Hi Geni
I've some experience with image maps. The ones you describe are a more recent example and a powerful device. This actually shows articles inside a GLAM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:The_Tribuna_of_the_Uffizi and is based on older technology - it barely works with hi res pictures, I did this following an interest in one of the figures and Mr Zoffany the artist. Can't say I have had much feedback on it. An earlier example is used by Wikipedia as an example in their Image map examplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_map .
One approach I would like to commend to you is the map used in the Hoxne Hoard articlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxne_Hoard#Historical_spread_and_minting. This one shows the example of where the hoard coins came from. The reason why I choose this is because this can use geo codes. Yes I know that geo codes are not that accurate ... but I suspect they are going to be. Europe can not be alone in launching new satellites. It must be only a matter of time before we have sub-metre accuracy. (expert view welcomed). Assuming this is the case then I feel we should build our infrastructure based on a more accurate geocode system. We can do that without the satellites if we assume they will use the existing nomenclature.
The Hoxne Hoard map can be used with accurate geocoding as the scaling factor. When the better technology arrives then maps of this type will still work.
Just a view Roger
On 25 February 2011 23:05, geni geniice@gmail.com wrote:
We've seen how QR code lets you move from a physical object to wikipedia but there is also the issue of going the other way. At the moment our museum articles can list a few leading exhibits and that's it. They also find it hard to explain where in a museum an item is.
Both issues can be addressed by using maps. The problem is our current mapping methods based on GPS coordinates are to inaccurate for any museum exhibit much smaller than HMS alliance and don't cope very well if an article talks about an item in more than one museum.
So we need highly detailed maps and a way to place items in them. The problem is that we are going beyond the detail level of open street maps. Still they are good enough for an example of what I mean:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Geni/map
We clearly need better maps. We could with enough effort draw them ourselves but there is another possibility. At the GLAM-wiki event at the british museum it was mentioned that one of the reasons that museums were trying to do stuff with their metadate was that it was one of the few things that they hadn't already got tided up in rights agreements. Might this also not apply to maps?
The method used for the demo is fairly clumsy but is fairly widely used ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Labelled_image_map_templates ) and has the advantage of needing no new mediawiki code.
The maps won't work too well as part of an article in most cases which is another issue but we could ask for a new namespace and use a subpage of the talk page for the time being.
-- geni
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