Book excerpt: Since the beginning of human history we have had a communication network that is identical with the physical distribution network. In the late 19th century we established the energy network to distribute electric and thermal energy, launching the modern society. The analog communication network became popular in the middle of the 20th century. And now, at the end of the 20th century, we have global digital information networks.Along with the advancement of the communication network, the progress of the information processing technology can be classified into three historical phases. The first phase technology is physical information processing, treating physical data from the real world. This technology is often called “signal processing” and is based on the physical law of nature. The second phase is free from the physical constraints. It is logical information processing, dealing with knowledge and rules. The most important aspect of this phase is consistency. “Provable” is employed to confirm the reality of the system.Based on the advanced computer and network technology, we are entering the third phase of information processing, which is “Kansei” information processing. (”Kansei” is a Japanese word expressing some subjective ability referred to as “sensibility”, “intuition”, “affection” or “emotion”). Emotional resonance or consent is important in the pursuit of reality in this phase.Multimedia modeling to harmonize different media and systems is one of the key technologies in the third phase of information processing. It will provide a next generation framework to construct a human-centered information environment that is more comfortable and more productive.This volume is devoted to a discussion on effective modeling of multimedia information and systems for a wide range of applications. It contains 30 technical articles, all of which were selected, after vigorous peer reviews, for presentation at the International Conference on Multimedia Modeling held in Nagano, Japan, on 13-15 November 2000.