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Invitation for a meeting - Training School of Action
Rotterdam meeting on database integration for COBRA: 8-9 November 2010
WG I meeting
Location: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Time: both days from 8.30 till 18.00
Local Organiser
Assoc. Prof. dr. Sandra van Thiel
Associate Professor Public Administration
Erasmus University Rotterdam
P.O.Box 1738, room M8-42 - 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: 0031 (0)10/408.21.40 - Fax: 0031 (0)10/408.90.99
email: vanthiel@fsw.eur.nl
homepage: http://www.eur.nl/fsw/staff/homepages/vanthiel/
Objectives and agenda of meeting
Objective:
- To discuss all issues concerning integration of country data sets into the joint COBRA database in order to have the joint database completely ready by December 2010 (variables, values, recodings…)
- To discuss the upgraded version of the COBRA survey (version 3.0)
- To discuss appropriate indexes and statistical techniques to use
- To discuss strategies to exploit and analyse the joint database as much as possible in a joint effort – coordination of the analyses and collaborations
This meeting is only open for representatives of all research teams of COST-countries and non-European countries (like Hong Kong, Australia, Tanzania, Pakistan…) which have conducted the COBRA survey already or which have done preparatory work in order to conduct the survey in the next two years.
Each of these teams is kindly asked to send one person to this meeting.
Participants should be in principle present during the two full days (so it is best to arrive on Sunday 7 November and leave only late Tuesday 9 Nov. in the evening or Wednessday morning 10 Nov).
in preparation of the Rotterdam meeting: all participants to that meeting are asked:
- to recode their country data based on the amended codebook that will be sent by Koen Verhoest within two weeks after the Toulouse meeting at the latest (by 27 September). This recoding should be done in an SPSS data-file. That file should be sent to Koen and Sandra before the Rotterdam meeting or at least the participant should bring this file to the Rotterdam meeting.
- to send an English version of their complete COBRA survey (including level I questions and all other questions) as it was used in their country by 1 October at the latest by sending an email to koen.verhoest@soc.kuleuven.be and to inge.vermeulen@soc.kuleuven.be)
Preliminary list of participants
COST Members
Invited Experts (please mention also email and country they are coming from )
Practical information
Venue
The seminar will take place at the Woudestein campus of the Erasmus University. The official address is: Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam.
The meeting will be held in the T-building, 4th floor, room T4-92 (behind the cafeteria)
You can find a map of the campus at
http://www.eur.nl/english/addresses/guide/maps/map_woudestein/
Large parts of the campus offer wireless Internet (for account holders only). We will make sure that there will be opportunities to check your e-mail and so on.
The university campus can be reached by taxi or public transportation (see also below):
- metro: from the metro station Kralingse Zoom it is a 5-10 minutes walk to the campus
- tram: line 21 with destination De Esch or line 7 with destination Burgemeester Oudlaan/Woudestein both stop at Woudestein. Then it is just a few minutes walk to the T-building
Local host
Sandra van Thiel
Public Administration, room M8-42 (M-building, 8th floor)
Tel. +31.10.4082140 (during 8-9 november also mobile: +31.6.4088820)
Airport
The national airport (Schiphol) is near Amsterdam. You can take the train from the airport directly to Rotterdam. See also below on train services.
There is also a small airport at Rotterdam (Zestienhoven). This is located outside the city, so you need to take a taxi or bus to get into the city if you arrive here.
For more information about the bus service see: http://www.rotterdam-airport.nl/en/Homepage/Bereikbaarheid_en_parkeren/Met_het_openbaar_vervoer
For the bus service you can buy a ticket with the driver (see also below).
Travelling
The train service between Amsterdam (airport) and Rotterdam (centre) is frequent. Be aware that you need to buy a ticket before you get onto the train. You can buy a ticket at one of the yellow vending machines, but not with a credit card. Use coins. Or buy an e-ticket through the NS website in advance. See http://www.ns.nl/cs/Satellite/travellers
A second class train ticket from the airport to Rotterdam in the standard NS trains costs 10.70 euro. If you buy a ticket at the ticket window, you are charged an extra 0.50 euro.
You can also use the Fyra service which is 20 minutes faster but also 8.50 euro more expensive. Moreover, you need to buy Fyra tickets in advance (reserved seats).
Taxis are quite expensive in the Netherlands and while there is an official policy that you can negotiate about the price, most taxi drivers don’t.
To use the public transportation in Rotterdam (metro, tram, bus) you need a so-called OV chip card. There are disposable cards, that you can buy in one of the vending machines (at metro stations and the sales & information offices of the transportation companies). The card is free of charge; you pay only for the credit that you want to be assigned to the card.
Alternatively, you can buy a chip card at the vending machine. This card allows you to travel anywhere within 1 or 2 hours (also available with the employees of the transportation company, but only on the bus/tram not in the metro).
Don’t forget that you have to check in when you enter the metro station, bus or tram, and that you have to check out again when you leave. If you don’t check out, you will end up paying 4 euro for your journey or your 1-2 hour card will become invalid.
For more information see http://www.ret.nl/service-en-verkoop/travel-passes-and-tickets/ov-chipkaarten.aspx
Hotels
There are many hotels in Rotterdam. Please make your own arrangements. We have selected a few options, based on distance and pricing.
The hotel closest to the University is the Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark (next to campus, 5 minutes walking distance, but difficult to reach by public transportation – 10 minutes walking from metro station Kralingse Zoom)
Address: K.P. Van der Mandelelaan 150, Rotterdam. Tel. +31.10.2532532 - (www.accorhotels.com)
Rates per single room start at 92 euro per night (breakfast included, but only if you book online)
Other possible hotels are (look for discounts on www.hotels.nl):
- Hotel van Walsum, situated in the town centre near the museum district: www.hotelvanwalsum.nl
Address: Mathenesserlaan 199-201, Rotterdam. Tel. +31.10.4363275
Single room rates start at 90 euro per night (including breakfast)
- Hotel Emma, a small family hotel in the town centre: www.hotelemma.nl
Address: Nieuwe Binnenweg 6, Rotterdam. Tel. +31.10.4365533
- H2otel Rotterdam, floating hotel in walking distance of the town centre: www.h2otel.nl
Address: Wijnhaven 20a, Rotterdam. Tel. +31.10.4445690
Single room rates start at 85 euro per nigh (breakfast not included)
- Maritime hotel, next to the river Maas and easy to reach by tram/metro: www.maritimehotel.nl
Address: Willemskade 13, 3016 DK Rotterdam. Tel: +31.10.4119260
Single room rates start at 69 euro per night (including breakfast)
Practicalities
Money: euro
Most hotels and restaurants will accept credit cards, but other stores and facilities (like supermarkets and the machines to buy train tickets) do not. Make sure that you have enough cash money for such purposes.
Language: most Dutch people speak English
Shops, museums and restaurants
Most shops in Rotterdam are open on Tuesday-Saturday from 9 tot 18 o’clock, Sunday and Monday 13-18 o’clock. Outside of Rotterdam opening hours shops are usually closed on Sundays.
Many restaurants and almost all museums are closed on Mondays.
Eating, drinking and smoking
- Dutch tap water is safe, so you can drink it without problems.
- If you have special dietary needs, please let us know (and also the hotel where you are staying).
- All public buildings, hotels and restaurants adhere to the national non-smoking policy.
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