Interface 2002

The Interface Foundation of North America cordially invites you to participate in the 34th Interface Symposium, the premier annual conference on the interface of computing and statistics. The theme of 34th Symposium is Geoscience and Remote Sensing. The Symposium will be held April 17-20, 2002 in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

About the Program

The theme of Interface 2002 is Geoscience and Remote Sensing. Improvements in remote sensing technology in recent years have made very large, remotely sensed data sets common and accessible to a wide variety of researchers in diverse areas of physical, life and social science. These data, and the computing technologies and infrastructure that support them, allow study of geophysical processes on a global scale at resolutions never before possible. Understanding the complex relationships present and how they evolve in space and time, is a major challenge for statisticians, computer scientists and discipline scientists.

Combining this information with social, political, health, and other ground based environmental data may provide new knowledge with important policy implications for life in the 21st century. Looking beyond, data volumes from extra-terrestrial planetary missions will soon be approaching those collected by Earth observing missions, and many of the techniques developed for Earth Science data could be brought to bear in that realm as well.

The Symposium has invited sessions on techniques and applications relevant to the analysis of geoscience and remote sensing data, as well as other cutting-edge research areas. In addition, there will be two short courses offered on April 17. The list of invited sessions, along with corresponding program committee members, is below.

Call for Participation

Sessions will include invited, refereed, and contributed paper sessions. Individuals who wish to participate in a contributed session should submit an abstract by March 1, 2002. Full instructions and an electronic abstract submission form are available on the conference website. The proceedings will be published, for Interface 2002 in the form of a CD-ROM. Former page restrictions have been raised, and color illustrations, animations, data, and software source code will be allowed.

This year we are introducing a new category of papers, refereed papers. Participants may want to submit a paper to be refereed. Papers accepted as refereed papers will be collected into refereed sessions and the papers will be noted as having been refereed in the proceedings. Papers not accepted as refereed papers, may still be presented as ordinary contributed papers. Individuals who wish to have their paper refereed must submit their paper by February 1, 2002.

Financial Support

Funds for financial support have been allocated. Support will only be made if current awardees fail to claim travel funds.

Accommodations

Accommodations will be at the five star Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The Ritz-Carlton is located at 1228 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Quebec H3G 1H6, Canada. The hotel is located in an area called the underground city and is directly across from McGill University. The nightly rate for single occupancy will be $174 Canadian, which at present exchange rates is approximately $117 US. Nearby access to the subway system called Metro will allow participants easy access to Vieux Montréal and other tourist attractions. Due to the September 11 tragedy, many events normally scheduled for New York have been moved to Montréal. Thus there is strong pressure on room availability in Montréal. A limited number of rooms is reserved and Interface participants should make reservations as early as possible. Contact the hotel directly at (514) 842- 4212 or (800) 363-0366 or (800) 241-3333 to make reservations no later than March 15, 2002.

Transportation

Montréal-Dorval Airport serves arrivals and departures for domestic and U.S. flights as well as most international carriers. It is located about 14 miles or 22-km west of downtown Montréal, approximately 25 minutes away from the city. The cost to travel by taxi is approximately $28.00 CDN + gratuity. The shuttle bus, Aéroports de Montréal (Express), leaves Dorval every 30 minutes from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm weekdays and week-ends. The first departure is at 7:00 am and the last departure corresponds with the last flight coming in Dorval. Transportation is free for children under 5 years old. L'Aérobus phone is (514) 931-9002. The fares from Dorval - Downtown: $11/$19 CDN (return). Montréal's Métro (subway system) is safe and clean. Adult fare (bus and metro): $2 CDN or for a strip of 6 tickets: $8.50 CDN. A special tourist ticket, La Carte Touristique is available. There are 2 types of cards: 1) valid for 1 day, $7 CDN and 2) valid for 3 days, $14 CDN.

About Montréal

As the second oldest city in North America, Montréal is a mélange of centuries-old architecture and a sophisticated labyrinth of modern underground year-round shopping. It is an island with a 243-meter rise of land dominating its center, known simply as "The Mountain." This is a city that is as old as its well-preserved historic sites and colonial architecture. Its history is also manifest in its language, which reflects both French and British roots.

Montréal Weather - Montréal in April has an average high of 51° Fahrenheit and an average low of 35° Fahrenheit. The highest temperature recorded in April was 84° and the lowest 9°. Average rainfall is 2.9 inches. Much of the city is connected by underground passageways.

Registration Fees

Please note that all registration fees are given in US dollars.

Before March 1st