Member of the International Virtual Observatory Alliance

IVOA Interoperability meeting

Welcome

The Spring 2013 IVOA Interoperability meeting takes place May 12-17, 2013. The meeting is hosted by the Zentrum für Astronomie of Heidelberg University on behalf of the German Astrophysical Virtual Observatory. You can download the announcement poster here.

To see what's going on, check the Conference Photos.

In addition to developing the world-wide Virtual Observatory and its supporting standards, participants also get to visit Heidelberg with its many historic and cultural attractions, such as the romantic ruins of the castle towering above the Neckar river, Germany’s oldest university and a historic Old Town. With one of the leading universities in the world and numerous major international research institutions Heidelberg is also a city of science and research.

Program

The Interop program is managed on the IVOA wiki.

Registration

Registration is closed. If you do not find yourself on the registrants list but want to attend anyway, please contact the organizers by E-mail.

Venue

The meeting will take place in the old Physics building, Philosophenweg 12 (Map; The main lecture hall is located at the blue pin on that map); see also the images in the article on Philosophenweg in the German Wikipedia..

Transfer

From Frankfurt airport: An easy way to get to Heidelberg from Frankfurt International Aiport is to take the Lufthansa shuttle service. This bus departs every hour from Terminal 1, Arrival Area Exit B3, operating from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. The trip takes about 75 minutes.

For other options see the Data Center Forum venue page "Ways in Heidelberg and how to get to the Data Center Forum"

Social Events

  • We offer an excursion to the Haus der Astronomie on Wednesday, May 15 starting at 4pm, Heidelberg's center for astronomy education and outreach on the top of the Königstuhl. The tour through the building and a planetarium show are free, but we will have to charge a few Euros for the transportation.
  • The Interop banquet will take place on Thursday, May 16, in the Heidelberger Kulturbrauerei in the Old Town, which is famous for home-brewed beer and regional specialities. The banquet starts at 7pm and the cost is 40 Euro, payable at the registration desk on Monday, May 13. Please take a look at the description on how to get there.
  • You are welcome to join a guided tour through Heidelberg's Old Town on Friday, May 17 after sessions; cost is a few Euros.

Accommodation

There are many hotels and residences in the Old town and around the Workshop site. Please make your own arrangements for hotel accomodation as soon as possible.

For the following hotels a limited number of rooms have been set aside until the end of March at a special rate (see below for rough prices including breakfast) for people attending the meeting. Most of them are in walking distance (<1.5 km) from the conference venue. Please mention you are a guest of Heidelberg University AND the keyword "Interop" when making your reservation:

Some Hostels for those that like this kind of thing:

For more hotels and the location of the conference venue see: Heidelberg Map

Visa Information

Please be sure to verify the visa regulations pertaining to your citizenship with the German consulate or embassy in your home country. There is a list of addresses of all German consulates and embassies as well as a list of visa requirements or exemptions on the web site of the Federal Foreign Office.  

Citizens of European Union (EU) countries and those of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland do not need a visa. A personal identification card is sufficient to enter Germany. Citizens of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States of America can also enter German for short stays of less than three months without a visa. For citizens of all other countries whose stay in Germany will not be longer than 90 days, a so-called Schengen visa (C Visa) is generally sufficient. You must apply for this at a German consulate or embassy in your home country before coming to Germany.

Sponsors

The May 2013 IVOA Interop meeting is sponsored by

Costs of coffee breaks during the meeting will be assumed by BSC-CNS for each of the attendees. As such, said attendees agree to renounce the corresponding per diem expenses.

Local Organising Committee

Contact

Janine Fohlmeister and Gabriel Stöckle

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