Logistics

Event Timing

When do I arrive?
The dates of GOSH 2017 are from March 22-25^th, 2017, with two optional days of collaborating: March 26-27^th.
Since we expect all participants to attend all three days (this is a requirement if you are receiving travel funding), and the gathering starts at 9am on the 22nd, we recommend arriving on the 21st.

When do I leave?
You can leave any time after the 25th. You can stay for the extra two days (March 26th and 27th), which will be participant-driven. This means that we do not have set out plans for what happens during those two days, but have rooms reserved for GOSH attendees to work together on projects and partnerships that emerge at the gathering. You can stay for one or both days. It is up to you, so long as you stay for the main program from the 22nd-25th.

Travel to Santiago and Expenses

 How do I book my flight?
If you are receiving travel funding, you have been emailed the amount you are being awarded. You can book any economy flight through any means so long as the amount you request for reimbursement does not exceed that amount – but we ask that you are mindful of costs as any savings from the budget can be used to support more people. You will be reimbursed after you attend the gathering by submitting your receipt. Also keep your boarding passes. We will send out an email after GOSH 2017 detailing how and where to send this information for reimbursement.

What if I want GOSH to book the flight for me?
We will only reimburse flights, rather than book and pay for them up front. If this arrangement will prohibit you from attending the gathering, email us.

How do I get reimbursed for travel expenses?

You will be reimbursed after you attend the gathering by submitting your receipt. Also keep your boarding passes. Use this form and send to Shannon.

I got travel support from GOSH – are there limitations to what I can spend it on?

Yes – GOSH funding can be used towards:

• Return flights to Santiago, Chile from your location
• Ground transport costs to and from the airport in your starting location and Santiago
• Visa costs and travel related to visa appointments

GOSH travel funding will not cover:

• Local transport in Santiago during the meeting
• Premium tickets for any form of transport
• Onward flights to other destinations unless the combined cost is lower than a return ticket

Airfare
Last minute high priced tickets are to be avoided and all tickets supported by GOSH must be purchased at least one month in advance. All tickets should be purchased in economy class,premium/business/first class travel cannot be reimbursed. While we don’t want attendees to travel needlessly in the middle of the night or experience unneeded multiple stops, please set a target of adding no more than 10% to the cost of a ticket merely for convenience. We cannot reimburse for upgrades, baggage fees, headset rentals in flight, or food/beverages purchased during flights and layovers.

Ground transport (Taxi/Bus/Metro/Train)
When transiting within Santiago and the airport, the cheapest form of transportation should be used. Taxis should only be used if travel is required before 8am or after 10pm.

I am now able to fund some of my flight.
Great! This means some of the funding we allotted to you can be moved to other participants in need. When it comes time for reimbursement, just ask for the amount you need rather than the amount we allotted to you.

Do I have to pay for my own food?
GOSH is covering a few meals during the gathering that will occur at the venue, but other meals are the responsibility of attendees.

Venue and travel in Santiago

Logistics of arrival

At the airport, you will go through immigration and customs. Immigration (PDI), will give you a receipt. Keep this receipt, as you will need it to check in at the hostel and other accommodations.

Pesos: The airport has some currency exchange counters, including at the final exit area before you go outside (at door #4) where you can exchange currencies.  You can also use ATMS. There are ATMs at the airport at exist area #4 (right before you go outside, after you exit customs), as well as in most metro stations. To use the ATM, put in your card, then your PIN, and choose the “Foreign user” option in the lower left hand corner.

If you have forgotten your adaptor, there is an electronics store on the same block as the hostel on Merced street that sells them.

Hostel check in time is 3pm. If you arrive before then, they will keep your baggage while you explore, and their lobby has free wifi.

How do I get to the hostel from the airport?
Puneet Kishor has written up some tips on getting in to the city centre from Santiago airport in the GOSH Forum.

The hostel is called Los Andes Sociedad and the address is Monjitas 506, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile

Santiago’s airport for domestic and international flights is Arturo Merino Benítez , which is located approximately 17 kilometers northwest of downtown. Public transportation to and from the airport is either by taxi, minibus or airport bus. See more info on Tripadvisor.

Buy vouchers for all forms of transport into the city at the airport. There are kiosks throughout the exit area.

Official taxis are marked blue with official identification. The cost of a taxi to get to town is approximately 17,000 CLP (Chilean pesos); this is the most expensive way to go. Taxis can be picked up outside the airport’s terminal buildings or at several desks in the terminal where a pre-payment scheme is in operation. If the taxi takes the highway, you have to pay tolls, which more that doubles the fare. GOSH will not reimburse for tolls.

Minibuses or airport vans offer door-to-door service throughout downtown Santiago. Two major companies operate this service: TransVip and Delfos, whose representatives are stationed throughout the terminal. Tickets can be purchased inside the baggage claim area and the price is approximately 7,600 CLP. Minibuses are less expensive than taxi cabs, but they take longer since they make stops along the way.

Airport buses offer the least expensive ride. Take Tur Bus to the Bus Terminal (Metro Universidad de Santiago). Travel time is approximately 30 minutes. Buses run from 6 am until 11:30 pm. One-way ticket costs 1,700 CLP, while round trip – 3,000 CLP. It can be purchased from the driver.
At the Metro Universidad de Santiago, get a regular metro ticket and transfer to the red L1 line (Los Domínicos) 9 stops (about 12 minutes) to Baquedano. There, transfer to the green Plaza Maipú line for one stop to 
Bellas Artes. The hostel is across the street from the subway line.

*Check in time at the hostel is 3pm*

How do I get Pesos?

The airport has some currency exchange counters, including at the final exit area before you go outside (at door #4) where you can exchange currencies.

You can also use ATMS. There are ATMs at the airport at exist area #4 (right before you go outside, after you exit customs), as well as in most metro stations. To use the ATM, put in your card, then your PIN, and choose the “Foreign user” option in the lower left hand corner.

Where is the gathering?
We are being generously hosted at the Innovation Centre, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

 

How do I get from the hostel to the venue?

Take the Linea 5 (Green) metro to (see Metro map) from Bellas Artes to San Joaquin. Note that in rush hour (06:00-09:00 and 18:00-21:00) the Metro runs two trains on the same Linea 5: green and red trains, with alternate stops. During these times take the red train at Bellas Artes because the green train does not stop at San Joaquin at rush time.

The metro price list is here. Generally the price of a ticket is between 600-740CLP (or $.90-$1.12 USD)

Accommodation

Where are accommodations?


We have reserved rooms at the Andes Hostel (Spanish | English), with the following rates:

	People per room	Price per room per night USD	Price per person per night USD
Apartments	2	49.46	24.73
Apartments	3	74.19	24.73
Hostelrooms	8	148.38	18.55
Hostelrooms	6	111.28	18.55
Hostelrooms	4	74.19	18.55
Hostelrooms	2	49.46	24.73

We have essentially booked the whole hostel building, so it will be a great chance to meet your fellow GOSHers!

Private room: If you want a private room, just book a two-person apartment or hostel room.

Shared rooms: Please let the hostel know how many people you would be willing to share with and they will fit you in. If you already know people who are attending GOSH and would like to buddy up, please book as a group or indicate that you would like some room mates via the GOSH Forum.

Please book as soon as possible and by 22 February at the latest! Just email your room preferences using the address and code in the GOSH logistics email. You can pay for your accommodation in advance or at the hostel. If GOSH is supporting your accommodation we will arrange payment but you still need to make the booking.

I want a roommate!
Great! Please let the hostel know how many people you would be willing to share with and they will fit you in. If you already know people who are attending GOSH and would like to buddy up, please book as a group or indicate that you would like some room mates via the GOSH Forum.

How do I get from the hostel to the venue?

The metro price list is here. Generally the price of a ticket is between 600-740CLP (or $.90-$1.12 USD)

Visas

I need a letter of invitation to get my own funding or apply for a visa.
We are happy to provide an official letter of invitation. Email the following to organizers@openhardware.science:

• Your full name as it appears on your passport
• Your affiliation (who you work for)
• Your passport number
• Your passport’s country of issue

We do not need a copy of your passport.

If you need other information included, please indicate this in the email to us.

Important information on visa responsibilities:

• You are responsible for letting us know in good time what is required for your visas. We will endeavour to return invitation letters as quickly as possible but we have received several some very last minute requests.
• GOSH cannot cover tickets in the event that visas aren’t granted and in hand two days before your departure date – you are responsible for cancelling you flights if the visa does not arrive by this time. If you have any questions, including about cancellation fees, let us know on organizers@openhardware.science

I need a contact person in Chile.
Our local organizer in Chile is:
Fernán Federici
Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología
Facultad Ciencias Biológicas
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
http://federicilab.org
His contact information is available at the link above.

What do I do if my visa is not granted in time?

GOSH cannot cover tickets in the event that visas aren’t granted and in hand two days before your departure date – you are responsible for cancelling you flights if the visa does not arrive by this time. If you have any questions, including about cancellation fees, let us know on organizers@openhardware.science

Programme and Participants

What are the scheduled activities?
Check the schedule page for more information.
The schedule is still in development, but we do encourage people to bring their OSH projects or a poster of their project to present at a tabling event. We will also have workshops on topics and skills determined by participants. There will be some trips to local OSH venues in Santiago, and some portion of the event will be open to the public.

Who else is coming? Is anyone else from my country attending?
We will post a list of attendees on the participants page as soon as possible.

Will there be vegetarian options for food?
Yes!

What should I bring to GOSH 2017?
Anything you want! We recommend you bring a laptop for collaboration and for online forums, and we’d love it if you brought an example of the OSH work you do to share with others. You can also bring a poster or other way to present your work if bringing the OSH itself isn’t feasible. We will have a tabling event for people to show what they work on.

Wifi

Tell me about the wi-fi…

• GOSH venue: There will be a sign with the password for wi fi when you arrive.
• Hostel: Available in public areas free of charge.
• Airport: Yes.

People and Contacts

Who is organizing all of this?
Your GOSH 2017 organizers are five volunteers who work in open science hardware. We are scientists, developers, and OSH users just like you, and we have dedicated some of our time to organizing GOSH 2017.

The GOSH 2017 organizing committee:

• Jenny Molloy, University of Cambridge
• Shannon Dosemagen, Public Lab
• Max Liboiron, Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Fernán Federici Noe, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• Greg Austic, PhotosynQ

We also work with:

• Francois Grey, University of Geneva and CERN

We look forward to seeing you soon!

I need a contact person in Chile.
Our local organizer in Chile is:
Fernán Federici
Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología
Facultad Ciencias Biológicas
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
http://federicilab.org
His contact information is available at the link above.

Emergency Contacts
We will distribute an email with emergency contacts and the phone number of Fernan Fedirici (Local Organiser) and Klie Kliebert (Safety Officer) before your arrival in Santiago.

Police (carabineros): 133
Ambulance (ambulancia): 131
Fire (bomberos): 132