Wikimedia Hackathon 2016

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Registration for this event is closed. Wikimedia Hackathon is a major event that brings together more than 150 developers from all around the world to improve the technological infrastructure of Wikipedia, particularly the MediaWiki platform on which it is based, and the Wikimedia code development. This is your opportunity to meet the Wikimedia tech community, learn about the technologies and projects that power Wikipedia and thousands of other MediaWiki based websites and propose or join a demo-able project to hack on during the event. Developers new to Wikimedia and tech-curious editors are also welcome! Just bring your laptop, ideas, and energy to contribute – we promise a great event, cool atmosphere and an inspiring venue!

Main Development Focus
Work in progress — get involved!

The main goal of the hackathon is to complete Community Wishlist projects. We are putting together a list of recommended projects right now. If your work is related to one of these tasks please add the link.

We are also looking at projects with a special local relevance – see engaging developer communities for the Wikimedia Hackathon 2016. You are welcome to add your task.

Venue
The event will be held in the Hansen House, a historical hospital transformed to a new media and exhibition space in the tranquil heart of Jerusalem. Today the Hansen House is Center for Design, Media and Technology. The center includes exhibition spaces, an animation lab, theater performance space, a projection room, studios for visiting artists and the Graduate Programs of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem.

'''Selection of venue photos. (See also Hansen Hospital on Commons):'''

Activities at and around the Hackathon
* Activities are subjected to change *

Schedule
 Thursday 2016-03-31 All day - Registration & check-in at the Hostel 12:00 - First tour (till evening, the Old City of Jerusalem, Mahane Yehuda Market and other sites) 16:00 - Second tour (shorter) 21:00 - Dinner at The Post Hostel.
 * Joining the tour requires registration in advance. Joining is not possible without prior registration.
 * Dinner is at local restaurants in Jerusalem, in groups, according to arrival time and registration.

 Friday 2016-04-01 7:00-9:00 - Breakfast 8:30 - First shuttle to Hansen House 10:00-11:30 - Opening gathering All day - Hackathon and breakout sessions 13:00-14:00 - Lunch (Resuming hackathon and breakout sessions) 18:00 - Pickup shuttles to the hostel (last shuttle leaves at midnight) 19:30 - Beer & Pizza night
 * People who could not register at the hostel earlier, will be able to register until 10:00 at Hansen House.

 Saturday 2016-04-02 7:00-9:00 - Breakfast 8:30 - First shuttle to Hansen House All day - Hackathon and breakout sessions 13:00-14:00 - Lunch (Resuming hackathon and breakout sessions) 16:00 - Small dinner (sandwiches) (Resuming hackathon and breakout sessions) 21:00 - Dinner

 Sunday 2016-04-03 7:00-9:00 - Breakfast 8:30 - First shuttle to Hansen House All day - Hackathon and breakout sessions 13:00-14:00 - Lunch (Resuming hackathon and breakout sessions) 16:00-17:00 - Closing session 17:00 - Estimated closing time

Tour A (3½ Hours)
Meeting at the Post Hostel and setting off to explore the beautiful city of Jerusalem for a tour that combines both old and new aspects of the city. Our tour will begin with a walk through the Old City. We will enter the Old City through Jaffa Gate and walk in the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall. From there, we will go through the market to the Christian Quarter and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We will leave the Old City and walk through Mamilla Blvd. that links the ancient part Jerusalem with the vibrant city center. We will walk along Ben Shatah Street to Nachalat Shiv'a and then to the famous Mahane Yehude Market. At the market, we will explore the Iraqi and the Georgian markets, taste Mahane Yehuda’s unique foods and discover the market’s culture and its own culinary specialties.

Tour B (2 Hours)
Meeting at the Post Hostel and setting off to explore the beautiful city of Jerusalem and experience the most vibrant and lively streets of Jerusalem's city center. We will walk along the unique streets and neighborhoods(Ben Shatah Street, Nachalat Shiv'a), home to the bars and restaurants that make up the city's vibrant night life. We will explore the famous Mahane Yehude Market and visit the Iraqi and the Georgian markets, taste Mahane Yehuda’s unique foods and Discover the market’s individual culture and its own culinary specialties.

Please register for one of the tours using this Google Docs form: 

General tourism information
More information in and around Jerusalem can be found at Israel's Tourism portal and Jerusalem's official tourism website.

Register & Attend!
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

Interested technologists and hackers of all backgrounds are welcome at the hackathon. Some experience with the MediaWiki software is required. Registration and participation are free, but candidates will be chosen according to relevant experience and contribution to free knowledge and Wikimedia projects. Wikimedia Israel will hold a preparatory meeting for Israeli developers before the hackathon. Those who are not well acquainted with MediaWiki are encouraged to download and read about it here on mediawiki.org or in any other available source.

Hackathon attendees will include ( [//www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_Hackathon_2016/Attendees&action=edit + add yourself] ):

Participation
Attendance of the event itself is free (including meals and refreshments), but subject to approval. Accommodation costs are not included with registration, however if you would like to stay at the event hostel you can indicate your interest on the registration form and reimburse Wikimedia Israel for the cost.

Scholarship registration is closed, general registration is still open. Please apply here

Accommodation


Accommodation for the hackathon will be at the Post Hostel, a newly opened, stylish urban hostel, with an eclectic and contemporary blend of design, culture, people and experiences, attracting a wide range of travelers from all corners of the world. (Local media about the venue here).

The Post Hostel is located at 23 Jaffa St., a central location with lots of nearby attractions.

The rooms are shared. There are 2-10 beds in a room, depending on its size. The rooms are very spacious and each includes at least one shower and one toilet.

A bed costs ₪200 per night (approx. US$50). The organizers can cover this cost for some participants, but not all (see Participation for more information). In any event, you can reserve a bed and settle the payment through the organizers (you do not have to contact the hostel directly).

If you do not want to stay at the hostel, there are several nearby hotels that we recommend. Please make a reservation directly at the following webpages:
 * Alon Hotel
 * Jerusalem Tower Hotel
 * Shani Hotel
 * Jerusalem Inn
 * Eldan Hotel
 * Montefiore Hotel

Transportation
We have arranged for regular transport between the hostel and the hackathon venue. The organizers are making special arrangements to ensure swift and comfortable entrance through the Ben Gurion international airport. It is strongly recommended to arrive through this airport, and inform the organizers if you choose to arrive by land or through another airport. It is also recommended to inform the organziers if your flight has a connection (i.e. if it is not direct).

Air travel
Most international flights to Israel land at the Ben Gurion international airport (TLV, note that flights to this airport are listed as flights to Tel Aviv), situated about 40 km from Jerusalem. There is also an international service to Eilat's Ovda international airport (VDA) situated in southern Israel near the city of Eilat, about 300km from Jerusalem. 1) Ben Gurion international airport transfers

Jerusalem is served directly from Ben Gurion international airport. Transportation from the airport to Jerusalem is provided by the official shuttle, taxis and trains (although the using the train service to Jerusalem is currently slow and ineffective). You can exchange your currency to NIS in one of the currency exchanges or by withdrawing NIS from one of the ATMs at the airport (usually cheaper, depending on your own bank commissions). This is essential to pay for your transportation.

Nesher Shuttle

Nesher shuttles operate regularly (24/7) between the airport and Jerusalem. The shuttle is a 10-seat van that departs when full, fare is ₪64 (~US$16) per person. Exit the arrival hall at Exit 01 and follow signage to Jerusalem shuttle. The shuttle will drop you off at your address of choice in Jerusalem. You can book Nesher shuttle on your way back to the airport by phone (+972-2-6257227). Reservations should be made at least 1 day in advance during office hours (for departures on Saturday night or Sunday morning-noon you should book no later than Friday at noon, after which reservation office is closed until Sunday morning). The shuttle will pick you up from your address of choice in Jerusalem, dropping at the airport's Terminal 3. Passengers that need to get to the airport's Terminal 1 will ask the driver to stop there in the beginning of the journey.

Taxis The official taxi dispatcher is located at Exit 03 (past the train station, which currently does not have a direct line to Jerusalem). If you are a group of 4 people you can hire a private taxi to/from the airport for roughly the same price of 4 people in the shuttle.

Trains There is an Israel Railways train station to the left when leaving the arrival hall at Exit 03. To travel to Jerusalem, one must first ride a train to Tel Aviv (normally departing on platform 2) and then change platforms in Tel Aviv HaHagana (from platform 1 to platform 2, by going up, over, and down) for the train to Jerusalem. Trains to Tel Aviv are scheduled to depart from the airport during the week of the Hackathon every 30 minutes during the day (05:35-23:35) and every 60 minutes during the night. However, train service from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is somewhat limited, it runs every 60-120 minutes only between 05:51-19:51, therefore one should check the schedule according to his flight arrival time in advance (Israel Railways website). The ride to Tel Aviv (HaHagana) station is a 12-minute ride, is followed by a 34 minute layover (given you are aiming to take a planned train ride to Jerusalem, otherwise it could be much longer) and then a 1:19 ride to the final destination - Jerusalem Malha station. The latter section of that ride, from Beit Shemesh, winding up through the Judean hills to Jerusalem, is slow but scenic. The normal fare is ₪20 (~US$5) one way, or ₪32 (~US$8) for a round-trip ticket. Tickets may be purchased from automated vending machines before entering the station, through the use of Israeli currency or credit cards; a human ticket agent mans a booth for much of the day.

The overall train ride takes just over 2 hours, therefore consider preferring the shuttle (for which it takes about 40 minutes to get to the entry of Jerusalem, and then some more time for dropping off the passengers one by one) or taxi (40-50 minutes), both options will transfer you to your address of choice - while when taking the train, you still need to take a bus or a taxi from the train station in Jerusalem to your address (after making the 2 hours ride). Additionally, trains do not operate during the weekend (Friday noon-Saturday night), while the shuttle and taxis operate 24/7. 2) Ovda international airport transfer This airport is very distant from Jerusalem in comparison to Ben Gurion international airport, therefore prefer TLV if you can. Bus  Bus 282 (operated by Egged) leaves the airport to Eilat and is synchronized with the flight schedule. Fare is 25 NIS one way (42.5 NIS two-way, if you purchase the electronic public transportation card for 5 NIS at Ovda airport). Getting off at Eilat's central bus station, you need to take a bus to Jerusalem (bus 444 from platform #6). There are four rides on normal working days (07:00, 10:00, 14:15 and 17:00), the schedule is different on Sunday, Friday and Saturday (check at Egged's website). It is highly recommended to reserve your tickets in advance, it could be that all the bus seats were sold in advance. Fare is 70 NIS one way, 112 NIS two-way. More information about bus 282: Bus 282 on Egged's website. Arriving in Jerusalem's central bus station, one could take a local bus or tram to get to his destination.

Shuttle There is a shuttle service that offers transportation to your address of choice in Jerusalem for a fee of 35$ per person. See Eilat shuttle website.

Arrival to the airport before departure
You should arrive at the airport (this relates to both TLV and VDA) for check in at least 3 hours before departure, please bear this in mind when arranging your transportation from Jerusalem back to the airport.

For more information, see Ben Gurion international airport official website or Ovda international airport official website.

Travel by land
Israel has border crossings with Jordan and Egypt. If you are coming from Amman, Jordan - use King Hussein Bridge (known in Israel as "Allenby bridge") border crossing to cross into Israel. Once crossed to Israel, you can take the shuttle to Jerusalem (10-seat van, leaves when full, stops only outside of Damascus gate of the Old City of Jerusalem - from which you can take a tram) for 37 NIS. Another option is taking a taxi to Jerusalem (to your address of choice) for 120-150 NIS. Exchange to NIS at the official currency exchange in the Israeli terminal in order to pay for your transportation. Traveling from Israel to Jordan via Allenby border crossing is more difficult. Jordan requires having a visa to Jordan in advance in order to enter Jordan via this point, and does not supply visa on arrival (stamp) to any country. The only exception is if you have arrived into Israel from Jordan using this border crossing, and your Jordanian visa (probably gained at Amman airport) is still valid, you are good to go.

Organization
Have a question? Need our help? Please don't hesitate to contact us at - [mailto:hackathon2016@wikimedia.org.il hackathon2016@wikimedia.org.il] or [mailto:chen@wikimedia.org.il chen@wikimedia.org.il].

See also: tag/wikimedia-hackathon-2016-organization/.

Visas
See Visa information


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Registration

Registration is closed as of Feb 25, 2016. Any questions? Email: hackathon2016@wikimedia.org.il



Venue and accommodations
 * Venue - Hansen House (OpenStreetMap - Google Maps)
 * Accommodations - The Post Hostel



FAQ

Tasks

+ add a task  Attendees

[//www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Wikimedia_Hackathon_2016/Attendees&action=edit + add yourself]  » Thursday March 31st:
 * Arrival & Registration
 * Tours at the Old City of Jerusalem
 * Dinner at the local restaurants

» Friday April 1st:
 * Opening
 * All-day hacking
 * Lunch at the venue
 * Beer & Pizza night

» Saturday April 2nd:
 * All-day hacking
 * Lunch at the venue
 * Gala event

» Sunday April 3rd:
 * Hacking continues
 * Closing

 Contact us at

hackathon2016@wikimedia.org.il Photos and Media

Find and upload on Commons Elsewhere


 * 1) wmhack (on IRC and as a hashtag)

Sponsored by:


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