Canada is pleased to provide details on the GEO-5 Meeting to be held in our Nation's capital, Ottawa, from November 29-30, 2004. The following information is provided to assist you in planning your participation.

(a) Negotiation of the first draft of the Ten Year Implementation Plan,
(b) Negotiations on the successor mechanism to GEO and,
(c) Refinement and agreement on documents to be adopted at the Earth Observation Summit III.

GEO-5 Week at a Glance

Plenary Sessions will be held on November 29-30, 2004. Various GEO Secretariat, IPTT and Sub Group meetings will take place immediately preceding the Plenary Sessions (November 27-28, 2004) and a follow up meeting will be held on December 1, 2004 to discuss the Planning Forward to EOS III. For details please see the attached Draft Week at a Glance document.

Limited support will be available on-site from the GEO- 5 Meeting secretariat.

Simultaneous interpretation in English and French will be provided for Plenary sessions.

Please indicate any dietary restrictions (ie. allergies, religious, vegetarian) or special requirements (ie. wheelchair access) on the enclosed pre-registration form.

Meeting organizers have booked a block of guest rooms at the Fairmont Château Laurier (http://www.fairmont.com/laurier/), starting at $189/night plus applicable taxes.

Other options, both approximately a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Chateau Laurier, are the Novotel Ottawa Hotel (http://www.novotelottawa.com/) and the Lord Elgin (http://www.lordelginhotel.ca) both with rates starting at $129/night. To ensure you receive the group rate offered at the Chateau Laurier, please ensure to use the link that will be sent to you with your registration confirmation.

Current passports with or without visas (depending on your nationality) are required. Visit the www.cic.gc.ca or call 1-888-242-2100 for up to date information on Visa requirements. Note: Visas may be required when traveling through the United States to Canada.

Weather in Ottawa at the end of November is best characterized as a transition period from the pleasant Fall days to the rigorous winter conditions of Eastern Ontario. This period of the year in Ottawa is usually accompanied by grey skies and wet conditions, sunny days are not infrequent, but are not the norm.

For an idea of the possible range of conditions, last year on Nov 26th, the mercury reached a comfortable 6C under precipitation free skies. But by the 29th, the mercury had dropped to -4C and 8 cm of snow fell.

During GEO 5, delegates should expect cool wet conditions, and possible extreme temperature between 18C to -22C. The normal high for that week is about +1C and the normal low is -6C. It is also interesting to note that during the month of November, Ottawa usually gets one day where the wind and temperature combined produces a windchill factor below -20C.

Plan for wet condition, since on one day out of two there is measurable precipitation, and more specifically, 8 days through the month we receive a measurable amount of snow accumulation.

Statistics for the last few days of November are:

The end of November may not produce the best weather condition to visit our city, but you will find that the sights, museums and history will more than make up for the potential damp and cool weather typical for November in Ottawa.

The population of Canada's Capital Region, including Metropolitan Ottawa, has recently surpassed 1,000,000. For more information see the City Web Site at www.ottawa.ca.

Ottawa's International Airport is located south of the city. Taxi and shuttle services to downtown hotels are available at the airport.

(http://www.ottawa-airport.ca/travelGuide/canadasCapital-e.php)

Regular banking hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5:00pm (some branches until 8:00pm). Many banks are open Saturdays until 2 or 3pm, and closed Sundays and holidays. Many have 24 hours instant banking machines. Trust companies and currency exchanges may be open longer, as well as on Saturdays.
The U.S. dollar has a favourable exchange rate in Canada - at the time of printing, $1.00 US = $1.35 CDN.

Electric current in Canada is 60 cycles, 110 volts. An adapter is required for an electric shaver or other personal appliances using other currents, such as the European 220 volts.