[Acoustics] Update on Hydroacoustics Workshop

[Kevin Oberg]

Greetings!

We have received permission to host the Hydroacoustics Workshop in San 
Diego during March 2004.  The dates of the workshop have been changed to 
March 22-26, 2004 due to the lack of hotel availability in the period March 
8-12.  We have not yet been able to secure a contract with a hotel, but a 
contract is being worked on and should be completed soon.  Until the 
contract is signed, there is still a slight chance that the date could 
change, but it is unlikely.  When the contract is signed, a registration 
page will be created and an announcement will be made.

Other updates regarding the meeting:

1.  Although we have received some suggestions for items to be included in 
the agenda, we have not received many.  If you have a talk that you would 
like to give or you can suggest someone else, please do so.  The attached 
agenda is unchanged from the previous announcements.  However, the 
Hydroacoustics Work Group has concluded that it is very likely that we will 
have to have concurrent technical sessions.

2.  There will be a small registration fee (<$200) to help offset the cost 
of the conference.  This fee will be collected through the USGS standard 
voucher (SV) process in FY04. More information will be provided in 
subsequent announcements.

3.  In addition to and separate from the conference registration fee, each 
attendee is required to contribute a small fee ($35 or less) to help cover 
"hospitality" expenses.  More information will be provided when we announce 
that people can register.

4.  Any suggestions you have for this meeting to make it effective will be 
greatly appreciated.  Send your suggestions to hawg at simon.er.usgs.gov.

For your information, the original announcement for the workshop is 
provided below.  Thanks,



Kevin Oberg


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Users of Hydroacoustic Instruments and other interested parties:

The USGS, Office of Surface Water (OSW) is planning to hold a 
Hydroacoustics Workshop, March 8-12, 2004.  The purpose of this email is to 
inform you of the meeting plans and to begin to solicit your input on the 
meeting so that it will be more effective in meeting your needs.

The primary goal of this workshop is to share information on recent 
developments in acoustics as it relates to measurement of velocity, 
streamflow, estimation of sediment concentrations, bathymetry and other 
topics.  The workshop is designed to provide an opportunity for learning 
about recent developments in hydroacoustics and to learn about successful 
tools and techniques employed by others.  This workshop is being planned 
and coordinated by the USGS Hydroacoustics Workgroup.  We are interested in 
participation for a wide variety of users, including hydroacoustics users 
in the Water, Biology, and Geologic Disciplines of the USGS, other Federal 
agencies, State and local agencies, and hydroacoustics users from 
international agencies.

We have requested permission to hold the meeting in San Diego, CA.  We 
believe San Diego, CA is a strategic location for the meeting in that it 
will facilitate valuable exchange between workshop attendees and the 
technical experts at the companies who manufacturer hydroacoustic 
instrumentation.  In addition, attendees will have opportunities for hands 
on evaluation of some of the equipment in nearby bodies of water.

Until we receive permission from USGS and the Department of Interior, we 
cannot be sure of the location for the meeting.  We are also beginning the 
process for finding a suitable hotel to host the meeting.  When we have 
secured permission to hold the meeting and have identified a hotel, we will 
make a formal announcement which will include information on how to (1) 
register for the workshop and (2) submit proposed talks for the 
workshop.  In order to obtain approval for the meeting, we had to draft a 
proposed agenda, which is attached for your information.  Please keep in 
mind that this agenda is subject to extensive change.  It is likely that we 
will need to arrange some concurrent sessions.

We would like to have your ideas and suggestions on content, format, and 
organization for the workshop and for each of the technical sessions.  We 
intend to have a few keynote presentations and to include some formal short 
courses into the agenda.  Other than that, the agenda for the meeting is 
wide-open.  Please send your thoughts and ideas for technical sessions and 
other activities to the Hydroacoustics Work Group 
(<mailto:hawg at simon.er.usgs.gov>hawg at simon.er.usgs.gov). We'll collect them 
and consider them in order to be responsive to your interests and needs as 
we put together the details of the meeting agenda.

Remember that while technical sessions are a focal point of the meeting, 
they are not the only content. We would like to arrange for a poster 
session, vendor exhibition and listening sessions, and meetings of regional 
hydroacoustics/data committees.

If you have any questions about the meeting, feel free to contact me.

Regards,


Kevin Oberg


Kevin Oberg
USGS - Office of Surface Water
Voice:	217.344.0037 extension 3004
Cell:	217.778.3235
http://hydroacoustics.usgs.gov/