<html dir="ltr">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<style id="owaParaStyle" type="text/css">P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;}</style>
</head>
<body ocsi="0" fpstyle="1">
<div style="direction: ltr;font-family: Tahoma;color: #000000;font-size: 10pt;">Dear colleagues,<br>
<br>
I would like to thank all our colleagues at the International Cartographic Association (ICA) and its commissions for their efforts as part of the International Map Year (IMY) by highlighting the value of cartography by “mapping” the UN sustainable development
goals and providing map perspective on the sustainable development goals [1].<br>
<br>
Special thanks esp. to chair and cochair of the Commission on Open Source Geospatial Technologies, Prof. Silvana Philippi Camboim (Federal University of Paraná, Brazil) and Michael P. Finn (United States Geological Survey) as well as all members of the commission
for thier contributions to the goal to reduce inequalities within and among countries. Inequalities can have a strong geographic component and maps are a powerful tool to understand factors and plan measures to address such issues. Details at
<a href="http://icaci.org/files/developmentgoals/goal_10.pdf" target="_blank">http://icaci.org/files/developmentgoals/goal_10.pdf</a>
<br>
<br>
<b>Geo for All is committed to work towards the vision of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for building a better world for everyone.</b> Open Education is the simple and powerful idea that the world's knowledge is a public good and
that technology in general and the internet in particular provide an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to share, use, and reuse knowledge. Openness is key for true empowerment and sustainability. [2]<br>
<br>
<b>So how can you contribute to enable geospatial education opportunities to all ? Please be our GeoAmbassadors and share your expertise.</b> Everyone who is interested in enabling geospatial education opportunities to all are our GeoAmbassadors. It is not
just the thousands of Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) members but also thousands of colleagues in ICA, ISPRS, UCGIS, AGILE, GSDI, AGS who all work for Geoeducation opportunities for all who are our GeoAmbassadors. Geo for All is a world wide movement
that provides immediate benefit to the world.<br>
<br>
Share the free and open educational resources and software that are available from OSGeo Live to MapStory to Teacher Training resources (developed thanks to the contributions to thousands of volunteers) all available free and open to all at
<a href="http://www.geoforall.org/training/" target="_blank">http://www.geoforall.org/training/</a> to colleagues globally and be our GeoAmbassadors.<br>
<br>
All our GeoAmbassodors should contribute to Education, Research and Service for the betterment of humanity as the key guiding principle and work towards the vision of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for building a better world for all. Details
at <a href="http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2016/07/first-anniversary-edition-of-our-geo4all-newsletter-and-invitation-to-be-our-geoambassadors/" target="_blank">
http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2016/07/first-anniversary-edition-of-our-geo4all-newsletter-and-invitation-to-be-our-geoambassadors/</a>
<br>
<br>
We will also link the ideas from Maps and Sustainable Development Goals to our <b>
Vision 2030 for Open Geospatial Science</b> as there are also lot of synergies and will add momentum for our vision for Open Geospatial Science [3] . We aim to create openness in Geo Education for developing creative and open minds in students which is critical
for building open innovation and contributes to building up Open Knowledge for the benefit of the whole society and for our future generations.
<br>
<br>
Best wishes,<br>
<br>
Suchith<br>
<br>
Dr. Suchith Anand<br>
<a href="http://www.geoforall.org/" target="_blank">http://www.geoforall.org/</a>
<br>
<br>
Geo for All - Building and expanding Open Geospatial Science<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
[1] <a href="http://icaci.org/maps-and-sustainable-development-goals/" target="_blank">
http://icaci.org/maps-and-sustainable-development-goals/</a> <br>
[2] <a href="http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2016/07/sharing-is-caring-why-openness-is-key-for-true-empowerment-and-sustainability/" target="_blank">
http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2016/07/sharing-is-caring-why-openness-is-key-for-true-empowerment-and-sustainability/</a>
<br>
[3] <a href="http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2016/06/open-consultation-on-the-vision-2030-for-open-geospatial-science/" target="_blank">
http://opensourcegeospatial.icaci.org/2016/06/open-consultation-on-the-vision-2030-for-open-geospatial-science/</a>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<PRE>
This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee
and may contain confidential information. If you have received this
message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it.
Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this
message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the
author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nottingham.
This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an
attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your
computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email
communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as
permitted by UK legislation.
</PRE></body>
</html>