GMS uses information and communication technology (ICT) to promote sustainability and community participation in the local natural and built environment through the making and sharing of maps and mapping techniques. Through its interactive website, GMS offers a shared visual language in the form of a set of 125 icons and adaptable mapmaking tools representing different kinds of green sites and cultural resources. This language and these tools took shape, over the development of the initiative, in a collaborative, "open source" manner, as participants mentored one another and shared their experiences in an effort to guide local project leaders in the creation of environmental and cultural maps. While the language is global - mapmakers have translated the Icons into Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Indonesian, with others in progress - mapmakers are invited into a diverse online community that provides ideas for creating "regionally flavored images that fulfill local needs". Among the specific tools offered are:

• A GMS Guide
• An Experience Archive
• The bilingual Green Map Atlas (English and Japanese)
• Map Stories - "There is a strong tradition in the Green Map network of sharing our mapmaking stories - and learning from the experiences of others."

Participation and local initiative is key to what organisers describe as GMS's "direct, democratic communication, dependent on local knowledge, action and responsibility." For this reason, GMS does not present a formula or set guide for mapmaking. Each group (of varied size) determines how their Green Map will look and what its format will be; some maps are high tech and use geographic information systems (GIS), while others are low tech and hand-drawn. Organisers estimate that a first Green Map might take 6 to 10 months to complete, though some have taken years. The mapmaking team owns the Green Map they have created, which they can sell or distribute however they decide best fulfills the project's goals and local needs.

Youth participation in collaborative mapmaking is fostered through a dedicated section of the GMS website. The idea is that creating neighbourhood-scale Green Maps (with a special subset of 50 icons) might help young people sharpen their powers of observation as they learn about the community and ecology around their home or school. Narrative text, background information, photos, drawings, and poems might form part of youth Green Maps. In an effort to support environmental education, an online Activity Guide is designed to be used by young people and their teachers, in school or after school; educator resources are also offered.

Environment, Technology.

GMS is a not-for-profit organisation active since 1995. As of this writing, GMS is active in approximately 300 locations in more than 40 countries around the world.