The LNCS journal Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems focuses on data management, knowledge discovery, and knowledge processing, which are core and hot topics in computer science. Since the 1990s, the Internet has become the main driving force behind application development in all domains. An increase in the demand for resource sharing across different sites connected through networks has led to an evolution of data- and knowledge-management systems from centralized systems to decentralized systems enabling large-scale distributed applications providing high scalability. Current decentralized systems still focus on data and knowledge as their main resource. Feasibility of these systems relies basically on P2P (peer-to-peer) techniques and the support of agent systems with scaling and decentralized control. Synergy between grids, P2P systems, and agent technologies is the key to data- and knowledge-centered systems in large-scale environments. This, the 20th issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, presents a representative and useful selection of articles covering a wide range of important topics in the domain of advanced techniques for big data management. Big data has become a popular term, used to describe the exponential growth and availability of data. The recent radical expansion and integration of computation, networking, digital devices, and data storage has provided a robust platform for the explosion in big data, as well as being the means by which big data are generated, processed, shared, and analyzed. In general, data are only useful if meaning and value can be extracted from them. Big data discovery enables data scientists and other analysts to uncover patterns and correlations through analysis of large volumes of data of diverse types. Insights gleaned from big data discovery can provide businesses with significant competitive advantages, leading to more successful marketing campaigns, decreased customer churn, and reduced loss from fraud. In practice, the growing demand for large-scale data processing and data analysis applications has spurred the development of novel solutions from both industry and academia.

Data management, knowledge discovery, and knowledge processing are core and hot topics in computer science. They are widely accepted as enabling technologies for modern enterprises, enhancing their performance and their decision making processes. Since the 1990s the Internet has been the outstanding driving force for application development in all domains. An increase in the demand for resource sharing (e. g. , computing resources, s- vices, metadata, data sources) across different sites connected through networks has led to an evolvement of data- and knowledge-management systems from centralized systems to decentralized systems enabling large-scale distributed applications prov- ing high scalability. Current decentralized systems still focus on data and knowledge as their main resource characterized by: heterogeneity of nodes, data, and knowledge autonomy of data and knowledge sources and services large-scale data volumes, high numbers of data sources, users, computing resources dynamicity of nodes These characteristics recognize: (i) limitations of methods and techniques developed for centralized systems (ii) requirements to extend or design new approaches and methods enhancing efficiency, dynamicity, and scalability (iii) development of large scale, experimental platforms and relevant benchmarks to evaluate and validate scaling Feasibility of these systems relies basically on P2P (peer-to-peer) techniques and agent systems supporting with scaling and decentralized control. Synergy between Grids, P2P systems and agent technologies is the key to data- and knowledge-centered systems in large-scale environments.

The LNCS journal Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems focuses on data management, knowledge discovery, and knowledge processing, which are core and hot topics in computer science. Since the 1990s, the Internet has become the main driving force behind application development in all domains. An increase in the demand for resource sharing (e.g., computing resources, services, metadata, data sources) across different sites connected through networks has led to an evolution of data- and knowledge management systems from centralized systems to decentralized systems enabling large-scale distributed applications providing high scalability. This, the 48th issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, contains 8 invited papers dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dr. Roland Wagner. The topics covered include distributed database systems, NewSQL, scalable transaction management, strong consistency, caches, data warehouse, ETL, reinforcement learning, stochastic approximation, multi-agent systems, ontology, model-driven development, organisational modelling, digital government, new institutional economics and data governance.

The LNCS journal Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems focuses on data management, knowledge discovery, and knowledge processing, which are core and hot topics in computer science. Since the 1990s, the Internet has become the main driving force behind application development in all domains. An increase in the demand for resource sharing across different sites connected through networks has led to an evolution of data- and knowledge-management systems from centralized systems to decentralized systems enabling large-scale distributed applications providing high scalability. Current decentralized systems still focus on data and knowledge as their main resource. Feasibility of these systems relies basically on P2P (peer-to-peer) techniques and the support of agent systems with scaling and decentralized control. Synergy between grids, P2P systems, and agent technologies is the key to data- and knowledge-centered systems in large-scale environments. This volume, the 32nd issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, focuses on Big Data Analytics and Knowledge Discovery, and contains extended and revised versions of five papers selected from the 17th International Conference on Big Data Analytics and Knowledge Discovery, DaWaK 2015, held in Valencia, Spain, during September 1-4, 2015. The five papers focus on the exact detection of information leakage, the binary shapelet transform for multiclass time series classification, a discrimination-aware association rule classifier for decision support (DAAR), new word detection and tagging on Chinese Twitter, and on-demand snapshot maintenance in data warehouses using incremental ETL pipelines, respectively. discovery,="" contains="" extended="" revised="" versions="" five="" papers="" selected="" from="" 17th="" international="" conference="" discovery="" (dawak="" 2015),="" held="" in="" valencia,="" spain,="" during="" september="" 1-4,="" 2015.="" focus="" exact="" detection="" information="" leakage,="" binary="" shapelet="" transform="" for="" multiclass="" time="" series="" classification,="" a="" discrimination-aware="" association="" rule="" classifier="" decision="" support="" (daar),="" new="" word="" tagging="" chinese="" twitter,="" on-demand="" snapshot="" maintenance="" warehouses="" using="" incremental="" etl="" pipelines,="" respectively.

This, the 27th issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, contains extended and revised versions of 12 papers presented at the Big Data and Technology for Complex Urban Systems symposium, held in Kauai, HI, USA in January 2016. The papers explore the use of big data in complex urban systems in the areas of politics, society, commerce, tax, and emergency management.

This, the 38th issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, contains extended and revised versions of six papers selected from the 68 contributions presented at the 27th International Conference on Database and Expert Systems Applications, DEXA 2016, held in Porto, Portugal, in September 2016. Topics covered include query personalization in databases, data anonymization, similarity search, computational methods for entity resolution, array-based computations in big data analysis, and pattern mining.

The LNCS journal Transactions on Large-Scale Data and Knowledge-Centered Systems focuses on data management, knowledge discovery, and knowledge processing, which are core and hot topics in computer science. Since the 1990s, the Internet has become the main driving force behind application development in all domains. An increase in the demand for resource sharing (e.g., computing resources, services, metadata, data sources) across different sites connected through networks has led to an evolution of data- and knowledge-management systems from centralized systems to decentralized systems enabling large-scale distributed applications providing high scalability. This, the 51st issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data and Knowledge-Centered Systems, contains five fully revised selected regular papers. Topics covered include data anonyomaly detection, schema generation, optimizing data coverage, and digital preservation with synthetic DNA.

This, the 24th issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, contains extended and revised versions of seven papers presented at the 25th International Conference on Database and Expert Systems Applications, DEXA 2014, held in Munich, Germany, in September 2014. Following the conference, and two further rounds of reviewing and selection, six extended papers and one invited keynote paper were chosen for inclusion in this special issue. Topics covered include systems modeling, similarity search, bioinformatics, data pricing, k-nearest neighbor querying, database replication, and data anonymization.

The LNCS journal Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems focuses on data management, knowledge discovery, and knowledge processing, which are core and hot topics in computer science. Since the 1990s, the Internet has become the main driving force behind application development in all domains. An increase in the demand for resource sharing across different sites connected through networks has led to an evolution of data- and knowledge-management systems from centralized systems to decentralized systems enabling large-scale distributed applications providing high scalability. Current decentralized systems still focus on data and knowledge as their main resource. Feasibility of these systems relies basically on P2P (peer-to-peer) techniques and the support of agent systems with scaling and decentralized control. Synergy between grids, P2P systems, and agent technologies is the key to data- and knowledge-centered systems in large-scale environments. This, the 19th issue of Transactions on Large-Scale Data- and Knowledge-Centered Systems, contains four high-quality papers investigating the areas of linked data and big data from a data management perspective. Two of the four papers focus on the application of clustering techniques in performing inference and search over (linked) data sources. One paper leverages graph analysis techniques to enable application-level integration of institutional data and a final paper describes an approach for protecting users' profile data from disclosure, tampering, and improper use.