GLIMS Workshop 2008, Boulder, Colorado, USA (Original announcement and info page)

See also this synopsis page.

Dear GLIMS RCs, Stewards, and affiliates,

As many of you know, there have been several highly successful GLIMS Workshops over the past 8 years in such locations as Switzerland, Maryland, France, Norway, England, and New Zealand, and some smaller meetings in Italy, California and Arizona. It has been 7 years since there has been a GLIMS workshop in the United States with significant international participation. We are therefore planning on holding a GLIMS workshop in Boulder, Colorado, as described in detail below.

GLIMS Workshop

Boulder, Colorado

June 16-18 (Monday-Wednesday), 2008

Duration: 2.5 days (half day on Day Three)

Through this workshop we seek to review and advance the current state of knowledge regarding several key topics that are of direct relevance to glacier studies based on remote sensing. These are:

1. DEM generation from satellite stereo pairs

2. Mapping ice divides

3. Mapping debris covered glaciers

4. Challenges in assessing change through comparisons with older data

5. Other major hurdles in satellite glacier mapping

Workshop participants are invited to make presentations that address specific questions related to one or more of these topics, such as:

1. What are the best tools and methods for the problem? How can these be best shared with the GLIMS community?

2. Where are the main problems? What steps need special attention?

3. What additional methods or algorithms need to be developed?

4. Can we agree on specific protocols, definitions or procedures to help the GLIMS community deal with this topic?

5. What additional assistance can be provided to help make dealing with this topic easier for others in GLIMS?

This workshop will address GLIMS-specific issues mostly at the technical level. By contrast, the International Workshop on World Glacier Inventory, to be held in Lanzhou, China, 20-24 September 2008, will focus on the broader issues of coordinating different glacier inventory efforts, how these efforts tie into larger Earth observation programs, and how best to achieve global coverage soon.

Draft Program:

^*Speakers will be assigned soon according to topic relevance.

Anticipated Workshop Results

The results of the workshop will be compiled into a report, with intent to submit it for publication. In addition, a section of the www.glims.org Web site will show the results of these working groups and disseminate algorithms and computer code.

Registration

There will be food brought to the site for continental breakfasts and lunches. To cover these costs, there will be a registration fee of $60, payable on-site. Receipts will be provided.

Please let us know (e-mail to Bruce Raup and Richard Armstrong) as soon as possible if you plan to attend this workshop so that we may start on the necessary organizational tasks that will be required at NSIDC.

Logistics

Should you decide to attend, you may find this logistical information helpful.

• Google Map showing locations of Workshop (NSIDC), hotels, nearby stores, bus stop from the airport, etc.
  
  
• Directions to the Boulder Campus, University of Colorado
• Directions to NSIDC, where the workshop will be held.

  Note: If you drive, we can supply parking permits. Please park in metered spaces for a short time when you first arrive. After you receieve a parking pass, park in any "EC" lot.

• Hotels in the vicinity

  You are free to choose from hotels found via the above link. Also, the Best Western Boulder Inn has given us a conference rate. Details:

  • Number of rooms has just (May 22) been increased by 5. Please reserve your hotel as soon as possible, as hotels in Boulder tend to fill up in the summer.
  • Group code: call (+1-)800-233-8469 and reference code "GLIMS"
  • Arrival Date: Sunday, June 15, 2008
  • Departure Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
  • Group Rates: $98 for a room with one King bed
  • Method of reservation: Guests will make own reservations and guarantee with individual credit cards. Unconfirmed rooms in block will be released 30 days prior to arrival.

• Transportation from the airport (Denver International Airport, or DIA):
  • AB bus in the public transit system $11 one-way, approximately 1 hour to Boulder. The Boulder Inn Hotel is about a 15 minute walk from the Broadway and 27th Way stop, just south of Baseline Road. Go north to Baseline, then east along Baseline on the nice walking path under Highway 36, and left onto the 28th Avenue Frontage Road.
  • SuperShuttle
• Local Transporation (Also see Here.)
  • Bus: Local buses cost $1.75 per ride. Unlimited day passes are available for $5.25 (for use within town). Cash fare is paid upon boarding. See the RTD Web site.
  • Bicycle rental: The bicycle is probably the best way to get around Boulder. A number of shops rent them. A good source is University Bicycles, located at 9th and Pearl. You can get a town bike for two days for $30 there.
  • Taxi: Yellow Cab: 303-777-7777

Boulder Weather

Boulder has a continental climate, with large differences between day and night temperatures. See this National Weather Service page for forecasts.

Fun outside the workshop

• On Sunday, 15 June, a few of us plan to go for a hike in the mountains, hopefully to get a closer view of a Colorado glacier. (To see Colorado glaciers, you need to get up close to them.) This may involve hiking to elevations around 3600 m. If you're interested in joining us, let Bruce Raup know by June 7.

• Post-hike BBQ and ice-breaker:
  WHEN: Sunday evening (June 15th), 6 ~ 9 pm
  WHERE: Family housing community center, 33rd + Colorado, Smiley Court, next to NSIDC
  ADDRESS: 1300 30th St, Boulder. See Map.
  WHAT: This will be an informal ice-breaker/BBQ open to all participants. We will have a grill, some items to grill, and a cash bar for drinks. If you are interested in attending, please express your interest by June 10 to Adina Racoviteanu, and any food/drinks preferences, so that we know how much food to provide.
  CONTACT: Adina Racoviteanu, ph: 720-422-2850 (best way to reach on Sunday afertnoon in case you get lost).

• Boulder Juggling Festival

Restaurants

• Boulder restaurants, listed by specialty

And a few of our favorites:

• Sherpa's Adventurers Restaurant & Bar 825 Walnut St., 303-440-7151, downtown- owned by Sherpas, nice atmosphere that includes climbing memorabilia, a library of adventure and travel books, and one of Boulder's best patios with Flatirons views. Highly recommended.
• Rincon del Sol 2350 Arapahoe Ave Boulder CO 80302, 303-442-0541, walkable distance from NSIDC. Authentic, extremely tasty magaritas and good food, homey feel. Outdoor patio. Note the happy hour (until 10 pk) on Monday nights, 2 for 1 margaritas. Highly recommended.
• Bacaro's 921 Pearl St., 303-444-4888. Traditional and contemporary northern Italian dishes. Good happy hour, outdoor patio. Downtown.
• D'Napoli Ristorante 835 Walnut St. (next to Sherpa's), 303-444-8434. Outdoor patio, good food, reasonably priced.
• Ras Kassa's Ethiopian Restaurant 2111 30th St.,303-447-2919. Excellent food and ambiance; outdoor patio. A few blocks north of NSIDC.
• Conor O'Neill's 1922 13th St., just around the corner from Pearl Street Mall, 303-449-1922. Imported beers on draft and traditional Iris
• Siamese Plate 1575 Folsom St.,303-447-9718 - a few blocks from NSIDC. Thai restaurant voted "Best of Boulder", 18 years running.

Other attractions:

• Boulder Open Space trails
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has been named as one of the top three Shakespeare festivals in the nation by TIME Magazine. Under the stars on the University of Colorado campus: http://www.coloradoshakes.org/
• Boulder's summer classic music festival at the historic Chautauqua park: http://www.coloradomusicfest.org/
• The largest friendliest farmers market in Colorado in the heart of downtown Boulder: http://boulderfarmers.org/
• The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art: http://www.bmoca.org/
• The Dushanbe Teahouse, the only structure of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The stunning teahouse was given to the city of Boulder by its sister city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan as a symbol of U.S. and Soviet relations. In downtown Boulder, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. http://www.BoulderTeaHouse.com/
• The Boulder Outdoor Cinema - Movies under the stars on a beautiful Boulder night http://boulderoutdoorcinema.com/
• Boulder's only professional resident theatre http://www.nomadstage.com/