I'd like to know more about the proposal; is there a page on Meta that describes it in more detail?
Specifically, I'd like to know:
* You mention "platform". Are you proposing a new top-level wiki project that would require critical mass to succeed? * Wouldn't this be a good fit for additions to the existing data schemas in Wikidata? Even if you have specific geo-oriented functionality in mind, it seems the current way to do this would be to build out tool on WMF Labs. * Is there a free dataset mapping events/people/places to coordinates that could be used to jumpstart the initiative? * I seem to remember seeing coords as structured data on some Wikipedia articles. Are there existing efforts to join/build on?
I ask these questions in this forum, because I think that physically mapping data on Wikipedia and other projects is a great idea and could have a large and broad impact across all WMF-hosted projects. I look forward to the day that I can query our entire set of articles by what's happened, when it happened, who made it happen, and *where* it all went down.
Best. ,Wil
On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 3:39 AM, Joe Aeberhard joe_aeb@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
Hello, I just wanted to promote a project proposal that I'd really welcome any feedback on - PlaceBook Wiki - Meta
| | | | | | | | | PlaceBook Wiki - MetaCreation of a platform that would allow people to create wiki-type entries to record both historical, public narrative and personal memory and, by fixing these with GPS co-ordinates, content could be shared through the physical landscape in which it occurred. | | | | View on meta.wikimedia.org | Preview by Yahoo | | | | |
The essential idea behind my proposal is that we could open up novel and productive ways of accessing knowledge about our physical environment by allowing the wiki posts to be indexed by GPS co-ordinates, so that we build up a catalogue of information about specific places. This information could be about matters of general historical importance, but also it could be much more broad than that and provide a way for individuals to record their own personally significant events that occurred at a specific location, which would provide more of a folk history of a place too.
Through seeing what has occurred and who has lived in that location we potentially create a new way for people to engage with their environment and hopefully provide new narratives for their sense of personal and community identity.
Anyhow, it seems very likely to me that systems similar to the one I've proposed will be created in the near future, so I am hoping that an organisation like the Wiki Foundation could be involved in the beginning, so that there is a chance that a community based, not-for-profit ethos could get a strong foothold and prevent what could be a very valuable resource being controlled solely by commercial imperatives.
Any feedback on this would be great, as I would like to hear your views, both critical and supportive. Joe
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