Wikidata (wikidata.org) is an free open database that anyone can edit. One of the Wikimedia Foundation's projects, it is increasingly acting as the backbone for Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, generating infoboxes and lists. It can also act as a clearing house, linking up the same place, thing, or person in lots of other institutional databases, so a single Wikidata object – say the kākāpōSirocco (Q7530532) – could be linked to its DOC database ID, but also to a Commons photograph, a news story, or a wildlife documentary.
This free workshop is an introduction to Wikidata, using Wellington's historic buildings as a dataset. We'll learn how to:
This workshop is free and open to all. You don't need to be an experienced Wikipedia editor to take part. Anyone interested in Wikidata (or in historic buildings) is encouraged to attend.
If you're coming, try to create a Wikipedia accountbeforehand: don't wait until the day to do it! Here's a form you can use if you like. Creating an account makes editing much easier (here's more info on why you should). You'll need to pick a "handle" for your username; you could use your real name, but it's nice to have the option to be a bit anonymous if you want. Your Wikipedia login will work for Wikidata as well. Here's some advice on picking a username.
If you add photos to Commons so they can be used in Wikidata, they'll need to be free of any copyright or released under a Creative Commons license that lets anyone use them. If you're not familiar with Creative Commons, see Useful Links below. If you've taken photos of Wellington buildings and are happy to donate them, great! Bring them along. If you know of anyone who has good photos, approach them and ask them if they'd like their work to be seen and used by people all over the world (with them credited, of course).
A sample Wikidata item would be Inverlochy House (Q6060143). Note what's missing in the Wikidata statement: other names, architect, commissioned by, named after, architectural style, Commons category, owned by (with start and end dates), other databases, occupant, use, floors, height, located on street (number), postal code. Check out some more-famous buildings for other ideas for properties.
Ambrosia10 explaining the intricacies of WikidataLook, see there? Click that one.
How do we find the Google Maps CID number from a Google Maps search?
How do we see all the different possible values for the property architectural styles (P149)? Ideally ranked by how often they're used.
Useful preference settings: Preferences > Gadgets > Drag'n'drop (lets you drag references from one property to another) and CurrentDate (autofills today's date into field)
The tool Wiki Shoot Me (use this link, not the one that sometimes comes up first on a Google search). You can see which Wikipedia pages and Wikidata items near you don't have photos. If you have a smartphone, it will even show your location as you walk around, and you can upload photos to Wikidata directly from your phone camera – a fun holiday activity!
Shooting directly from the phone sometimes doesn't work: safer to photograph it normally, edit the photo, and add it from your camera roll.
Double-check the locations of things in Wiki Shoot Me using a map, like NZ Topo Maps – sometimes the location coordinates are way off.
To find the coordinates for a building in Wikidata, look for its street address in Google Maps and find the relevant two numbers after the @ symbol in the URL; copy them together and paste them directly into the Coordinates field.
Ambrosia10 working with Twokatz on NZ heritage list in mix'n'match creating new items for those not in Wikidata.
ChristoLip working on creating new items in Wikidata for buildings and companies associated with trade union printing and publishing history in Wellington, New Zealand.
Giantflightlessbirds helped Einebillion with HNZ listings, then worked on Mix'n'Match with the NZ Birds Online dataset
AKoning-Thornton located all existing NZHPT Wikidata buildings in Wellington (60), updated geo co-ordinates, Heritage listing (and start date qualifier), Heritage list number and added in WCC Heritage Inventory reference with Admin Details where missing.
