In recent years, we have witnessed an explosive growth in multimedia computing, communication and applications. This revolution is transforming the way people live, work and interact with each other, and is impacting the way business, government services, education, entertainment and health care operate.This important book summarizes recent research topics, focusing on four major areas: (1) intelligent content-based information retrieval and virtual world, (2) quality-of-services of multimedia data, (3) intelligent techniques for distance education, and (4) intelligent agents for e-commerce.This book has been selected for coverage in: ? CC / Engineering, Computing & Technology? Index to Scientific Book Contents? (ISBC)