Using and Editing Wikidata

SunoikisisDC Digital Classics, Autumn 2022

Session 5: Using and Editing Wikidata

Thursday December 8, 2022, starting at 16:00 GMT = 17:00 CET (for 90 minutes)

Convenors: Monica Berti (University of Leipzig), Shani Evenstein Sigalov (Tel Aviv University, University of London)

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/uTRpiY4Wpuc

Slides

Outline

• Synopsis

This session introduces Wikidata, the community-edited Linked Open Data knowledge base that (among other things) serves as the spine of the Wikimedia family of resources, most famously Wikipedia. We discuss the need for Wikidata, uses of Wikidata as a source of data and media, and address some of the considerations (including intellectual, social, technical and ethical) to be kept in mind when contributing or editing Wikidata content.

• Instructions before the session

• Create a Wikimedia account, if you don’t have one. Preference for a username in English that could be then used in all Wikimedia projects.
• Enroll to our class dashboard page, so we can follow & support you. Passcode is Wikidata. (Note you will be required to log into your wiki username through the OAth system, and then follow the link for enrolling to the course page).
• Direct link to the dashboard page

• Presentation outline

• Part 1: Intro to Wikidata

• WD in the context of Big Data, AI, Data Science
• The Semantic Web
• What is WD?
• Why was it created? Answering needs
• Scope & License
• Let’s explore: showing WD and a structure of an item
• Showing relevant examples to the field:

• Alexandros of Aphrodisias, philosopher: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317146
• Herodotus: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q26825
• Felix Jacoby: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q66145
• Ernst Meyer, German historian of classical antiquity: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1359495

• The beauty of openness: internal & external tools
• Types of interactions

• Part 2: Data Extraction & Visualization (queries & external tools)

• Showing a simple query with visualization (women physicists)
• Histropedia
• Prado: Multiple timelines
• WikiCite
• Scholia
• Ask Platypus

• Part 3: Exploring Uses: Some Inspiration from around the world

• Oxford - Astrolabe Explorer -
• University of Edinburgh - Scottish Witch Hunts
• Met: Unraveling unknown connections, tracking completeness, WD game
• Brazil: WikiBook (auto-generating content), new digital objects, burnt museum
• COVID 19
• WD in Academia

• Part 4: Summing up

• Potential & Benefits
• Challenges & consideration
• The future: Wikibase, WikiLambda & WikiFunctions

• Part 5: Q & A