One of the great features of GreenMap.org are the RSS feeds available for most content. One particular feed that's especially useful for online mapmakers is the Maps list feed at http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/en/feeds/maps. This feed's XML content includes a special GeoRSS tag that specifies a location using latitude and longitude and looks like this:

<georss:point>40.720461 -73.987083</georss:point>

Having the GeoRSS tag included is useful because many online mapping technologies - including GoogleMaps, Yahoo Maps, and to some extent MS VirtualEarth - support the adding of GeoRss feeds as a map overlay and often this can be done with little or no custom coding. For our needs, we wanted to add a global view of GreenMap projects world-wide to the Lake Washington Watershed GreenMap, but we wanted to do this with a little "pizzazz". So we opted for the very cool 3D FreeEarth API from Poly9 that offers a limited GoogleEarth like experience, but does this without requiring any extra software downloads or installation by the site visitor. I've included their GeoRSS example below:read more »

Opted to create a handy map marker editing tool that leverages my googlemap control so that I can efficiently add locations and asscociated info to my database. Now that that's in place I can begin adding those locations in earnest. Also need to create the final UI layout and controls for my map page that the public will see and use but, now having the data in place, that will be fairly straight forward in that the data design drives the UI. Looking at mid-august for the official launch.

Stay tuned!!

Update:

I've evaluated technologies for my online greenmap, have selected googlemaps as my mapping webservice, and opted to leversage an asp.net server-side map control as the interface. also, made a first stab at creating my icons in photoshop from the GreenMap icon font collection. So now to begin building the actual website. I should have an alpha version up and running by this time next week, although likely quite a simple implementation initially.

Consistent with my watershed organizational principle and a bioregional approach, I plan to start with what I'm most familiar with and select some intial watersheds within the Lake Washington basin that are more local to me then gradually add more content - and more geography - as the project progresses and as potentially more folks might become involved from other watersheds in the basin. read more »

It's great to be onboard! I look forward to networking with other Green Mapmakers and to adding a hopefully worthy Green Map to this important initiative. I know I will enjoy the process. :) Congrats on the re-launch, Green Map, and enjoy the party! Wish I could be there, but looks like I'm on the wrong side of the continent.
:(

Cheers!