This really helped me for my school report. 🙂

Amerigo Vespucci : amazing pioneering cartographer!! Celebrate America’s history and let’s celebrate the pioneering spirit!

Who Named America? This question is the gift of a learning tool that opens local window to worldwide learning. August 23 commemorates 500th Vespucci anniversary for the astronomer’s achievement: the milestone of the mathematical calculation that is the cornerstone of planetary science.

The importance of Amerigo Vespucci as an explorer is recognized by the naming of two continents after him. However, equally important is that he knew he had discovered a New World, based on well founded deductions on the circumference of the earth. By computing a near exact measurement of longitude he revolutionized cosmography, and bridged through knowledge the Old and New Continents.

He was a true Renaissance man, with broad multi-disciplinary education, ready to use his intellect and scientific methods to question accepted notions of geography.

Location affects nearly everything we do in life: we choose where to build homes, where to eat, where the nearest hospital is in case of emergency. Companies analyse risks and assign insurance rates, make loans and investments, and build regional offices according to location decisions. Many of these decisions are complicated by society’s increasing desire for mobility while maintaining instant access to information.

At the global scale, location is also at the heart of some of the world’s most pressing problems: immigration, poverty and starvation, environmental degradation, crime and security, natural hazards and disasters. Geographic Information Science provides formal tools and methods to represent and analyze these important problems in a controlled (scientifically repeatable) manner. It is therefore critical to the development of the Knowledge Economy and a just Information Society.

It’s time! Champion this unique opportunity to fix our nation’s tragedy of common ignorance in geography. Celebrate America! Open local window to worlrdwide learning. Share with millions of people around the world the commemoration of America500 Birthday Extravaganza 2007-12: Bring Home The Spirit of History and Creativity in your town.

Join me in the Spirit of Amerigo to energize the thirst for worldwide learning. Help to launch the monumental 21st Century Renassaince – starting in your local community – to again expand humanity’s knowledge of geograpphy for the future.