QRpedia
Encyclopedia
QRpedia is a mobile Web
based system which uses QR code
s to deliver Wikipedia
articles to users, in their preferred language. QR codes can easily be generated to link directly to any Uniform Resource Identifier
(URI), but the QRpedia system adds further functionality.
QRpedia was conceived by Roger Bamkin, chair of Wikimedia UK, and unveiled in April 2011. It is currently in use at institutions including museums in the United Kingdom, United States and Spain. The project's source code is freely reusable under the MIT License
.
(URL) using the domain name
"qrwp.org" and whose path (final part) is the title of a Wikipedia article, and sends a request for the article specified in the URL to the QRpedia Web server
. It also transmits the language setting of the device.
The QRpedia server then uses Wikipedia's API
to determine whether there is a version of the specified Wikipedia article in the language used by the device, and if so, returns it in a mobile-friendly format. If there is no version of the article available in the preferred language, then the QRpedia server performs a search for the article title on the relevant language's Wikipedia, and returns the results.
In this way, one QRcode can deliver the same article in many languages, even when the museum is unable to make its own translations. QRpedia also records usage statistics.
's Backstage Pass event, part of the GLAM/Derby collaboration between the museum and Wikipedia, during which over 1,200 Wikipedia articles, in a number of languages, were also created. The project's name is a portmanteau word, combining the initials "QR" from "QR (Quick Response) code" and "pedia" from "Wikipedia".
The project's source code is freely reusable under the MIT License
.
Mobile Web
The Mobile Web refers to the use of Internet-connected applications, or browser-based access to the Internet from a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer, connected to a wireless network....
based system which uses QR code
QR code
A QR code is a type of matrix barcode first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white...
s to deliver 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,...
articles to users, in their preferred language. QR codes can easily be generated to link directly to any Uniform Resource Identifier
Uniform Resource Identifier
In computing, a uniform resource identifier is a string of characters used to identify a name or a resource on the Internet. Such identification enables interaction with representations of the resource over a network using specific protocols...
(URI), but the QRpedia system adds further functionality.
QRpedia was conceived by Roger Bamkin, chair of Wikimedia UK, and unveiled in April 2011. It is currently in use at institutions including museums in the United Kingdom, United States and Spain. The project's source code is freely reusable under the MIT License
MIT License
The MIT License is a free software license originating at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . It is a permissive license, meaning that it permits reuse within proprietary software provided all copies of the licensed software include a copy of the MIT License terms...
.
Process
When a user scans a QRpedia QR code on their mobile device, the device decodes the QR code into a Uniform Resource LocatorUniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
(URL) using the domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
"qrwp.org" and whose path (final part) is the title of a Wikipedia article, and sends a request for the article specified in the URL to the QRpedia Web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
. It also transmits the language setting of the device.
The QRpedia server then uses Wikipedia's API
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
to determine whether there is a version of the specified Wikipedia article in the language used by the device, and if so, returns it in a mobile-friendly format. If there is no version of the article available in the preferred language, then the QRpedia server performs a search for the article title on the relevant language's Wikipedia, and returns the results.
In this way, one QRcode can deliver the same article in many languages, even when the museum is unable to make its own translations. QRpedia also records usage statistics.
Origins
QRpedia was conceived by Roger Bamkin, chair of Wikimedia UK, and Terence Eden, a mobile web consultant, and was unveiled on 9 April 2011 at Derby Museum and Art GalleryDerby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collection includes a whole gallery displaying the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby; there is also a large...
's Backstage Pass event, part of the GLAM/Derby collaboration between the museum and Wikipedia, during which over 1,200 Wikipedia articles, in a number of languages, were also created. The project's name is a portmanteau word, combining the initials "QR" from "QR (Quick Response) code" and "pedia" from "Wikipedia".
The project's source code is freely reusable under the MIT License
MIT License
The MIT License is a free software license originating at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . It is a permissive license, meaning that it permits reuse within proprietary software provided all copies of the licensed software include a copy of the MIT License terms...
.
Implementations
Though created in the United Kingdom, QRpedia can be used in any location where the user's phone has a data signal and, as of September 2011, is in use at:- The Children's Museum of IndianapolisThe Children's Museum of IndianapolisThe Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum. It is located in the United Northwest Area neighborhood on Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. It is with five floors of exhibit halls...
, United States - Derby Museum and Art GalleryDerby Museum and Art GalleryDerby Museum and Art Gallery was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collection includes a whole gallery displaying the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby; there is also a large...
, England - Fundació Joan MiróFundació Joan MiróThe ' is a museum of modern art honoring Joan Miró and located on the hill called Montjuïc in Barcelona, Catalonia.-History:...
, Spain including a travelling exhibit shown at The TateTate-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States... - The National Archives, United Kingdom