Nick Jenkins wrote:
Just thinking out loud here, but are we using our photographs in Commons to maximum advantage?
User:Para has also created something that works with Google Earth, which I haven't yet tried out: http://tools.wikimedia.de/~para/GeoCommons/
People, take a look at the screenshot at http://tools.wikimedia.de/~para/GeoCommons/GeoCommons.jpg to see what's available right now.
That is very cool. It's very close to what I was imagining as the best-case scenario.
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My two "... and a pony" blue-sky wishlist items would be:
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All these technologies have their limitations: Google Maps doesn't support dynamic retrieval of data, Google Earth doesn't support client side programming or real user interaction with the server, and MediaWiki doesn't support easy contributions by proxy. Someone on [[Commons:Geocoding]] suggested using Google's new "mapplets", which might help with some items on the wish list. Same goes for Google Earth COM API. Google Maps sort of reads KML and showing the images there works already*, though only partially. It needs work, but for the reasons mentioned above I haven't started. Also as the WikiMiniAtlas is already embedded on Commons, I'm sure it can and will be developed in such a way that it'll interest more people in geocoding their images.
For tagging images there's a number of tools listed on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Obtaining_geographic_coordinates, and with a quick look at least http://perso.orange.fr/universimmedia/geo/loc.htm and http://www.giswiki.org/hjl_get_CoorE.htm work through Google Maps. Nick's version looks more attractive for some reason though, I'm not sure why. Maybe I've grown a liking to the Commons logo.
The suggestions are good and having all that in one place would be great, but as far as I can see, it's not doable today.