Georg von Neumayer

Georg Balthazar von Neumayer was a German polar explorer and scientist who was a proponent of the idea of international cooperation for meteorology and scientific observation. He served as a hydrographer for the German Empire and was a founder of the Wilhelmshaven Observatory and the German Maritime Observatory which he directed from 1875. He was involved in establishing telegraphic networks for the sharing of meteorological data as well as promoting observatories in the Antarctic and Australia. Along with Carl Weyprecht, he was a founder of the International Polar Commission in 1879. In 1900, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown with the associated title of Ritter von Neumayer.