Place-centric

Place Centric Notes

Discussion took page at the Citation Needed space. The Topic was applying geo tags to Wikipedia articles and discussing good examples of their use (which we might want to imulate).


 * Geo tags could be useful in Wikipedia articles and on the internet in general.
 * -Geo location is the future of the internet.
 * -Geo tagging has been used in the aftermath of natural disasters and has other important uses.


 * Cell phones and other mobile devices are able to report a user's GPS coordinates.
 * -Someone browsing Wikipedia on a cell phone should be able to find Wikipedia articles tagged with geo-coordinates near them.
 * -There are privacy issues concerning publicizing people's addresses.
 * -There should be a way to filter out articles on biographies and businesses.


 * These is the possibility of commercializing geo tagging and it is important for wikipedia/wikimedia to stand up for and develop non-commercial interests and applications.


 * (got a little off topic here)There is a lot of misinformation in the media.
 * -Wikipedia is an alternative to media outlets that often mix truth with spin.
 * -Does truth really emerge on Wikipedia or just mass consensus?
 * -Concerns were raised that the English Wikipedia overly focuses on the personal/sex lives of the subjects of biographical articles.


 * (back on topic) Geo tagging must be balanced with keeping Wikipedia articles usable.
 * -It is important to think about adding geographic coordinates to articles from the view point of the reader.
 * -Adding geo coordinates for every civil war battle to an article on the civil war would be a bad idea.
 * -Having a single set of coordinates at the top right corner of the page is acceptable.
 * -Having multiple geo coordinates is a good idea for list articles (such as a list of civil war battles).
 * -Having many different geo tags in a narrative article is a bad idea.


 * These should be a database of all geo tagged Wikipedia articles and it should be possible to search for articles by location.
 * -The French and German Wikipedias have developed this much farther than the English Wikipedia (concept originally on the German Wikipedia).
 * -The group looked at a sample page on the French Wikipedia. Clicking a set of coordinates opened a map with markers notating Wikipedia articles on subjects close to the original page.
 * -This could be improved by being able to filter which types of article are shown on the map (being able to exclude biographies and companies). On commons, searches sometimes return pictures of people for searches about locations.
 * -Article are already categorized into categories.


 * Different layers of information need to be connected by location.
 * -Information can be connected by "nearness", both by geography and by subject.
 * -A lack of money has delayed progress on this subject in wikipedia/wikimedia.


 * There is a tension between scientific information versus crowd sourced information
 * -Some scientists consider crowd sourced information to be 'dirty info'.
 * -Crowd sourcing could be potentially useful to scientists.
 * -Examples: bugguide.net, inaturalist.org, Identification groups of Flickr
 * -Bird populations have been tracked via crowd sourcing.


 * How is this applicable to Wikipedia?
 * -Coordinates could be made less intrusive by hiding by default and displaying on the mouse rollover.
 * -Geo tagging will be important in how news is reported.
 * -Other sites track crime or things that need to be fixed. Wikipedia could use maps to display related articles, such a series of connected events.
 * -Open street map is a good example of how to use geo tags.


 * Filtering by location could be a way to avoid information overload.
 * -Information can be presented in more or less direct ways. Lists are more direct while stories are less direct.
 * -A map is a way to quickly provide a lot of information. People are easily able to view the map and to focus in on what they are interested in.