It is a great pleasure to share with you the Springer CCIS 111 proceedings of the Third World Summit on the Knowledge Society––WSKS 2010––that was organized by the International Scientific Council for the Knowledge Society, and supported by the Open Research Society, NGO, (http://www.open-knowledge-society.org) and the Int- national Journal of the Knowledge Society Research, (http://www.igi-global.com/ijksr), and took place in Aquis Corfu Holiday Palace Hotel, on Corfu island, Greece, September 22–24, 2010. The Third World Summit on the Knowledge Society (WSKS 2010) was an inter- tional scientific event devoted to promoting the dialogue on the main aspects of the knowledge society towards a better world for all. The multidimensional economic and social crisis of the last couple years brings to the fore the need to discuss in depth new policies and strategies for a human-centric developmental process in the global c- text. This annual summit brings together key stakeholders of knowledge society dev- opment worldwide, from academia, industry, government, policy makers, and active citizens to look at the impact and prospects of it information technology, and the knowledge-based era it is creating, on key facets of living, working, learning, innovating, and collaborating in today’s hyper-complex world.

The rapidly growing demand for online courses and supporting technology has resulted in a plethora of structural and functional changes and challenges for universities and colleges. These changes have led many distance education providers to recognize the value of understanding the fundamental concepts of both e-learning and knowledge management (K

Knowledge Management has evolved into one of the most important streams of management research, affecting organizations of all types at many different levels. The Encyclopedia of Knowledge Management, Second Edition provides a compendium of terms, definitions and explanations of concepts, processes and acronyms addressing the challenges of knowledge management. This two-volume collection covers all aspects of this critical discipline, which range from knowledge identification and representation, to the impact of Knowledge Management Systems on organizational culture, to the significant integration and cost issues being faced by Human Resources, MIS/IT, and production departments.

This open access book presents and discusses current issues and innovative solution approaches for land management in a European context. Manifold sustainability issues are closely interconnected with land use practices. Throughout the world, we face increasing conflict over the use of land as well as competition for land. Drawing on experience in sustainable land management gained from seven years of the FONA programme (Research for Sustainable Development, conducted under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research), the book stresses and highlights co-design processes within the “co-creation of knowledge”, involving collaboration in transdisciplinary research processes between academia and other stakeholders. The book begins with an overview of the current state of land use practices and the subsequent need to manage land resources more sustainably. New system solutions and governance approaches in sustainable land management are presented from a European perspective on land use. The volume also addresses how to use new modes of knowledge transfer between science and practice. New perspectives in sustainable land management and methods of combining knowledge and action are presented to a broad readership in land system sciences and environmental sciences, social sciences and geosciences. This book received the Gerd Albers Award. The prize is awarded by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP).

Towards Learning and instruction in Web 3.0, which includes selected expanded papers from CELDA (Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age) 2010 (http://www.celda-conf.org/) addresses the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes, innovative pedagogies, and technology-based educational applications in the digital age. The convergence of these two disciplines continues to increase and in turn, affects the academic and professional spheres in numerous ways. Towards Learning and Instruction in Web 3.0 addresses paradigms such as just-in-time learning, constructivism, student-centered learning and collaborative approaches which have emerged and are being supported by technological advancements such as simulations,virtual reality and multi-agents systems. This volume touches on both technological as well as psychological and pedagogical issues related to the developments of Web 3.0.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th IFIP WG 5.11 International Symposium on Environmental Software Systems, ISESS 2011, held in Brno, Czech Republic, in June 2011. The 68 revised full papers presented together with four invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in the following topical sections: eEnvironment and cross-border services in digital agenda for Europe; environmental information systems and services - infrastructures and platforms; semantics and environment; information tools for global environmental assessment; climate services and environmental tools for urban planning and climate change - applications and services.

Once considered the traditional approach to education, brick and mortar institutions are no longer the norm due to e-learning technologies. Populations are turning into ubiquitous human beings, and educational practices are reflecting this change. E-Learning 2.0 Technologies and Web Applications in Higher Education compiles the latest empirical research findings in the area of e-learning and knowledge management technologies assessment. Highlighting specific comparisons and practices of e-m-learning and knowledge management technologies, this book is an essential guide for professionals and academics who want to improve their understanding of the strategic role of e-learning at different levels of the information and knowledge society.