SAM'04 Venue

SITE Building, University of Ottawa
800 King Edward St., Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, with approximately one million habitants. Placed at the confluence of three rivers, it has attractive view, great outdoors, beautiful museums and many other exciting attractions. The weather is usually quite nice in June.

The University of Ottawa is a major research center in Canada, with a history of over 150 years and nearly 30,000 students. Both Ottawa and this university are bilingual (English-French). The School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE) is a joint school of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Engineering. The Workshop will take place in its shining new building, with good computer facilities and a food court, near sports facilities and nice walks.

Traveling to Ottawa

Language

The language for the conference is English. Ottawa is a bilingual (English and French) and multi-cultural city.

Tourist Information

Those wishing to plan excursions in Canada before or after the Conference can obtain maps, accommodation lists and descriptions of sites of interest from the tourism services of each Canadian province (e.g. Ontario and Québec ). Please check the web site at http://www.travelcanada.ca for further information.

Currency

The Canadian currency is the Canadian Dollar: $1 CAN = $ 0.76 US = €0.62 Euro = £0.42 GBP approximately (March 10, 2004. See current rates).

Bank and Exchange

Traveler's checks can be cashed at numerous banks and stores (with purchases). There are numerous ATM Bank Machines in downtown Ottawa and on the University campus. Banks are closed on Saturdays and Sundays in Canada. There is a foreign exchange booth at the Ottawa airport and the Rideau Shopping Center.

Electricity

The electrical voltage in Canada is 110 V, 60 cycle AC. Adapters can be found at most electrical stores nearby.

Visa

Participants requiring a visa for entry into Canada are strongly advised to apply for the appropriate Visa in their own country as soon as possible. For more information, please contact the nearest Canadian Embassy or your travel agent.

Climate

June weather in Ottawa is usually beautiful, with normal daily highs of 24C and lows of 14C. Days are usually sunny, but please be sure to bring along a coat and an umbrella that could protect you from the rain (e.g. when walking to the different dinner locations). More information on the current weather and forecasts in Ottawa can be obtained from the Environment Canada Web site.

Arriving in Ottawa

Getting to Ottawa by Air

A large international airport serves the city with numerous domestic and international flights daily. Overseas access is quite easy, either by direct flight from London, or with connections through Toronto, Montreal, Newark, New York, Chicago, Detroit or Washington.

Shuttle Bus

There is a shuttle bus every half-hour from the airport that stops at several downtown hotels. The cost for the bus is approximately $12.

Hours of Operation : 6:00 AM - 1:30 AM
Frequency : Every 30 minutes
First airport pick-up : 5:30 AM
Departs from airport : 20 minutes before the hour and 10 minutes after the hour

Public Transit

OCTranspo (Ottawa-Carleton Transportation) provides a regular bus service throughout the city of Ottawa including a service from the airport to downtown. Exact fare is required and change cannot be obtained from the bus driver. Tickets are available at various stores in the area. Details are available at http://www.octranspo.com.

The STO (Société de transport de l'Outaouais) provides bus service on the Québec side. Many STO bus routes end in Ottawa, at the corner of King Edward and Rideau Street (15 minutes walking distance from the SITE building). More details on the various STO routes, fares, and correspondence points with OCTranspo are availble at: http://www.sto.ca/index_e.asp

Directions to the campus and hotels

From the airport, by taxi. The ride costs about $25.
From the airport, by bus. From the airport, take bus 97 to the "Campus" or "Laurier" bus stops (see UofO campus map). From there it is a short walk to several hotels (Laurier), the residences, and the conference site (Campus - see the hotel map, to be provided soon...). The bus ride takes about 20 minutes. Buses run every 15 minutes during daytime. The fare is $2.50, and you should have exact change. You can find the #97 bus schedules here (careful if arriving on the weekend: click on "Saturday" or "Sunday" for weekend schedules). For your orientation, you can also consult the transitway map below.

From the train station, by bus. The instructions are the same as "from the airport", except that you take bus 95 from the train station to the "Campus" or "Laurier" bus stop. The ride takes only about 10 minutes. Buses run every 15 minutes during daytime. You can find the #95 bus schedules here. For your orientation, you can also consult the transitway map above.
By car. From highway 417 (Queensway), take exit 118 marked "Nicholas St". Parking in Ottawa can be difficult, so if your hotel does not offer parking, you might want to consider using a parking garage. The dormitories offer parking to guests at an additional charge.

Pictures of the Ottawa Area

Here is a quick glimpse at the beauty of Ottawa (pictures taken by Chhabra at the beginning of this century...)

Parliement Hill, Ottawa	Change of the Guards, Parliement Hill, Ottawa
Château Laurier, Ottawa	Rideau Canal Locks, Ottawa
Casino du Lac Leamy, Gatineau (Hull)	Museum of Civilizations, Gatineau (Hull)

Note on Liability and Health Insurance

The workshop fees DO NOT include provisions for the insurance of participants or their accompanying guests against personal injuries, sickness, theft or property damage. This also applies to any event during the Workshop period. Participants and accompanying guests are advised to arrange for insurance they consider necessary. Neither the Workshop Organizing Committee, nor its sponsors or committee members assume any responsibilities for loss, injury, or damage to persons or belongings, whatever their cause may be.

Visitors are NOT covered by the Canadian Health Insurance Plan. It is therefore recommended that participants arrange their own health and accident insurance. This should be done before leaving home through a local travel agent or medical association.