2020 IEEE Conference on Cognitive and Computational Aspects of Situation Management (CogSIMA)

August 22-28, 2020
Virtual Conference
hosted by the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Photo Credit: Welcome to Victoria BC by LASZLO ILYES / CC-BY-2.0

*** Archival information, for current information on how to participate please see Participation ***

Venue

CogSIMA 2020 will take place at the beautiful campus of the University of Victoria (UVic), in Victoria, British Columbia (BC), Canada:

UVic campus
University of Victoria
3800 Finnerty Road
Victoria BC V8P 5C2
Canada
Phone: 1-250-721-7211
Fax: 1-250-721-7212

Accommodations

We are pleased to announce that a special rate for hotel reservations is now available. CogSIMA 2020 attendees are offered an attractive group rate, starting at 149 CAD per night, at the Sandman Victoria:

2852 Douglas St, Victoria, BC | V8T 4M5 | Tel: 250 388 0788

The Sandman is conveniently situated close to the major attractions of downtown Victoria located between inner harbour and Douglas St. (hosting plentiful sight-seeing, dining, shopping and nightlife opportunities, as well as departures for whale watching trips), and offers the following amenities:

100 comfortable guest rooms | Complimentary high speed Internet | Free parking | Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill with room service | Fitness facilities | Indoor pool & whirlpool | Business centre

Please make your reservations under https://www.sandmanhotels.com/locations/british-columbia/victoria/hotels/victoria-vic?groupCode=369384 (please note the "Book your stay" line at the bottom of the page in order to start the booking process), or by calling the hotel under 250 388 0788 (quote group name "CogSima 2020" or group number "369384" to get the special rate).
Please be aware that room reservations must be made by 16 March, 2020.

Sandman Victoria Terms & Conditions: Offer valid for bookings at Sandman Hotel Victoria until March 17, 2020, and for stays between May 3 to May 8, 2020. Standard 24-hour cancellation policy in effect. Subject to availabality, taxes and applicable fees. Cannot be combined with other offers. New bookings only. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.

Getting to the conference venue

The conference venue at the University of Victoria (UVic) can easily be reached from downtown Victoria by car, taxi or the excellent public transportation network.
You may wish to consult UVic's general campus information.
Travel times and directions from downtown Victoria to UVic:

  • by bus: The main bus routes from downtown to UVic are 4, 7, 11, 14, or 15, which operate at high frequency. Please have your correct fare ready, since fareboxes or drivers do not provide change. Fares: A single fare is 2.50 CAD, a DayPASS allows unlimited travel during the day and is sold exclusively onboard the bus for 5 CAD cash. For more convience, you may wish consider buying a 10-ticket packet, which can be purchased at the following locations: Where to Buy. You can find bus schedules, fares and trip planning under BC Transit. Please allocate around 30-35 minutes for bus trips from downtown.
    • from Sandman: Note that the Sandman Victoria hotel is right on the city bus route (stop "Hillside at Douglas") connecting the hotel to UVic: see Google Maps,
      22 minutes (route 4) - 37 minutes (route 11) travel time to UVic.
  • by car: 15 minutes from downtown Victoria. UVic offers ample parking space (please find further information here).
    • from Sandman: Note that parking at the Sandman Victoria hotel is free. see Google Maps,
      approx. 9-18 minutes travel time
  • by taxi: https://victoriataxi.com, taxicab.com, yellowcabvictoria.com

Getting to Victoria

Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia (BC), is located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. As there is no fixed connection (bridge or roadway) connecting Vancouver Island to mainland BC, the island can be reached via sea or air travel:

Directions (as recommended by UVic):
  • from Vancouver:
    • Ferry/driving: Take the Swartz Bay ferry from Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal (1-hour-and-35-minute sailing time). You will exit the ferry terminal on the Patricia Bay Highway (17 South). After 29 km take Exit 7, McKenzie Avenue. Turn left onto McKenzie Ave. After about 8 km turn right onto McGill Road, the main entrance to UVic. The drive takes about 30 minutes. see Google Maps.
    • Air: Harbour Air lands in the Inner Harbour of Downtown Victoria
  • from Victoria International Airport: see Google Maps.
    • Driving: Victoria International Airport is located off of the Patricia Bay Highway (Highway 17), a 30- to 40-minute drive north of UVic. When driving from the airport, follow the signs to Victoria or City Centre. These will lead you onto Highway 17. Once on Highway 17, drive 29 km and take Exit 7, McKenzie Avenue. Turn left onto McKenzie Avenue. After about 8 km, turn right onto McGill Road, the main entrance to UVic. The drive takes about 30 minutes.
    • The YYJ Airport Shuttle offers service from the airport to many locations in Victoria. Buses leave every half hour between 4 a.m. and midnight, 7 days a week.
  • from Port Angeles/Seattle:
    Seattle: see Google Maps.
    Port Angeles: see Google Maps.
    • The Blackball Ferry or the Clipper will dock in Victoria's Inner Harbour. To drive from downtown Victoria to UVic, follow Belleville Street east to Blanshard Street. Turn north on to Blanshard and follow it for about 10 km. Then, turn right onto the McKenzie Avenue and drive east for about 11 km until you reach Gordon Head Road. Continue past this intersection and take the immediate right onto McGill Road. The trip takes about 3 and a half hours.
    • From the Anacordes Ferry you dock in Sidney. From there follow the signs to Victoria on the Patricia Bay Highway (Highway 17). After 29 km take the McKenzie Avenue exit (Exit 7). Turn left onto McKenzie Ave. After about 8 km turn right onto McGill Road, the main UVic entrance just in front of Centennial Stadium. The trip takes about 5 hours.

Visa Information

Do not delay in making VISA arrangements for entry to Canada if needed. Such arrangements are the responsibility of attendees and other participants and may require some considerable processing time. Complete information on how to apply for a VISA to enter Canda can be found on the here. Please note that attendees arriving by air travel will need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to, or transit through, a Canadian airport, which costs 7 CAD and needs to be applied for online. If you arrive by air travel via the United States, you need to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to be admitted to your flight to the United States. Please find further information here.

News

Apr 10: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, CogSIMA 2020 will be held as a completely Virtual Conference.

Aug. 28: A big thank you to our highly engaged participants for making this virtual conference such an enjoyable and interactive experience! We hope to see you next year at CogSIMA 2021!
Aug. 27: Save the dates: CogSIMA 2021 is planned to take place May 17-21, 2021, in beautiful Tallinn, Estonia!
Aug. 27: We will present our plans for CogSIMA 2021 in the Closing session, so please stay with us!
Aug. 26: Congratulations to our Best Student Paper and Best Paper Award winners!
Aug. 25: On LinkedIn? Follow/post using #cogsima for CogSIMA community updates!
Aug. 20: Participation information for the virtual conference updated.
Aug. 19: Program updated.
Aug. 9: We are pleased to announce that Prof. Ben Shneiderman (Univ. of Maryland) will present an Invited Talk.
July 27: We are pleased to announce a workshop on Interoperability for Situation Management and Decision Making.

Sponsors and Patrons

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SMC logo
 
UVic logo
 
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