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Giving Contexts to Places We Love

The Power of OpenStreetMap and Wikidata

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James Amattey

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Table of Content

We are going to

  • Define Wikidata and OSM based on their data model
  • Explore the interconnection between each other and why we are better together
  • Learn how to share data between OSM And Wikidata and vice versa
  • Query OSM Database to display the power of connecting both.

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Who Am I?

  • I am a product manager by occupation
  • Focused on Mobility and transportation use cases of technology
  • Very enthusiastic about Open data
  • Contribute to Openstreetmap and Wikimedia projects
  • I live in Accra, Ghana the most beautiful city in the world.

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What Is OpenStreetMap

The Wikipedia of maps

  1. OpenstreetMap is an open and editable database of the world.
  2. It represents data as nodes, ways and relations
  3. Maps is vector based and as a result can only be used to represent features in space.
  4. Each node on Openstreetmap is not useful on its own unless it comes together to form a way and eventually a relation

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What is Wikidata

  • Wikidata is a structured Open Knowledge base which stores information as entities.
  • An entity is a unit of knowledge which embodies several pieces of information.
  • Entities are made of items; for example a place and their properties; for example the capital city of a country.
  • Entities can be linked together by a statement which is an assertion about an item. It consists of a
  • subject - the item that the statement is about,
  • predicate - the property that the statement is making and
  • object, the value that the statement is asserting.

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What Is A Place

How Do We Define A Place?

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Place = Location + Locale + Sense of Place

John Agnew, political geographer

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A place is a space that people have made meaningful or have attached to in some way.

Tim Cresswell - Place: A Short Introduction (2004)

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What Is A Location?

Location is the physical position of a place on the Earth's surface. It can be described by its latitude and longitude coordinates, or by its relative position to other places.

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What Is A Locale?

Locale is the physical setting of a place. It includes the natural features of the area, such as its landforms, climate, and vegetation. It also includes the human-made features of the area, such as its buildings, roads, and infrastructure.

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What is a Sense of Place?

Sense of place is the emotional and psychological attachment that people have to a place. It is influenced by their experiences in the place, their memories of the place, and the stories that they have heard about the place.

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"Context is the key to understanding."

Stephen Hawking, British physicist

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Heritage is a key component of sense of place. It is the things that make a place feel familiar and special. It is the things that connect us to the past and to each other. Heritage is what makes a place a place.

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Tim Cresswell - Place: A Short Introduction (2004)

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This is Pisa

  • Birthplace of Galileo Galilei
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa built in 12th Century
  • University of Pisa built in 1343 which has produced many notable alumni, including Galileo Galilei, the astronomer and physicist; Leonardo da Vinci, the polymath; and Nicola Pisano, the sculptor and architect

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Where the Magic Happens

  • OSM and Wikidata can be used together to create a comprehensive and informative record of heritage and location.
  • OSM can be used to provide the spatial information, such as the location of a heritage site on a map.
  • Wikidata can be used to provide the descriptive information, such as the history and significance of the heritage site.

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Linking OSM to Wikidata

Here’s What You Need

  • Laptop and Internet
  • Wikidata Account
  • OSM Account
  • Browser/JOSM Editor
  • Internet
  • JOSM Plugins

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What is JOSM?

JOSM is a powerful and versatile tool that can be used to edit all aspects of OpenStreetMap data, including nodes, ways, and relations. It also has a number of features that make it well-suited for editing large datasets, such as batch editing and data validation.

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https://josm.openstreetmap.de

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Demo Time

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"Our heritage is a precious gift, one that we must cherish and protect."

Nelson Mandela

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Resources

and Links

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Get In Touch

How To Reach Me

  • LinkedIn: James Amattey
  • Twitter: @thejamesamattey
  • telegram: @jamattey
  • Wikimaps User Group
  • Talk:Heatrave

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