Hello all,
I'm currently developing a mediawiki extension to create svg maps using a simple markup language. (see also: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Map_generator#Dynamap_Mediawiki_Extension )
The key idea is to avoid double efforts by using the geospatial data already present in many wikipedia articles. Features can be drawn on the map by simply referencing the appropriate article. I.e. point: Cairo plots the location of Cairo, getting the coordinates from a {{coor d|yy|N|xx| E}} template in the Cairo article. Check my sample installation
http://www.kellnerweg.de/wiki/index.php/Dynamap_Example
I mirrored only 4 articles and added geospatial info where necessary. Have a look at the bottom of my Suez Canal article http://www.kellnerweg.de/wiki/index.php?title=Suez_Canal&action=edit (the geopoly template)
The extension produces SVG output, and everything is clickable and linked to wikipedia articles. Coastlines are taken from WDB2. Suez Canal coordinates were created using google maps. If your browser cannot display SVG a PNG version and a link to the svg are displayed instead (but you'll miss out on the interactivity).
I'd love to hear some feedback! Ciao, Daniel