Wikidata:WP EMEW/Map uploads

Map uploads

Discuss

Progress

Data modelling

SDC and IIIF

Horizon

More maps

Issues

1576 Saxton map of Essex

Sub-project for Map uploads to Commons and IIIF. Part of Wikidata:WikiProject Early Modern England and Wales.

Overview

In March 2021 WikiProject EMEW's partners, the Viae Regiae (Q105547906) project, will start a major drive to transcribe and identify all the places and placenames on several series of 16th and 17th century maps, like the 1576 Saxton map of Essex to the right. (They will actually be using a higher-resolution copy, which we will be uploading).

As can be seen from the map, the number of places on it is very large; the process may generate of the order of 1000 located places per map, which we will be recording as Structured Data statements on Commons.

The Viae Regiae project will also be releasing the data captured from each map in the form of an IIIF map description manifest. A subsidiary goal of this WikiProject will be to see how closely it is possible to produce a similar manifest, from the data that will be stored on Commons. This may require some investigation of the most appropriate data modelling to store the information in SDC statements and/or the Commons Data: namespace.

Timing

• Sun 7 March -- start of map transcription
• + 1 month -- data from first fully-transcribed maps expected

Immediate goal

• To get the entire Wikidata:WP EMEW set of project pages into good shape before, ideally well before, 7 March

Soon-ish tasks

• Improve c:Template:Map so it can read metadata from Wikidata item for map. (Tl already converted to Lua)
• Make sure WD items for the maps in question are in good shape. (Paula has already made a start)

Questions

• How well will control points on one copy of the map also work on another? What about points on a copy of the proof maps, vs copy of the final edition? Therefore, should items on Wikidata get copies of the points information? If so which item should the info be on? (eg Copy / Edition / Work)? If there is an offset, how to indicate that? Will so many statements break the usability of the Wikidata item? (cf same question for SDC, now asked).

Contacts and advisors

• Bert Spaan, allmaps.org, IIIF maps SIG co-chair