Commons:Structured data/About
Structured data?
Wikimedia Commons operates on MediaWiki, the same software that powers Wikipedia. MediaWiki was primarily developed for hosting text like in Wikipedia. So, typically, each media file on Commons is accompanied by plain-text descriptions (wikitext, templates) and categories. These are usually only available in one language – mostly English – and, most importantly, not consistently machine-readable.
Structured metadata allows the files to be accessible in a robust, consistent, structured and linked format: a format that allows software to understand, on a large scale, what the metadata fields mean (structured) and to connect them to other databases on the internet, putting them in a broader context (linked). Structured metadata is also more granular and easier to translate than unstructured data.
This switch makes it possible to use Commons' media in new ways, and makes the files on Commons much easier to view, search, edit, curate or organize, use and reuse, in many languages.
See also: Why we work on this. What changed on Wikimedia Commons?
Information about files on Wikimedia Commons was enhanced with structured data, powered by Wikidata.
Wikidata, the structured data repository in the Wikimedia ecosystem, serves as a foundation for Structured Data on Commons.
Wikidata's software – Wikibase – does not store articles in wikitext, but it stores concepts (called 'items'). These items then contain many 'statements' that describe, for instance, the item's title, relations to other items, and dates.
The structured data on Wikidata is freely re-usable across Wikimedia sites and by third parties. Additionally, computers can easily process and understand it. Because of this flexibility, Wikidata is increasingly used in STEM[1] fields, but also in cultural heritage and the humanities. Moreover, because of its support of broad translation, data entered in Wikidata in one language can immediately be made available in many other languages as well. The integration of structured data in Wikimedia Commons happens through the integration of Wikibase, and metadata from Wikidata, into file descriptions on Wikimedia Commons.
See also: Frequently Asked Questions. See also: Glossary. How you can help and get involved
- For Wikimedia community members, there are many ways to contribute – by providing feedback, helping others, adding structured data statements, translating content, helping to decide how to model certain metadata...
- Representatives from cultural and knowledge institutions (GLAMs) can also provide feedback, make use of the tools available, and help to decide how to model certain metadata.
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- ↑ Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.