Introduction to Wikidata
By Blessing Linason
What is Wiki?
A wiki (sometimes spelled "Wiki") is a server program that allows users to collaborate in forming the content of a Web site. The term comes from the word "wikiwiki," which means "fast" in the Hawaiian language. A wiki provides a simplified interface.
What is Data?
Data can be defined as a representation of facts, concepts, or instructions in a formalized manner, which should be suitable for communication
Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.
Structured vs. Unstructured Data
Structured data is quantitative data that consists of numbers and values.
Structured data is used in machine learning and drives machine learning algorithms.
Structured data is stored in tabular formats like excel sheets or SQL databases.
Unstructured data is qualitative data that consists of audio, video, sensors, descriptions, and more.
Unstructured data is used in natural language processing and text mining.
Stored as audio files, videos files, or NoSQL databases
What is Wikidata?
Wikidata is a free, collaborative, multilingual, secondary database, collecting structured data to provide support for Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, the other wikis of the Wikimedia movement, and to anyone in the world.
Wikidata is a free and open knowledge base that can be read and edited by both humans and machines. Wikidata acts as central storage for the structured data
Structure of Wikidata
We have a Q (item)
Q have a property P
P have a value Another Q
This is called a Statement
Statement = Item --> Property --> Value
Structured and linked data?
Structured data: every piece of information is described as a triple -- subject, predicate, object, or as Wikidata says: item, property, value.
Data statements link to each other, enabling discovery and reasoning.
Item: Nigeria (Q1033)
How Wikidata supports other Wikimedia Projects
Practicals on WikiData
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Main_Page