Wikidata April 2020

wikidata@lists.wikimedia.org

50 participants
41 discussions

Blank node deprecation in WDQS & Wikibase RDF model
by David Causse 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

Hi, This message is relevant for people writing SPARQL queries and using the Wikidata Query Service: As part of the work of redesigning the WDQS updater[0] we identified that blank nodes[1] are problematic[2] and we plan to deprecate their usage in the wikibase RDF model[3]. To ease the deprecation process we are introducing the new function wikibase:isSomeValue() that can be used in place of isBlank() when it was used to filter SomeValue[4]. What does this mean for you: nothing will change for now, we are only interested to know if you encounter any issues with the wikibase:isSomeValue() function when used as a replacement of the isBlank() function. More importantly, if you used the isBlank() function for other purposes than identifying SomeValue (unknown values in the UI), please let us know as soon as possible. The current plan is as follow: 1. Introduce a new wikibase:isSomeValue() function We are at this step. You can already use wikibase:isSomeValue() in the Query Service. Here’s an example query (Humans whose gender we know we don't know): SELECT ?human WHERE { ?human wdt:P21 ?gender FILTER wikibase:isSomeValue(?gender) . } You can also search the wikis[8] to find all the pages where the function isBlank is referenced in a SPARQL query. 2. Generate stable labels for blank nodes in the wikibase RDF output Instead of "autogenerated" blank node labels wikidata will now provide a stable label for blank nodes. In other words the wikibase triples using blank nodes such as: s:Q2-6657d0b5-4aa4-b465-12ed-d1b8a04ef658 ps:P576 _:genid2 ; will become s:Q2-6657d0b5-4aa4-b465-12ed-d1b8a04ef658 ps:P576 _:1668ace9a6860f7b32569c45fe5a5c0d ; This is not a breaking change. 3. [BREAKING CHANGE] Convert blank nodes to IRIs in the WDQS updater At this point some WDQS servers will start returning IRIs such as http://www.wikidata.org/somevalue/1668ace9a6860f7b32569c45fe5a5c0d (the exact form of the IRI is still under discussion) instead of blank node literals like t1514691780 auto-generated by blazegraph. Queries still using isBlank() will stop functioning. Tools explicitly relying on the presence of blank nodes (t1514691780) in the query results will also be affected. We don’t have a defined date for this change yet, but we will follow the Wikidata breaking change process (announcing the change 4 weeks in advance). 4. [BREAKING CHANGE] Change the RDF model and remove blank nodes completely from the RDF dumps Instead of doing the conversion and blank node removal in the WDQS updater we will do it at RDF generation. This is a breaking change of the somevalue section of the RDF model[5] and the no value owl constraint for properties[6]. We don’t have a defined date for this change yet, but we will follow the Wikidata breaking change process (announcing the change 4 weeks in advance). If you encounter issues using wikibase:isSomeValue() or if you have questions about the process, feel free to write a comment on the Phabricator ticket[3] or the Contact the development team (query service and search) wiki page[7]. Thanks! -- David Causse 0: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T244590 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_node 2: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T244341#5889997 3: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T244341 4: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/DataModel#PropertySomeValueSnak 5: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/Indexing/RDF_Dump_Format#Somevalue 6: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikibase/Indexing/RDF_Dump_Format#Novalue 7: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Contact_the_development_team/Query_S… 8: https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=all%3Ainsource%3A%2FisBlank+%2A…

1 0

Freebase Sets (based on Google Sets)
by Thad Guidry 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

I recently asked <https://twitter.com/thadguidry/status/1247635376094707712> an old Freebase colleague @narphorium to graciously spend some time to write up what was once a very cool Freebase app that many of us used in Freebase to see overlap of Freebase Properties (like WD statements) between 1-5 Freebase Topics (like WD Items) that then ran a query to find other Topics that matched that overlapping set. I thought that sharing this knowledge would allow others to get inspired and learn and possibly build a similar shape tool for Wikidata; if not already existing. It is just a small README.md in the repo below. Freebase Sets https://github.com/narphorium/freebase-sets Thad https://www.linkedin.com/in/thadguidry/

2 3

Wikidata-powered COVID19 Dashboard
by Fariz Darari 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

Hello all, COVID19 Dashboard (https://sites.google.com/view/covid19-dashboard/), a one-stop information/visualization service for COVID19-related topics, is out now! The dashboard data is pulled from Wikidata, and displays COVID19's: - Factbox - Map - Cases - Deaths - Victims - Symptoms - Possible Treatments - Health Specialties - Taxonomy - Images - Publications Take a look: https://sites.google.com/view/covid19-dashboard/ Feedback is welcome, thanks! Regards, Fariz

12 14

Help smaller wiki communities grow their technical capacity!
by Srishti Sethi 13 Apr '20

13 Apr '20

Hello all, Small Wiki Toolkits (SWT) is an initiative to support small wiki communities by sharing and developing technical skills needed to support, maintain, and grow a language wiki. You can learn more about it here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Small_wiki_toolkits As a next step for this initiative, we would like to share with you some ideas on how you can be a part of this: - Contribute to a Starter kit <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T242545> by proposing or helping develop and write recommendations for technical topics in simple English. - Develop toolkits using the recommendations <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Small_wiki_toolkits#Develop_toolkits> on the SWT page. You can see existing toolkits in the Category:Small_wiki_toolkits <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Small_wiki_toolkits> on Wikimedia Commons. - Learn technical topics using the resources <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Small_wiki_toolkits#Toolkits> on the SWT page and apply the skills gained to provide technical support to a small wiki community. - Translate resources such as the SWT page itself and tutorials on technical topics linked from it. - Provide technical support <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Small_wiki_toolkits#Ask_your_technical_ques…> on the support desk on mediawiki.org, mailing lists, etc. - Organize a technical workshop or a session to help a small wiki community. If you want to help with any of the above or there is anything else you would like to share around building local capacity in a small wiki, please start a discussion on the talk page <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Small_wiki_toolkits> and/or add your name to the list of interested members <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Small_wiki_toolkits#Members_list>. Cheers, The Small Wiki Toolkits Initiative *Srishti Sethi* Developer Advocate Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>

1 0

propographical data and insert performance
by Dr. Jesper Zedlitz 12 Apr '20

12 Apr '20

Hopefully this is the right mailing list for my topic. The German Verein für Computergenealogie is the largest genealogical society in Germany with more than 3,700 members. We are currently considering whether Wikibase is a suitable system for us. Most interesting is the use for our *propographical data*. Prosopographical data can be divided into three classes: a) well-known and well-studied personalities, typically authors b) lesser-known but well-studied personalities that can be clearly and easily identified in historical sources c) persons whose identifiability in various sources (such as church records, civil record, city directory) has to be established using (mostly manual) record linkage Data from (a) can be found in the GND of the German National Libarary. For data from class (b) systems such as FactGrid exists. The Verein für Computergenealogie mostly works with data from class (c). We have a huge amount of that kind of data, more than 40 million records. Currently it is stored in several MySQL and MongoDB databases. This leads me to the crucial question: Is the performance of Wikibase sufficient for such an amount of data? One record for a person will typically result in maybe ten statements in Wikibase. Using QuickStatements or the WDI library I have not been able to insert more than two or three statements per second. It would take month to import the data. Another question is whether the edit history of the entries can be preserved. For some data set the edit history goes back to 2004. I hope someone can give me hints on these questions. Best wishes Jesper

2 1

CheckUser Candidacy
by ZI Jony 12 Apr '20

12 Apr '20

Dear All, As required by the policy, here is a notification of Romaine candidacy for CheckUser. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Requests_for_permissions/CheckUser/R… Regards, ZI Jony

1 0

Notice for RfCU
by Sotiale Wiki 12 Apr '20

12 Apr '20

Hello, This is a notice directed in accordance with the relevant policy for requesting CheckUser: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Requests_for_permissions/CheckUser/S… I hope you stay safe. Thank you. PS. (Email was sent twice because of an error. Sorry.) Best regards, Sotiale 본 이메일은 Avast로 보호되는 안전한 컴퓨터에서 발송되었습니다. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

1 0

CheckUser Candidacy
by Jasper Deng 12 Apr '20

12 Apr '20

Hello all, As required by the policy, here is a notification of my candidacy for CheckUser. You can find the candidacy and comment here: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Requests_for_permissions/CheckUser/J… Best, Jasper

1 0

CheckUser Candidacy
by Jasper Deng 12 Apr '20

12 Apr '20

1 0

Working with time-series data (for COVID)
by Samuel Klein 11 Apr '20

11 Apr '20

There are many highly used templates on WP with time-series data about COVID spread: cases, tests, health outcomes, by region + per day. Each cell has a source and some context (caveats, multiple slightly conflicting or time-offset sources, commentary about that data point), and would benefit from being explicitly versioned in Wikidata. What's the right way to capture this in Wikidata - currently, and in the future? EN Wikipedia tends to have one footnote about sourcing per geography, with occasional footnotes about how some of those sources have changed over time. I don't know of any of these templates that are drawing from Wikidata. SJ

2 3

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Wikidata April 2020