trends and applications in this area.
    Core Technology for CIS - open distributed computing architectures, type systems, object models and advanced transaction models for interoperability, advanced query models and languages, active databases.
    Theoretical Frameworks and Formal Methods for CIS - knowledge management, view management, high-level communication protocols, workflows, flexible transactions, negotiation and information agents.
    CIS Implementation Techniques - programming languages for CISs, interoperability issues in distributed heterogeneous information bases, multi-database transaction scheduling and execution, rule bases.
    Integration Challenges - interoperability, multiple paradigms, forms of transparency, object and transaction model integration, global information (e.g., schemas, directories, repositories), semantic interoperability, negotiation, optimisation (e.g., queries, indexing, ...).
    Information Modelling and Reasoning techniques for CISs - multiple perspective representations, non-deductive forms of inference (inductive, analogical, case-based, ...), multiagent planning and problem solving.
    Advanced CIS Programming - workflows, transactions, information requests, policy/rule-driven systems, mega-programming, multiple programming paradigms.
    Information Engineering for CIS - information acquisition, classification and retrieval techniques and tools, information sharing and management.
    CIS Evolution - concepts, tools, and techniques for CIS design, development, and maintenance.
    Re-Engineering - concepts, tools, and methodologies; re-engineering legacy and new information systems into CISs.
    Business Process Management Systems: Architectures, Concepts, Technology (e.g. analysis, modelling, reengineering and evaluation and business processes).