As the Lunar New Year gets underway, and as the US pivots and reprioritizes addressing the climate threat, we send you a message of hope. Our hearts go out to all suffering from this season’s pandemic destabilization and climate shocks. Let’s make 2021 our year to support the deep greening and healthfulness of our communities, workplaces and schools.
For us, in 2021, we intend to reach new audiences with our new tools. So in addition to inviting you to a demo-discussion this coming Saturday (see below), we are pleased to say we have a fresh Green Map Wikipedia article to help us meet that goal!
Our thanks to Paul Mackay, who also introduced us to Wikidata, and offered to help us link our icons to this platform. This database of structured data supports Wikipedia and related open forums like WikiCommons to reuse data in a readily processed form. While it’s new to us, it is exciting that we can share our co-designed icons with that global, diverse community. While Wikidata is in its early days, Paul (a Transition Town activist and software developer from London) hopes eventually to make a kind of reverse Green Map, based on places defined by our icons and suggested by Wikidata users.
Some of the biggest barriers to making and sharing Green Maps are overcome by OGM2, our mapping platform in development. As described here on our website, Open Green Map 2 is amazingly flexible - check out the features and find the link to our public demonstrations. Join us this Saturday with the GIS Collective and Mary Hunt of the FEEDJeffco Green Map. Following this one hour workshop, the recording will be added to GreenMap.org/stories/ogm2, too.
OGM2 Demo and Discussion -
Saturday Feb 20 at 11 ET / 5 PM in Berlin - (in your zone)
If you are new to using this mapping platform, come on time - the first 20 minutes will walk through the process of setting a new map, adding sites, the basics. Then from Washington State, Mary Hunt will share some of her experience making this local food map. She will be followed by the GIS Collective presenting new features. Then, it's time for questions and suggestions to round out the hour.
Our thanks and best wishes to all! Stay healthy and let us know any time if you want to strategize about using Green Map's resources to help your community thrive!
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