Placeopedia
Encyclopedia
Placeopedia was an online gazetteer
which integrates Google Maps
images (including satellite photos) and Wikipedia
encyclopedia articles using user-generated content
. Placeopedia was constructed by UK
-based mySociety
and started in September 2005.
Users can place a 'pin' on a location on a map (at an appropriate zoom level) associated with a relevant article from the English Wikipedia
for that location. Then when anyone views the map, links to the Wikipedia entries associated with each pin are visible, as well as the user name of who added the pin. Corrections can be filed, to be reviewed by Placeopedia staff.
The information can also be viewed in Google Earth
: a view-based refreshing KML
file is provided.
The site also provides syndicated data
(via RSS
) under the Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons
license. You can download the entire contents of the database in a variety of formats.
Initially the site required users to sign up with an email address in order to contribute information, and no bulk download of the database was available, but this has since changed.
Since the launch of Placeopedia, several separate projects started which provide Google Earth links to Wikipedia articles but make direct use of coordinates in articles and so do not require additional user input.
Gazetteer
A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or directory, an important reference for information about places and place names , used in conjunction with a map or a full atlas. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup of a country, region, or continent as well as the social...
which integrates Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
images (including satellite photos) and Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
encyclopedia articles using user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
. Placeopedia was constructed by UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based mySociety
MySociety
mySociety is an e-democracy project of the UK-based registered charity named UK Citizens Online Democracy, that aims to build "socially focussed tools with offline impacts". It was founded by Tom Steinberg in September 2003, and started activity after receiving a £250,000 grant in September 2004...
and started in September 2005.
Users can place a 'pin' on a location on a map (at an appropriate zoom level) associated with a relevant article from the English Wikipedia
English Wikipedia
The English Wikipedia is the English-language edition of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Founded on 15 January 2001 and reaching three million articles by August 2009, it was the first edition of Wikipedia and remains the largest, with almost three times as many articles as the next...
for that location. Then when anyone views the map, links to the Wikipedia entries associated with each pin are visible, as well as the user name of who added the pin. Corrections can be filed, to be reviewed by Placeopedia staff.
The information can also be viewed in Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
: a view-based refreshing KML
Keyhole Markup Language
Keyhole Markup Language is an XML notation for expressing geographic annotation and visualization within Internet-based, two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was developed for use with Google Earth, which was originally named Keyhole Earth Viewer. It was created by...
file is provided.
The site also provides syndicated data
Web syndication
Web syndication is a form of syndication in which website material is made available to multiple other sites. Most commonly, web syndication refers to making web feeds available from a site in order to provide other people with a summary or update of the website's recently added content...
(via RSS
RSS (file format)
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format...
) under the Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
license. You can download the entire contents of the database in a variety of formats.
Initially the site required users to sign up with an email address in order to contribute information, and no bulk download of the database was available, but this has since changed.
Since the launch of Placeopedia, several separate projects started which provide Google Earth links to Wikipedia articles but make direct use of coordinates in articles and so do not require additional user input.
See also
- WikimapiaWikimapiaWikiMapia is a privately owned, online map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information, in the form of a note, to any location on Earth. Users may currently use this information for free...
- List of wikis
- Google EarthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
- Collaborative mappingCollaborative mappingCollaborative mapping is the aggregation of web maps and user-generated content, from a group of individuals or entities, and can take several distinct forms.-Types:...
- OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. Two major driving forces behind the establishment and growth of OSM have been restrictions on use or availability of map information across much of the world and the advent of inexpensive portable GPS devices.The...
External links
- Placeopedia.com (11+26 May 2011: Website unavailable)