The annual conference of Wikimedia Central and Eastern Europe (Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024) was held in Istanbul, Turkey, from September 20 to 22, 2024. Five delegates from Wikimedia Georgia participated.

Notably, the 2023 conference was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, where Wikimedia Georgia hosted the event at the Tbilisi State University.

After the conference, Wikimedia Georgia’s delegates shared their impressions of the meeting, including insights on the conference program, their personal experiences, and the overall environment.

One of Wikimedia Georgia’s delegates, Mariam Kvartskhava, who is also a member of the organization’s Board of Trustees, shared that the event was held at the Hasanpaşa Gazhanesi, which was historically an interesting location. It also served as a community place for the community and young people, featuring many outdoor spaces and relaxation areas. All of this made a sense of being in a comfortable, recreational zone in the heart of the city, enhancing the desire to work in a safe and peaceful environment.

“Such an environment facilitated the connection of delegates from dozens of countries, the active sharing of experiences, the establishment of new connection, and the motivation of people with common interests.” — Mariam Kvartskhava.

Another delegate from Wikimedia Georgia, Zura Lebanidze, stated that the CEE 2024 conference in Istanbul provided him with a unique experience, contrasted not only by its content but also by its social and friendly atmosphere. For him, this conference became a platform that served not only Wikimedia-related issues but also fostered connections and mutual understanding among people.

“From the first moments, it was clear that participants were not only there to share knowledge but also driven by a strong desire for close collaboration and sharing the experience. Regardless of their background, all speakers were very open and eager to help both experienced and new participants. This meeting was a platform for work and idea exchange and an opportunity to build personal connections. Social activities, conversations, and discussions were crucial in fostering future collaborations.” — Zura Lebanidze.

Another delegate from Wikimedia Georgia, Iakob Makharadze, noted that this was the first conference he attended abroad on behalf of Georgian Wikimedia Community and that it was completely different from the dozens of other conferences he had attended in universities in Georgia or other countries.

Iakob engaged in numerous bilateral and multilateral discussions with conference participants on various topics, including the challenges of Wikimedia projects, the implementation of Wikitechnologies, the advantages and limitations of artificial intelligence, volunteerism and engagement, and collaborative partnerships.

“Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024 was the first Wikimedia conference outside of Georgia that I attended. The conference fundamentally changed my view on the Wikimedia community. I realized how much we have in common as people passionate about spreading knowledge and how much we can achieve together, especially through the collaboration.” — Iakob Makharadze.

Wikimedia Georgia is especially pleased that the organization’s young members participated in the largest Wikimedia gathering in the Central and Eastern European region, gained new knowledge and friendships at this event, and had the opportunity to share their expertise and experiences with others. Strengthening the skills and capabilities of Wikimedia Georgia’s team and Georgia’s Wikimedia community volunteers is a strategic priority for the organization, where the involvement of young people is of utmost importance.

To gain more detailed information, explore the individual reports of Wikimedia Georgia’s delegates from the Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024:

• Iakob Makharadze’s Report;
• Mariam Kvartskhava’s Report;
• Zurab Lebanidze’s Report.

The Celtic Knot Wikimedia Language Conference (CKWLC) is an annual event designed to encourage knowledge sharing, bridge content gaps, and improve Wiki projects. To promote global participation, satellite events are hosted in various regions, enabling Wikimedia communities worldwide to engage. One such event took place at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. With sponsorship from the Wikimedia Community Ireland, the Ig Wiki Librarians Hub participated by hosting a satellite event within the Igbo community.

The aim of this event was to unite the Wikimedia community to share their experiences in promoting and sharing information in minority languages. It also taught participants how to facilitate the flow of information across language barriers and support their respective communities. It brought community members together to address the gaps on Wikidata properties for the Igbo language .

Outcome

The event was initially postponed due to some challenges but was eventually held successfully. The satellite event welcomed participants, provided insights into CKWLC and the importance of preserving languages on Wikidata and other Wiki platforms. During the event, participants actively contributed to bridging the gap in Igbo language Wikidata properties. Additionally, a short contest was introduced to further motivate participants to continue editing. After the event and contest, participants made a total of 7,250 edits. For more information see event page.

Challenges

• Some participants were unable to see the edit button on Wikidata, likely because they had not yet been autoconfirmed on the platform. To address this, we encouraged them to keep editing and advocated for their accounts to be auto-confirmed during the event period. This would enable them to contribute effectively and maintain their enthusiasm.
• Network fluctuations during the event affected editing and slowed down contributions. Participants were advised to continue editing later from locations with more stable internet connections.

Participants’ feedback

• I thoroughly enjoyed the Celtic Knot Satellite Conference and I wish to be here in order to expand my learning.— Odogwu123

• To be sincere, I’m highly impressed with the organizers of this conference, I really learnt a lot from this conference and would continue to contribute to the Wiki space to ensure that our language ‘Igbo language’ doesn’t go extinct. Our language, our culture, our origin. Thank you all, much love.— Nzechimere

• Celtic knot satellite conference is the best I’ve witnessed and I enjoyed it and wished we’d have the part 2 of it— 10kdollz

• I had the privilege of attending the Celtic Knot satellite conference today, and I must say it was an enriching experience. The event brought together enthusiasts from various fields, which provided a vibrant atmosphere for learning and discussion. The venue was comfortable, and the technical aspects of the presentations were smoothly handled.— Blissma22

• The Conference was not just any eye opener, it was another source of knowledge wealth, especially in my language Igbo, helping me know so many ways of translating to Igbo language. Many thanks to the sponsors and facilitators of this program— Goodymeraj

Event team

This event was successful because of the efforts these team members. They are:

• Olugold – Project Lead/ Facilitator
• Kingsley Nkem – Organizer
• Macocobovi – Jury
• Bibisuccess – Community Liason
• Goodymeraj – Training Assistant

On the 1st March 2025, a workshop was held in Abidjan to raise awareness of illegal gold washing and to produce content on Wikidata also Openstreetmap to mark the celebration of Open Data Day 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire by contributing to free sharing.

The event was part of the global Open Data Day movement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 15 on the protection of terrestrial ecosystems.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness and train 10 Ivorians in the use of open data to map illegal gold-panning sites in Côte d’Ivoire.

Family picture of participants, CC BY-SA 4.0 – Manouka  

The workshop began with an awareness-raising session on the subject of illegal gold mining in Côte d’Ivoire, presented by Emmanuelle Guebo, General Coordinator of Wikimedia Côte d’Ivoire and head of the Open Data Day 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire project. This phase presented the context of illegal gold panning in Côte d’Ivoire, the environmental impacts, the social and economic consequences and some suggestions for action to fight against illegal gold panning.

After that, the second session was dedicated to an introduction to open data, participatory mapping and the use of Openstreetmap and Wikidata tools, expertly led by Paul Bouaffou, Wikimedia Côte d’Ivoire IT support and Wikidata & Openstreetmap trainer.  The session introduced participants to the Openstreetmap environment and content production on Wikidata, the online open data platform developed by Wikimedia. Participants then got hands-on experience of creating elements, adding statements and references on Wikidata for departments in Côte d’Ivoire with illegal gold-panning sites, after which these departments were mapped using OpenStreetMap by the participants.

Participants and trainer at the Wikidata-Openstreestmap workshop CC BY-SA 4.0 – Manouka  

In a friendly environment, full of inspiration and enthusiasm, the participants enjoyed contributing to the free sharing of data at Open Data Day 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire, as many of them can testify.

“I enjoyed the whole workshop, and I’d like to thank the trainers for their teaching skills and their availability.” Abiba Pauline, participant

“The Open Data Day 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire was a great way of sharing knowledge on how to create new elements on Wikidata and how to locate departments on a map. It was an unforgettable moment of sharing for me”. Habib Yekini, participant.

“I really enjoyed the training on OpenStreetMap, Archive, wikiwix and uMap. This day taught me how to use the data on Wikidata as well as linking Wikidata articles to OpenStreetMap and uMap to make maps of places.”   Emmanuel Menney, participant.

The workshop ended with a discussion on the future and continuity of the fight against illegal gold mining.

At the end of Open Data Day 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire, 12 participants from various communes in Côte d’Ivoire, including students, business leaders, agripreneurs, journalists, archivists and geographers, spent more than 50 hours volunteering to produce content on Wikidata and OpenStreetMap.

On Wikidata, 341 modifications were made, 252 declarations were added,183 references were added  and 36 Wikidata elements were created.  In addition, on Openstreetmap, we have created a map with 36 departments of Côte d’Ivoire marked in red in which illegal gold-panning sites are located.

Screenshot of the mapping of illegal gold mining sites in Ivory Coast in 2022 CC BY-SA 4.0 – Kod B  

This first experience of organising Open Data Day in Côte d’Ivoire was a success, and we would like to thank the sponsors CAFDO and Open Knowledge Foundation for choosing us.   The Wikimedia community in Côte d’Ivoire is delighted to have taken part in this global celebration and will continue to make its contribution in the run-up to Open Data Day 2026.

Family picture of participants in front of the start of the mapping of illegal gold mining sites in Côte d’Ivoire, CC BY-SA 4.0 – Manouka

Emmanuelle Guebo 

The Wikimedia Foundation’s participation in legal cases during 2024 involved cases both as a defendant and as an active effort through impact litigation (i.e., lawsuits that aim to bring legal change in the public interest). The Foundation looks globally for opportunities to legally protect free knowledge, the Wikimedia volunteers who contribute it, and to clarify what material is part of the shared knowledge commons. This blog post highlights some of our work last year to protect free and open knowledge broadly, and the Wikimedia volunteers and projects in particular.

The Wikimedia Foundation’s mission is to empower and engage people around the world with the aim of developing free and open encyclopedic content for everyone, everywhere, to access and share. One way that we advance this mission is by working to improve the laws and regulations that make it possible to host Wikipedia and other free knowledge Wikimedia projects along with those that enable Wikimedia volunteer communities to effectively collaborate and contribute to the projects.

There are two key ways in which our litigation efforts seek to ensure that the legal landscape protects and promotes contributions to free and open knowledge and the community-led governance and content moderation model of the projects. First, as the projects’ host, we respond to legal demands related to the projects in order to defend them. Second, we engage in targeted impact litigation—strategic legal filings that serve to enact legal change in the public interest—by, for example, submitting amicus (“friend-of-the-court”) briefs in important, precedent-setting lawsuits that concern third parties across the world and could affect the projects’ content or volunteers. This blog post explains the strategy behind our litigation efforts in a moment when, on the whole, the lawsuits where we have participated show a more complex picture of the legal environment that we have ever seen in the past.

There is presently a trend of increased government oversight and the enforcement of laws that challenge the concept of a free, global, and open internet. This trend has begun to change the types of legal demands that are brought to the Foundation and the expectations of countries around the world: not just for the Foundation, but for all platform hosts. In 2024, our Legal department was involved in litigation both as a defendant and as a third party engaging in impact litigation globally. We engaged in a range of cases covering intermediary liability protections, defamation and freedom of expression, and the right to privacy. This includes some cases we believe are Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)—lawsuits designed to censor information on legitimate matters of public interest—both from impact and defensive litigation standpoints. Our attempt in all of these cases is to protect and advance freedom of expression, the public interest through the Wikimedia projects and similar community-led public interest platforms, and the benefits of a reliable and accurate online information ecosystem.

Defending Wikimedia projects and its volunteers, and shaping laws to safeguard and promote free knowledge

Defensive litigation: Protecting the Wikimedia projects and volunteers in court

The Foundation and Wikimedia volunteer communities take much care so that the Wikimedia projects are not subject to legal demands. Nevertheless, court cases based on content on the projects do occur. When lawsuits come to us from anywhere in the world, we undertake defensive litigation to protect the projects and the people who edit them in good faith. We also look for ways to clarify the law in order to help volunteers, wherever they may live, understand what material is available as free knowledge and what material might be restricted or unlawful.

When we get a new case, we always aim to make sure we understand the content being fought over, because the quality of community-led work is a key aspect of protecting the projects. For instance, when controversial parts of a Wikipedia article are written in line with a volunteer community’s policy on a neutral point of view and supported by reliable sources, the Foundation is typically well-positioned to defend both the content and the people who wrote it. On the other hand, if the work is unsourced or its sources are inaccurate, the Foundation is very rarely positioned to be able to independently investigate and prove its accuracy, making it difficult to defend.

Similarly, if content on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, or other projects offers details about a person’s private life, it is important that we can demonstrate that it is valuable to the public. It is therefore crucial that the volunteer communities continue to define, debate, and apply balanced standards around proportionate respect for private life (e.g., on Wikidata and English-language Wikipedia), the educational value of content, and using imagery of identifiable people—as they have so successfully done for the past 24 years. Particularly where robust and fair community evaluations are done in the open, such as on Talk pages and in Deletion discussions, the Foundation’s lawyers will be able to show our legal opponents, regulatory authorities, and judges that privacy and public interest have already been comprehensively weighed up and that, on balance, the law should protect the contributions of Wikimedia volunteers.

Lawsuits in 2024

Over the past year, the Foundation has been the subject of several lawsuits and legal demands. Our transparency reports show how many legal demands we receive, separating between those related to content and those related to user data. While the vast majority of legal complaints to the Foundation do not result in litigation, the legal situation for hosting a platform has begun to change significantly. The Wikimedia model does much to help resolve legal demands, since we can educate potential opponents about the community-led processes that can address their concern—like the Edit Request Wizard on English-language Wikipedia—and, on occasion, can even relay the complaint directly to community members on the requester’s behalf. A small number of cases present a clear legal obligation for the Foundation, resulting in some legal demands being granted as required by law. Until now, only a handful of complaints each year lead to litigation.

It is important to note that some defensive litigation cannot be publicly discussed: this varies based on the different norms of different countries and the nature of the case. For instance, the Foundation may have limited ability to repeat accusations that a court has already found to be defamatory or may not be able to discuss details of cases still in active litigation. Thankfully, there are a few cases where we can highlight some key victories protecting the projects and volunteers.

The Foundation had several legal victories in Germany in 2024. We won a privacy case against a wealthy gambling magnate, who in what we consider a SLAPP and based on vague claims of potential harm, tried to substantially expand the scope of German and European privacy laws in order to force us to censor factual and neutral references to him from Wikipedia. We also won a key case that will dissuade people all over the world from trying to take advantage of strict German defamation rules, in what we think is one of a few obvious “forum shopping” cases that we have recently faced.

“Forum shopping” is the attempt to choose a court in a jurisdiction whose laws might be more favorable to the plaintiff. We defeated another such case in the UK, brought by a former lawyer, who lost his defamation lawsuit against us in the England and Wales High Court, and then tried to appeal the decision. In March 2025, the Court of Appeal resoundingly rejected his attempt and endorsed the High Court’s ruling, including an important finding: A 12-month statute of limitations rule can still protect Wikipedia articles that have been edited or reverted as long as the result is still “substantially the same” as disputed passages that were first written up to a year ago. Lord Justice Warby declared many aspects of the former lawyer’s case “totally without merit,” and warned that the plaintiff could receive a Civil Restraining Order if he threatened to bring other meritless claims.

We also had some key successes related to user data this year, although we do not write individually about these caseIs so as to avoid inviting speculation or attempts to identify users via case details. Broadly, the Foundation had two cases in Japan where we were successful in protecting against the disclosure of user data. Similarly, we had a case in Brazil in which we were able to protect against the disclosure of users’ data. In India, the Foundation reached an agreement in litigation to continue a case without providing user data to the other party.

The César do Paço case in Portugal, which has slowed down immensely on questions of Portuguese law before its higher court, remains open and continues to present a range of issues related to privacy protections for users as well as protections for platform hosting. This is another case that we have previously identified as a SLAPP attempt. In this case, the Foundation is working to ensure that editors are safe to work on and improve important biographies, including about political figures and financiers.

Finally, in India, we were also successful in seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit regarding a BBC documentary about India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi—the content in question was never hosted on Wikipedia in the first place; it was just linked to, as a source.

We also had some setbacks this past year. In France, we had two lawsuits where French courts differed with the views of French volunteers, leading to the Foundation taking action to delete two articles based on our legal obligations under French law. We also began discussing how to approach them with the French community. We often encourage local volunteer communities to work on material that may be subject to litigation: communities nearly always have more options than the Foundation if they do want to work on articles subject to court orders. For example: a partial deletion and partial rewrite may comply with a court order, whereas the Foundation never writes new article content in response to a court and can only delete an article based on an order.

We have several active cases at the moment as well, which have not been fully decided. In India, the Asian News International (ANI) case remains ongoing, with the next hearing being delayed until May 2025. In Italy, we are litigating about an order to “noindex” a Wikipedia article related to a senior member of the Vatican who was accused of possessing child pornography. This is important for knowledge sharing, as de-indexing has become a new approach to people trying to keep information out of public awareness by means of the “right to be forgotten”—with the idea that if it stays out of searches, then it is basically secret from the public, even if it remains published somewhere. We also have a few more open cases in France and Germany, and one that started in Ukraine and added us mid-case.

Meanwhile, we are keeping a very close watch on a new wave of “online safety” laws around the world—designed with good intentions, but often ill-adapted to the diversity of services online. Wherever such laws might represent a threat to the Wikimedia model, it is possible that some legal questions may need to be answered by courts.

Impact litigation: Bringing about legal change in the public interest

The strategic legal filings that the Foundation submits to courts around the world aim to enact legal change in the public interest in ways that promote and protect the Wikimedia projects and volunteer communities that contribute to them.

Our mission covers many important aspects of the law, which is why the amicus briefs that we file cover a large variety of topics. For instance, we seek to ensure that content that is created, shared, curated, and moderated online remains accessible to those who are interested in it. In addition, we try to ensure that laws and regulations do not encroach on freedoms that protect the users of the projects or their ability to research and share free and open knowledge. For example, we advocate that good laws should not be used to curb freedom of expression in SLAPPs. And, last but not least, we strive to make sure that good legal standards, such as liability protections for platform hosts, remain consistent throughout the globe in order to actually protect the platforms in question.

Amicus briefs in 2024

NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton and Moody v. NetChoice, LLC are two of the most important recent cases in the United States (US) for Wikipedia’s community-led governance and content moderation model, along with the right to freedom of expression. In 2021, Texas and Florida enacted state laws that were designed to restrict social media platforms’ ability to enforce their own content policies. These laws were a response to certain high-profile content moderation decisions taken by large social media platforms, which the states alleged constituted censorship of some users’ viewpoints. The Foundation filed an amicus brief at the end of 2023 at the US Supreme Court, where we argued that laws restricting community-led content moderation would infringe the US First Amendment rights of Wikipedia volunteers and could damage the quality and reliability of Wikipedia by forcing them to include non-encyclopedic content.

For now, the issue is unresolved: In July 2024, the Supreme Court decided that the lower courts, when first ruling on the cases, had taken an overly narrow approach to considering the constitutional impact of these state laws. The Court sent the cases back to the lower courts with instructions to try again—essentially pressing the reset button. This has stopped the laws from being applied until the lower courts rule on them again.

The Foundation filed a joint amicus brief with Creative Commons and Project Gutenberg in another US lawsuit, key for platform content hosting: Hachette v. Internet Archive. Four major publishers accused the Internet Archive of encouraging copyright infringement through its Open Library service. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting physical libraries and bookstores, the Internet Archive decided to remove lending restrictions on the 1.4 million digitized books it lent out to the public. A US district court found fault with the nonprofit’s fair use defense, emphasizing that the Internet Archive soliciting donations was a significant enough factor to find that the copyrighted works were being exploited in a way that harmed the owners of copyrighted material. We argued that the court’s interpretation of fair use could wrongly classify nonprofit secondary uses as commercial, impacting all nonprofit organizations’ ability to utilize copyrighted material, including Wikipedia. While the Internet Archive ultimately lost this case, when the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s decision, the court of appeals did find that the solicitation of donations does not amount to commercial use.

As explained previously, ensuring accessibility to content that is of interest to the public is an aspect of our mission. For this reason, we cosigned an amicus brief with Pinterest, Google, and the Organization for Transformative Works in Elliot McGucken v. Valnet during early 2024. In this case, a photographer named Elliot McGucken accused Valnet, an entertainment media company, of embedding some of his social media posts and related photographs in their travel website. McGucken alleged that embedding constituted copyright infringement of his exclusive right of choosing how to exhibit his images to the public as the copyright owner. We argued that granting McGucken’s request would profoundly distort copyright law: it would make millions of platform operators into infringers, since it would allow copyright owners to prohibit third parties from pointing audiences to a work that is already publicly displayed online. McGucken went on to lose the case.

The Foundation’s impact litigation extends outside of the US as well to clarify uncertain laws around the world. As mentioned before, another aspect of our mission is to protect the rights and freedoms of project users everywhere to access and share free and open knowledge. In May 2024, the Foundation cosigned an amicus brief with Wikimedia France that asked the French Constitutional Council to invalidate certain articles of the new SREN (“sécuriser et réguler l’espace numérique,” that is, “securing and regulating digital space”) law. Even before SREN had become law, Wikimedia Europe and the Foundation had informed French lawmakers that it would be unconstitutionally broad in scope due to requirements such as: unreasonably short takedown times; quasi-global blocking orders (meaning that the French government would be forcing takedowns in other countries); and, the risk of criminal fines or imprisonment for sharing content that could cause “outrage” or “offense.” The Constitutional Council returned with their decision soon after, where they invalidated several parts of SREN, including the “digital outrage or offense” provision.

Our mission also includes highlighting when good laws are misused in SLAPPs in order to limit freedom of expression, as noted earlier. The Foundation engaged in Gisele Zuni Mousques v. Christian Chena before the Paraguayan Supreme Court of Justice in July 2024. In this lawsuit, Mousques sued Chena for allegedly violating a Paraguayan law that aims to fight gender discrimination in order to attempt suppressing factually correct public interest information about herself, threatening others’ freedom of expression and access to reliable and accurate information. In our amicus brief, cosigned with TEDIC and the Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (CELE), we argued that the Justice of the Peace failed not only to consider the human rights implications of the ruling on freedom of expression and journalism, but also did not apply the appropriate test to determine whether a restriction of the affected party’s human rights was legitimate. An incorrect test for restricting speech could impact many future cases and limit the ability of Wikimedia volunteers to share notable public information. The case is still awaiting judgement before the Supreme Court of Justice.

Lastly, as we explained previously, our mission requires that we ensure that good and existing legal standards remain in place—for instance, those that protect platform providers from unjustifiable liabilities. The Foundation submitted an amicus brief in the case of Ulrich Richter Morales and Claudia Ramírez Tavera vs. Google Inc. and Google México before Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice in August 2024. In this case, Ulrich Richter Morales sued Google for not removing an allegedly defamatory blog post on the Blogger platform. We argued that it was vital to maintain the existing protections provided by the internet intermediary liability legal framework, since they are essential for the collaborative and neutral nature of platforms like Wikipedia. This case is also still waiting for a decision before the Mexican Supreme Court.

Conclusions

On the whole, these cases present a more complex picture of the legal environment than we have ever seen in the past. Courts in many major countries are willing to find jurisdiction over the Foundation and Wikimedia volunteers based on biography articles about notable people or organizations in those countries. In addition, court cases have become more complicated, since some plaintiffs argue that even factual information on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects might be too old, too irrelevant, too inaccurate, or even too incomplete to allow it to be legally hosted. The best thing that the communities can do in response to this is to make sure that articles are of good quality and important to the general public: the clearer it is that content is accurate, neutral, and serves the public interest, the better the defense that the Foundation can offer to protect content and refuse demands to disclose data.

These are only some of the cases the Wikimedia Foundation engages in on a daily basis. The Foundation, its affiliates, and allies continue to take an active role in upholding our mission of providing free and open educational content for all. Engaging actively in global litigation is one of the core avenues we use to move the world towards our vision of free and open knowledge for everyone, everywhere.

Biochemistry major Jenny Fulton didn’t have to look far for inspiration for her Wikipedia assignment in Whitworth University’s Organismal Diversity course – she only had to step out her back door at home to remember how connected her coursework was to the real world.

“Each of the articles that my classmates and I worked on were all lacking information,” explained Fulton, a sophomore. “Our goal was to improve and transform these ‘stub’ articles. I chose to work on the article Oemleria cerasiformis, which is a plant that is native to the Pacific Northwest, and it’s also growing in my yard at home!” 

Fully embracing the challenge to transform the article, Fulton expanded the lead and added new sections on the plant’s taxonomy, description, phenology, and habitat, as well as several subsections throughout the text. She also significantly improved the article’s existing content, including information about the plant’s fossil record and the uses of its wood and fruit, which is the source of its common name osoberry. 

To reshape and radically expand the article, Fulton drew from a variety of scientific research publications, including journals and books that explore botany, ecology, and biology. 

“As I worked on this article, I learned lots of new information on this plant – that I see very often – that I did not know beforehand,” shared Fulton. “I also learned how to edit a Wikipedia article for the first time. Working on this article helped introduce me to professional writing on a scientific subject for a wide audience, a skill that will help me in school and in my future career.”

Fulton was not alone in her editing efforts, nor in the considerable impact she made on Wikipedia’s coverage of plants. Thanks to the work of her fellow classmates, the Wikipedia articles about species like Abelmoschus ficulneus (or white wild musk mallow) and Artemisia abrotanum (the southern wormwood), both flowering plants used medicinally, are now considerably more informative for readers.

And unlike Fulton, some students in the course looked far beyond their own backyards as they chose a species to research.

One student contributed more than 1,300 words and 26 citations to enhance the content of plants like Angelica glauca, which grows at high altitudes in areas from eastern Afghanistan through the western Himalayas and Tibet. Another student editor created a new article about an endangered variety of conifer endemic to Taiwan, Cephalotaxus harringtonii var. wilsoniana (commonly known as the Taiwan plum yew).   

Collectively, Fulton and her classmates brought an impressive 23,000 new words and 328 citations to Wikipedia’s coverage of plant species – and have since inspired other Wikipedia editors to engage with the content and make their own contributions, as well.  

Hero image of Oemleria cerasiformis by Michael Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Our support for STEM classes like Jenny Fulton’s is available thanks to the Guru Krupa Foundation.

Interested in incorporating a Wikipedia assignment into your course? Visit teach.wikiedu.org to learn more about the free resources, digital tools, and staff support that Wiki Education offers to postsecondary instructors in the United States and Canada.

Discover Wikibase extensions to customize and enhance your wiki.

This is a blog post version a paper titled “Question-to-Question Retrieval for Hallucination-Free Knowledge Access: An Approach for Wikipedia and Wikidata Question Answering” available at https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.11301.

In the world of Large Language Models (LLMs) and question answering systems, hallucination - where models generate plausible but incorrect information - remains a significant challenge. This is particularly problematic when dealing with encyclopedic knowledge sources like Wikipedia, where accuracy is paramount. Today, I’ll discuss a novel approach that addresses this challenge through question-to-question retrieval.

The Problem with Traditional RAG

Current Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems face a fundamental challenge: the semantic gap between questions and document passages. When a user asks “Where is the Eiffel Tower located?”, the system tries to match this against passages like “The Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France.” Despite containing the answer, these passages often yield relatively low similarity scores (typically 0.4-0.7) due to their different structural patterns:

• Questions are interrogative
• Passages are declarative
• Key answer terms may have low weight in the vector representation

This structural mismatch leads to suboptimal retrieval and often requires complex workarounds like question reformulation or hybrid search approaches.

You can see this in action with the following Python code snippet:

qn = "Where is the Eiffel tower located at?"
ans = """
The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France.
It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889.
Locally nicknamed \"La dame de fer\" (French for \"Iron Lady\"), it was constructed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair, and to crown the centennial anniversary of the French Revolution.
Although initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, it has since become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world
"""
qnEmbedding = embed_fn(qn)
ansEmbedding = embed_fn(ans)
similarity = cosine_similarity(qnEmbedding, ansEmbedding)
print(f"{qn}\t{similarity}")
# Output: "Where is the Eiffel tower located at?" 0.7 with gemini-1.5-flash and text-embedding-004 embeddings

In this example, the similarity score is only 0.7, indicating a suboptimal match. You can also observe that as the passage length increases, the similarity score tends to decrease. Also, if you move the question to a different form like “What is the location of the Eiffel tower?”, the similarity score may further decrease. The position of the sentence in the passage also affects the similarity score. If the answer is at the beginning of the passage, the similarity score may be higher than if it is at the end.

Let me show you a more realistic example. Following passage is from Barack Obama’s Wikipedia page:

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Columbia University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and later worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, Obama enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. He became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. In 1996, Obama was elected to represent the 13th district in the Illinois Senate, a position he held until 2004, when he successfully ran for the U.S. Senate. In the 2008 presidential election, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, he was nominated by the Democratic Party for president. Obama selected Joe Biden as his running mate and defeated Republican nominee John McCain.

If we use Gemini 1.5 Flash model and text-embedding-004 model to find the similarity between the question and the passage, we get the following results:

The Question-to-Question Approach

Instead of trying to bridge the semantic gap between questions and passages, what if we transformed the problem into a question-to-question matching task? Here’s how it works:

1. Indexing Phase

• For each Wikipedia paragraph, an instruction-tuned LLM generates all possible questions it could answer
• Questions are embedded into vectors using a text embedding model
• A vector store maps these question embeddings back to their source paragraphs
• Each paragraph gets a unique hash for efficient retrieval. This pre-processing step require parsing the Wikipedia content and identifying the paragraphs or atomic encyclopedic units to be precise.

2. Query Phase

• User’s question is embedded into the same vector space
• System finds the most similar pre-generated question
• The corresponding paragraph is retrieved using the stored hash
• Original Wikipedia content is presented to the user

The key innovation here is that we’re comparing semantically similar structures (questions to questions), which leads to much higher similarity scores (> 0.9) and more precise retrieval.

As you can see in the following table, the similarity scores are significantly higher when comparing questions to questions. To make it more realistic, let use mimic users queries as incomplete sentences, often missing question words and occasional spelling mistakes.

Handling Wikidata Integration

The system also works with Wikidata’s structured data by:

1. Converting triples into natural language statements
   • Get the triplet: Q668:P39:Q987
   • Convert to lables: “India: Capital: New Delhi”
2. Generating questions for each statement
   • “What is the capital of India?”
   • “Where is India’s capital located?”
3. Creating vector embeddings for these questions

Real-world Performance

Traditional RAG approaches involves more steps after retrieval to generate the answer. In Question-to-Question retrieval, we eliminate the re-ranking and answer generation steps. Once a passage is retrieved, it is directly presented to the user. In a real world scenario, a user enters a question and the response is pag navigation and scrolling to the relevant section of the page.

NOTE: The Wiki interface shown in the video is a prototype system I built for exploration purposes. As mentioned earlier, the QA system became possible because I was able to parse the content into structure data and assign hash to each paragraph. This is not a feature available in Current Wikipedia.

I wish I can share a real application that demonstrates this approach. But my prototype system is not prepared to handle big traffic. So I will screenshots of the system in action.

• Incomplete queries (“Obama birthplace” → “Where was Barack Obama born?”)
• Misspellings (“chernobyl accident deaths” → “How many people died in the Chernobyl disaster?”)
• Different phrasings (“France nuclear percentage” → “What percentage of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power?”)

Similarity scores consistently exceed 0.9, indicating very precise matching.

The increased vector store size—approximately tenfold due to question-based indexing rather than passage-based—remains manageable given modern vector databases’ capability to efficiently search billions of records. While Wikipedia’s frequent updates necessitate question regeneration, hash-based tracking enables selective re-indexing of modified passages only. The experimental implementation indexed under 1,000 Wikipedia articles, utilizing llama-3.1-8b-instruct-awq for question generation and baai/bge-small-en-v1.5 (384-dimensional vectors) for embeddings, with processing conducted as a background task.

Multimodal content (images, videos, 3D models) becomes searchable through question-based matching of their associated metadata. For instance, Wikidata triples like “Q243:P4896:[filename]” can be transformed into text (“Eiffel Tower: 3D Model: [filename]”) and indexed with questions like “What is the 3d model of Eiffel Tower?"—enabling matches with user queries such as “Show me Eiffel tower 3d model.” Similarly, Q140:P51:[audio file name] facilitates answers to queries like “How does the lion roar?”

Technical Advantages

The question-to-question approach offers several compelling technical benefits. First and foremost, it provides a zero-hallucination guarantee by completely eliminating LLM-generated responses at query time. Instead, the system directly retrieves original Wikipedia content, maintaining the authority and integrity of editor contributions while achieving remarkably high cosine similarity scores.

Computational efficiency represents another significant advantage, as the system requires no runtime LLM calls during inference, resulting in substantially lower query times and operating costs compared to traditional RAG systems, while still maintaining fast vector similarity search capabilities that scale effectively to millions of questions.

Additionally, the approach seamlessly supports multimodal content by handling text, images, and structured data through a unified question-based framework, enabling natural integration with Wikidata’s diverse content types and allowing users to reference multimedia elements through natural language queries.

Implementation Considerations

The system does require more storage than traditional RAG approaches, with approximately 10x increase in vector store size due to storing multiple questions per passage. This increased storage requirement is typically manageable with modern vector databases designed to efficiently handle billions of records. For handling Wikipedia’s frequent updates, the system employs selective re-indexing that tracks changes and only regenerates questions for modified content. The experimental implementation utilized LLaMA 3.1-8b-instruct-awq for question generation and BGE-small-en-v1.5 for creating 384-dimensional embeddings, with all index updates processed as background tasks to minimize disruption to the service.

Current Limitations

Despite its advantages, the system faces several notable limitations. While exceptionally effective for factoid questions, it struggles with complex multi-hop reasoning and has limited capabilities for data aggregation across multiple sources. Language support presents another challenge, as the system is currently optimized primarily for English, with varying degrees of effectiveness in other languages due to differences in both LLM availability and embedding quality across linguistic contexts. Content currency also requires careful management through periodic re-indexing processes that track Wikipedia changes and regenerate questions for modified content, adding operational complexity to maintaining an up-to-date knowledge base.

Evaluation Considerations

A key limitation of this exploration is the lack of formal evaluation against benchmark datasets. While extensive testing with diverse user queries has shown promising precision, a rigorous comparative assessment would provide more objective performance metrics.

Conclusion

This question-to-question retrieval approach offers a promising direction for Wikipedia question answering systems. By eliminating hallucination risk and improving retrieval precision, it provides a more reliable way to access encyclopedic knowledge. While there are limitations to address, the core approach demonstrates that sometimes rethinking the fundamental problem structure can lead to elegant solutions.

You may use this google collab notebook to try out the code snippets mentioned in this blog post: https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1o6rjV2AYCl9aR8xbMDcj91LVRU9VaN_3?usp=sharing

Disclaimer

I work at the Wikimedia Foundation. However, this project, exploration, and the opinions expressed are entirely my own and do not reflect my employer’s views. This is not an official Wikimedia Foundation project.

This is Part 5 of my exploration I was doing about building a natural language question answer system for wikipedia. See previous blogpost Part 4

[The] Linux kernel uses GPLv2, and if you distribute GPLv2 code, you have to provide a copy of the source (and modifications) once someone asks for it. And now I’m asking nicely for you to do so 🙂

– Joga, bbs.onyx-international.com

In January, I bought a Boox Go 10.3—a 10.3-inch, 300-ppi, e-ink Android tablet.

After two months, I use the Boox daily—it’s replaced my planner, notebook, countless PDF print-offs, and the good parts of my phone.

But Boox’s parent company, Onyx, is sketchy.

I’m conflicted. The Boox Go is a beautiful, capable tablet that I use every day, but I recommend avoiding as long as Onyx continues to disregard the rights of its users.

How I’m using my Boox

Each morning, I plop down in front of my MagicHold laptop stand and journal on my Boox with Obsidian.

I use Syncthing to back up my planner and sync my Zotero library between my Boox and laptop.

In the evening, I review my PDF planner and plot for tomorrow.

I use these apps:

• Obsidian – a markdown editor that syncs between all my devices with no fuss for $8/mo.
• Syncthing – I love Syncthing—it’s an encrypted, continuous file sync-er without a centralized server.
• Meditation apps¹ – Guided meditation away from the blue light glow of my phone or computer is better.

Before buying the Boox, I considered a reMarkable.

The reMarkable Paper Pro has a beautiful color screen with a frontlight, a nice pen, and a “type folio,” plus it’s certified by the Calm Tech Institute.

But the reMarkable is a distraction-free e-ink tablet. Meanwhile, I need distraction-lite.

What I dislike

• Typing – Typing latency is noticeable.
  • At Boox’s highest refresh rate, after hitting a key, text takes between 150ms to 275ms to appear.
  • I can still type, though it’s distracting at times.

• Accessories
  • Pen – The default pen looks like a child’s whiteboard marker and feels cheap. I replaced it with the Kindle Scribe Premium pen, and the writing experience is vastly improved.
  • Cover – It’s impossible to find a nice cover. I’m using a $15 cover that I’m encasing in stickers.
• Tool switching – Swapping between apps is slow and clunky. I blame Android and the current limitations of e-ink more than Boox.
• No frontlight – The Boox’s lack of frontlight prevents me from reading more with it. I knew this when I bought my Boox, but devices with frontlights seem to make other compromises.

Onyx

The Chinese company behind Boox, Onyx International, Inc., runs the servers where the Boox routes telemetry. I block this traffic with Pi-Hole².

I inspected this traffic via Mitm proxy—most traffic was benign, though I never opted into sending any telemetry (nor am I logged in to a Boox account). But it’s also an Android device, so it’s feeding telemetry into Google’s gaping maw, too.

Worse, Onyx is flouting the terms of the GNU Public License, declining to release Linux kernel modifications to users. This is anathema to me—GPL violations are tantamount to theft.

Onyx’s disregard for user rights makes me regret buying the Boox.

Mar 13, 14:29 UTC
Resolved - This incident has been resolved.

Mar 13, 13:37 UTC
Update - We are continuing to monitor for any further issues.

Mar 13, 12:47 UTC
Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.

Mar 13, 11:36 UTC
Investigating - We are aware that users are having trouble editing Wikipedia and other Wikimedia wikis, and we are investigating.

When I was growing up, I used to wonder what kind of organization Wikipedia was. I imagined it as a massive company with thousands of writers creating articles on nearly every topic imaginable. It seemed like a place where experts were hired to document knowledge for the world.

Later in life, I discovered that I could create my own Wikipedia page. That realization sparked my curiosity. As I explored further, I encountered the Wikimedia Niger Delta Community and joined as a volunteer. It was during this time that I learned a profound truth—Wikipedia is built entirely by volunteers. Every article, every edit, and every addition to the vast repository of knowledge on Wikimedia platforms comes from individuals around the world who contribute freely, not from paid staff.

My involvement in the community deepened, and I eventually became an executive member of the Wikimedia Niger Delta Community. This journey shaped my passion for open knowledge and Wikimedia’s mission. Then, in 2025, a new challenge arose: the opportunity to lead a new community, the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Rivers Network. With this new responsibility, I set out to build a strong foundation for the network, ensuring that new members understood the vision and work of Wikimedia.

To achieve this, I organized our first project—Rivers State Wiki Hour: Wikimedia and You – Shaping the World of Free Knowledge. This event was designed to introduce new members to Wikimedia, educate them on its various projects, and inspire participants to become active contributors.

Rivers State Wiki Hour: Wikimedia and You – Shaping the World of Free Knowledge

Date: 3rd February 2025
Venue: Online (Virtual Session)
Theme: Wikimedia and You – Shaping the World of Free Knowledge

Overview of the Event

The Rivers State Wiki Hour was a knowledge-sharing and capacity-building session aimed at introducing new members to Wikimedia, demystifying its operations, and guiding participants on how to contribute meaningfully to the platform. The event was also an opportunity to build a strong volunteer base for the Rivers Network and foster collaboration with Wikimedia contributors from other regions.

Breakdown of Sessions and Facilitators

🟢 Section 1: Welcome & Keynote Address

Opening Remark

• Facilitator: Ejike Onyeke, Moderator & President, Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Rivers Network
• As the President of the newly established Wikimedia Rivers State Network, I welcomed participants and provided an overview of our mission. I emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing and how this session was designed to empower attendees to become active contributors.

Keynote Address: “The Power of Knowledge Sharing in Nigeria”

• Facilitator: Prof. Ngozi Osadebe
• Professor Ngozi Osadebe is a distinguished academic and advocate for open knowledge in Nigeria. She delivered an inspiring keynote address on the importance of knowledge democratization, emphasizing how Wikimedia serves as a powerful tool for bridging information gaps in Nigeria and across Africa.

🟢 Section 2: Understanding the Wikimedia Foundation

Facilitator: Ayokanmi Oyeyemi

Ayokanmi Oyeyemi, a dedicated Wikimedia contributor and advocate for free knowledge, led this session on the mission and vision of the Wikimedia Foundation. He provided a comprehensive overview of:

• The history and global impact of Wikimedia.
• The various Wikimedia projects include Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, Wikisource, and more.
• Why Wikimedia matters and how it ensures access to free, reliable, and verifiable knowledge.

Participants left this session with a deeper understanding of Wikimedia’s role in global education and the need for more local contributors.

🟢 Section 3: How You Can Contribute to Wikimedia Projects

Facilitator: Ashioma Medi

Ashioma Medi, an experienced Wikimedia editor passionate about local content creation, guided participants on how to actively contribute to Wikimedia projects.

She broke down the different ways individuals can get involved:

✔ Writing and editing Wikipedia articles – The basics of Wikipedia editing, including how to create an account, start an article, and make edits.

✔ Contributing in local languages – She highlighted Wikimedia projects that support Nigerian languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa, encouraging participants to translate and create content in these languages.

✔ Uploading media to Wikimedia Commons – A walkthrough on how to upload photos and videos, ensuring proper licensing for free reuse.

✔ The role of volunteers – How each individual plays a part in expanding free knowledge and ensuring underrepresented communities have a voice on Wikimedia.

🟢 Section 4: Volunteer Stories and Testimonials

Facilitator: Dr. Tesleemah Abdulkareem

Dr. Tesleemah Abdulkareem, a seasoned Wikimedia volunteer, shared her journey into Wikimedia. Her story covered:

• How she started as a contributor and gradually became a key player in the Wikimedia community.
• The challenges she faced as a female contributor and how she overcame them.
• Success stories, including how her contributions helped increase Nigerian representation on Wikimedia.

Her testimony served as an inspiration for new volunteers, proving that anyone can make a meaningful impact on Wikimedia.

🟢 Section 5: Next Steps & Networking

Facilitator: Adetola Aborisade

Adetola Aborisade, a community engagement strategist, concluded the event with a session on the next steps for new volunteers.

Key points discussed:

• How to stay engaged with the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Rivers Network.
• Upcoming events, including edit-a-thons, capacity-building workshops, and networking opportunities.
• Ways to connect with other Wikimedia communities in Nigeria and beyond.

The session ended with a networking opportunity, allowing participants to ask questions, share ideas, and build connections with fellow volunteers and Wikimedia leaders.

Key Outcomes of the Training

✅ Over 18 participants joined the session, showing strong interest in Wikimedia.
✅ Attendees gained foundational knowledge of Wikimedia’s mission and how they can contribute.
✅ Several participants made their first-ever edits on Wikipedia.
✅ The event strengthened the Wikimedia Rivers State Network, fostering new collaborations.
✅ Increased enthusiasm for documenting local knowledge and preserving Nigerian history on Wikimedia.

Next Steps for the Rivers Network

📌 Organizing a monthly Wiki Hour to continue training and onboarding new members.
📌 Hosting edit-a-thons focused on enriching content about Rivers State and Nigeria.
📌 Partnering with universities, schools, and cultural organizations to expand Wikimedia’s impact.
📌 Encouraging participants to complete Wikipedia’s online training and become active contributors.

Conclusion

The Rivers State Wiki Hour was a major success as the first project of the Wikimedia User Group Nigeria Rivers Network. It set the stage for more impactful activities, laying a foundation for a vibrant Wikimedia community in Rivers State.

For me, this project was not just about training new editors; it was about building a movement where people take ownership of knowledge production and ensure that our stories, culture, and achievements are well-documented.

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On March 9, 2025, I participated in the Wikipedia Town “Wikipedia town @Uji – Let’s research the Otogi Densha!” held in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. “Wikipedia Town” is a workshop in Japan that involves walking, researching, and writing on Wikipedia.

Background of the event

This event was planned by Miyoshi Nobuhiko, the representative of the UJI Media Center and librarian, to enrich the Wikipedia article about the “Otogi Densha” (Fairy Train) a sightseeing train that operated in Uji City in the 1950s.

Uji City is a tourist city with many tourist spots, including Byodoin Temple, and on this day, there were many tourists, including Asians, Europeans, Americans, in downtown Uji. However, this event seems to have the purpose of focusing on aspects other than tourist spots, reexamining the history and culture of Uji city, and using this to revitalize the region in a broader sense.

Walking around town

The event was held at Nakauji Yorin in the center of Uji City. After listening to an explanation of Wikipedia by the lecturer Kazuto Aoki (Professor at the Fukui Prefectural University) and Miya.m (veteran Wikipedian), we walked to Amagase Dam, where the Otogi Densha’s terminus was located. It was a long distance for a Wikipedia Town walk, but the weather was good and we were able to walk comfortably.

The Otogi Densha was a sightseeing train that operated from 1950 to 1960, and the track was submerged with the completion of Amagase Dam. Remains of the track can be seen above the outlet of the Former Shizugawa Power Plant, and according to Miya.m, who is also a rail fan, these remains of the track may have been the track that connected to the Otogi Densha.

Pre-prepared literature

Since the venue, Nakauji Yorin, is far from the Uji City Libraries, it was necessary to prepare the literature in advance. This time, the literature was collected not only from the Uji City Library’s collection, but also with the cooperation of the Kyoto Prefectural Library. The Kyoto Prefectural Library has a track record of cooperating with many Wikipedia Towns, and is reliable in that it understands the quantity and quality of literature required when editing Wikipedia.

Editing Wikipedia: “Otogi Densha”

The main theme of this time was “Otogi Densha” (おとぎ電車). A Wikipedia article was created in 2008, and since then, many people have edited it to form the current article. It can be said that there is no clear main author who writes most of the article.

Perhaps because of this, although the article appears to be full of text at first glance, there were some parts that were difficult to understand due to the structure of the article. For this reason, the instructors Miya.m and Kazuto Aoki took the lead in discussing the direction of editing, and then participants divided up the editing work and edited the points that interested them.

One participant commented that by reading an article from the perspective of “what kind of edits should be made to improve the article?”, one can see the problems with the article. Even Wikipedia articles that we usually read casually can reveal many difficult-to-read parts and inaccurate descriptions by reading them from a critical thinking perspective.

Wikipedia Edit: “Former Shizugawa Power Station”

The Former Shizugawa Power Station was also a major sightseeing spot on the walk around town. Since I am interested in modern architecture all over the country, I did not join the Otogi Densha editing group, but instead created a new Wikipedia article for the Former Shizugawa Power Station (旧志津川発電所) on my own.

The Former Shizugawa Power Station is a facility that is not open to the public, and does not have a strong presence on the web or in literature. However, it was part of the dam that was the pioneer of gravity concrete dams in Japan, and there is no doubt that it was a facility that greatly contributed to the modernization of Uji City and the Keihanshin area. I think it is a very meaningful subject for creating a Wikipedia article.

This post was prepared by the Wikisource Conference 2025 Organizing Team

After a decade-long wait, Wikisource volunteers from around the world finally had the chance to meet again at the International Wikisource Conference 2025, held in Bali, Indonesia. The last global Wikisource gathering took place in Vienna in 2015, making this reunion a truly momentous occasion for the community. Bali was chosen as the venue for this event due to its deep historical ties to the Wikisource Loves Manuscripts (WiLMa) project, an initiative inspired by the Wikimedia community in Bali to preserve endangered lontar (palm leaf) manuscripts on Wikisource. The event brought together over 100 participants from every continent, representing diverse perspectives from around the globe. Hosted from February 14 to 16, 2025, the conference was filled with inspiring keynotes, engaging workshops, and thought-provoking discussions, all aimed at shaping the future of Wikisource.

The conference was themed “Wikisource: Transform & Preserve Heritage Digitally” and featured a vibrant mix of sessions designed to engage and inspire. A lineup of keynote speakers provided invaluable insights into manuscript preservation, digital tools, and future collaborations. On Day 1, Munawar Holil (Indonesian Manuscript Society/Manassa) and Cokorda Rai Adi Paramartha (Udayana University) shared their expertise on Indonesian manuscript preservation, highlighting the importance of technological advancements such as the development of a keyboard in digitizing Balinese script. Their discussion inspired ideas for new collaborations between local experts and the Wikisource community. Day 2 featured Dr. Adi Keinan-Schoonbaert (British Library), who explored opportunities for Wikisource communities to contribute multilingual transcriptions for the Ground Truth initiative. Cassie Chan (Google Asia Pacific) introduced Google’s work in digitizing physical content through Google Books and Google Arts & Culture while raising critical questions about the challenges of AI-generated images. On Day 3, Andy Stauder (READ-COOP) reinforced READ-COOP’s commitment to Wikisource by discussing advancements in Transkribus’ Automatic Text Recognition (ATR), a machine learning tool designed to enhance manuscript transcription efficiency.

The event also featured hands-on workshops, allowing participants to explore practical applications of new technologies. Lightning talks provided quick insights into various projects, while community meetups fostered collaboration. Cultural immersion activities like the Cultural Village Trip and the Pasar Seni Photowalk offered participants a deeper appreciation of Balinese art and traditions, further enriching the conference experience.

One of the most highly anticipated discussions during the conference was unveiling conversations related to the Wikisource Roadmap, a strategic vision for the platform’s growth and development in the coming years. Participants were enthusiastic about the roadmap’s focus on strengthening the governance of the Wikisource community, improving user experience, expanding partnerships, and enhancing technical tools for manuscript digitization. The roadmap will serve as a blueprint for Wikisource’s continued evolution as a vital resource for digital preservation and open knowledge sharing.

As the conference concluded, attendees left Bali with renewed energy and a shared commitment to advancing Wikisource’s mission. The event reaffirmed the platform’s vital role in preserving historical texts and disseminating free knowledge. With new collaborations, enhanced technological tools, and an upcoming roadmap for the future, the Wikisource community is poised for even more remarkable achievements in the years to come. The Wikisource Conference 2025 was more than just a reunion, it was a celebration of a global movement dedicated to preserving and sharing the world’s literary heritage.

Watch the highlight video to experience the feeling and participants’ reactions at the Wikisource Conference 2025, here on Wikimedia Commons.

The Wikimedia Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the 2025 Wikimedia Research Fund, inviting proposals from researchers aiming to advance free knowledge through Wikimedia projects. 

The fund is open to individuals, groups, or organizations. Applicants should be established Wikimedia researchers or established researchers aiming to contribute to Wikimedia research. The fund supports projects across various disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, computer science, engineering, education, and law. 

We encourage researchers to collaborate with local Wikimedia affiliates and community members, whose on-the-ground experience can provide valuable insights and strengthen the impact of research initiatives. As in previous years, the Wikimedia community will be invited to participate in the review of grant proposals, helping ensure projects are relevant and effective. 

Building upon insights from previous funding cycles, this year’s fund introduces significant enhancements to better support the research community.

Key Updates for 2025

• Diverse Proposal Categories: The fund now accommodates three distinct types of proposals:
  • Research Proposals: These proposals focus on research projects that can be completed within a 12-month period. They aim to advance knowledge and understanding of Wikimedia projects through empirical studies, theoretical analyses, or methodological innovations. 
  • Extended Research Proposals: Recognizing that some research endeavors require longer timelines, the fund now accepts extended research proposals. Researchers can apply for projects spanning up to two years, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. This change acknowledges the depth and scope of research endeavors that cannot be confined to a single year.
  • Event and Community-Building Proposals: This category supports initiatives aimed at fostering community engagement and organizing events that promote research within the Wikimedia ecosystem. Examples include workshops, conferences, or collaborative projects that bring together researchers and community members. 
• Increased Funding Limits: Aligned with the extended timelines, applicants can now request higher funding amounts to adequately support comprehensive research activities. This adjustment ensures that projects have the necessary resources to achieve their objectives.
• Streamlined Review Process: To expedite funding decisions, the proposal review process has been refined from two stages to one, allowing for more efficient evaluations.
• Clarified Funding Criteria: The fund’s guidelines have been updated to clearly outline the types of projects that are eligible for support, ensuring applicants have a precise understanding of funding priorities.

Application Details:

• Proposal Submission Deadline: April 16, 2025.
• Project Duration: Up to 12 months for Research and Event proposals; up to 24 months for Extended Research proposals.
• Funding Range: Minimum request of $2,000. Maximum of $50,000 for Research and Event proposals, and up to $150,000 for Extended Research proposals (with a maximum of $75,000 per year).

Prospective applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review the fund’s guidelines and prepare their proposals accordingly. Detailed information and application materials are available on the Wikimedia Research Fund page.

Upcoming Information Session

An open call will be held to address questions about the fund and its recent changes:

• Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
• Time: 17:15 – 18:00 UTC
• Link to connect: https://meet.google.com/gbk-wfbf-acg 

This session offers an opportunity for potential applicants to seek clarifications and engage directly with the fund’s organizing committee.

“Since Wikipedia is a public-facing platform, I was really meticulous about what I actually wanted to put in the article. I really went over my writings, over and over, and made sure that they were accurate and a good representation of what I wanted to add.”

– Ekaterina Schiavone Hennighausen, first-year student at The George Washington University

And to the benefit of readers worldwide, Schiavone’s attention to detail paid off. When assigned the task of editing Wikipedia as part of her coursework last term, the international business major decided to combine her passion for sports with the mission to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of women.

“I’m really big into sports and I wanted to make sure that there’s a section talking about the women involved in Formula One, because they’re such a huge contributor to the sport, but they weren’t mentioned at all on Wikipedia,” explained Schiavone. 

Thanks to her efforts, the highly-trafficked article now includes a section with information about female engineers, past drivers, and other notable women involved in the sport. 

Last month, Schiavone and three other postsecondary student editors from across the country gathered virtually as the featured panelists for our Speaker Series webinar “Beyond the Classroom: Student editors improve Wikipedia.” Although the four students had never connected previously, their collaborative discussion often led to the discovery of shared sentiments, experiences, and reflections.

Like Schiavone, North Carolina Central University graduate student Johnny Shanahan felt an increased pressure from the open, accessible nature of Wikipedia, but his uncertainty quickly turned to appreciation.

“The public-facing element was maybe a little intimidating at first glance, but it ended up being a huge advantage throughout the whole process,” explained Shanahan, who created a new article for chemist Joseph Gordon II. “We had partners assigned for our subjects, and it’s not always easy to write something with more than one person contributing. The platform itself made it really, really easy and helpful, and there weren’t any bumps in the road that I had in other classes where we had group projects.” 

While Shanahan noted that he generally received positive feedback from Wikipedia editors, his fellow panelist Jianan Li experienced a rockier start to her work creating a new Wikipedia article about loneliness in old age.

After reviewing the constructive feedback her draft received and more thoroughly exploring the structure of existing Wikipedia articles, the UCLA graduate student set out to revise her text, rewriting the article in a more neutral tone and removing the argumentative style she was accustomed to using.

While Wikipedia already had a lengthy article about loneliness, Li was surprised at how little the article talked about older adults, given that they are at particular risk. During the panel discussion, Li expressed gratitude to the Wikipedia editors who engaged with her work on the new article, providing the feedback needed to align the article with Wikipedia’s style and tone.

“I feel this community is so alive because they are real people,” said Li, who ultimately received a special token of appreciation from a Wikipedia editor in recognition of her efforts. “They really make contributions to the articles with you, together. And on the talk page you will see a ‘thank’ button, so you can always thank them for their feedback and contributions that make this process more fun.”

As the panel discussion came to a close, moderator Brianda Felix asked the students to share something about their Wikipedia experience that surprised them. Brigham Young University history major Phoebe England highlighted three key areas:

“First, that I could even edit Wikipedia – I didn’t know that I, as a college student, could do that,” she emphasized. “Another thing was just how regulated Wikipedia is, and then the last thing that surprised me is how many people and things aren’t on Wikipedia that should be. It’s just insane the gaps that are there. I think this is such a great project for students because there’s still so many people and things that should be on Wikipedia that just aren’t yet.”

Schiavone, who was also surprised by Wikipedia’s regulations and editing guidelines,  echoed England’s reflection.

“It was really interesting to unravel everything that I learned in high school about Wikipedia,” said Schiavone. “There are so many people editing and monitoring what’s being put on Wikipedia that it can actually be used as a really helpful source and not just a starting place.”

Catch up on our Speaker Series on our YouTube channel and join us for our next webinar tomorrow, March 13!

Persistence & Progress: Confronting Wikipedia’s gender imbalance

Thursday, March 13 (10 am PST / 1 pm EST)
REGISTER NOW

Interested in incorporating a Wikipedia assignment into your course? Visit teach.wikiedu.org to learn more about the free resources, digital tools, and staff support that Wiki Education offers to postsecondary instructors in the United States and Canada. 

On March 8, 2025, I participated in “Wikipedia in Osaka Labor Archive” at Osaka Labor Archive in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

What is Osaka Labor Archive?

Osaka Labor Archive is a special library on the subject of labor. Its official name in Japanese is the 大阪産業労働資料館 (Osaka Industrial Labor Museum). This facility is known as a special library, but its English name is Osaka Labor Archive, and it has the characteristics of not only a library but also an archive.

Its high level of expertise as a special library has been recognized, and in 2016 it won the Excellence Award at the Library of the Year in Japan. In addition, in the trial of the Kansai Ready-Mixed Concrete Workers’ Union, in which the Kyoto District Court handed down a not guilty verdict on February 26, 2025, the union’s lawyers used materials held by the Osaka Labor Archive.

Archive Tour

In the morning, we listened to an explanation of Wikipedia by lecturer Kazuto Aoki (professor at the Fukui Prefectural University) and Miya.m (veteran Wikipedian), and then we had a tour of the archives guided by Director Kayoko Taniai.

The Osaka Labor Archive has a literary magazine, “Senki” (War Flag), from June 1929. This issue contains the first appearance of Takiji Kobayashi’s “Kani Kosen” and many other works, and although the editors have omitted many characters such as “xx”, the magazine was ultimately banned. The Osaka Labor Archive is the only public library in Japan that has this issue.

The participants included several university librarians, school librarians, and university professors in library and information science and other fields. If these people learn about the significance and characteristics of Wikipedia, edit articles in their own fields of expertise, and teach students how to use Wikipedia in their own classes, it will surely be a positive outcome for the Wikimedia Foundation’s projects. Some of the students were from universities in Osaka Prefecture, and it was wonderful to see them eager to participate in such extracurricular activities while still students.

Wikipedia edit

In the afternoon, we edited Wikipedia in the reading room. The organizers presented several topics, and after the participants chose their preferred topic, they split into several groups to conduct literature research and edit Wikipedia. I provided some support to the other participants and worked on adding to the Wikipedia page about Sanji Muto, who served as president of Kanebo from the late Meiji period to the early Showa period.

I have no knowledge of labor issues or social movements. The topics presented by the organizers included the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan and the Fujinagata Shipyard Dispute, but I thought that if I tackled these topics without any prior knowledge, I might end up posting inaccurate descriptions on the web, so I chose an article about a person that is easy to tackle even with little prior knowledge.

Muto was from Aichi Prefecture (where I live), and I once read an explanation introducing Muto as a local hero at Kaizu City Hirata Library. There is a bronze statue of Muto at Hirata Library, and I once took a photo of the statue and uploaded it to Wikimedia Commons.

The core of the existing article on Muto Sanji is a major addition made 14 years ago in 2011. The author seems to know Muto’s career well, but the citations seem lax compared to the current standards for citing sources required by Wikipedia in 2025.

Wikipedia requires that all text be cited as a rule, and different standards are required than for academic papers. I found the Complete Works of Muto in the National Diet Library Digital Collection, which describes Muto’s career in chronological order, and added text to the existing description while supplementing the sources.

In addition, the bronze statue of Muto in Kaizu City was made by the famous sculptor Fumio Asakura, but the existing article did not provide any explanation of the statue. When I searched for it on Asahi Shimbun Cross Search, I found that the statue was moved to Kaizu City due to various circumstances, including the deterioration of Kanebo’s performance, so I added a sentence to the end of the biography section.

Muto, who was also a journalist, had many enemies in political and business circles, and was shot to death by an unemployed man in 1934. I searched for an article about Muto’s shooting on the Kobe University Library Newspaper Article Collection website, added text about the circumstances of the shooting, and added images of newspaper articles that are in the public domain (PD). Both the Asahi Shimbun Cross Search and the Kobe University Library Newspaper Article Collection were copied from research methods used by other participants. There is a lot to learn from events with many information search professionals.

Edited articles by all participants

Newly created:

“History of the Social Labor Movement in Osaka” (大阪社会労働運動史)

Osaka Social Movement Association (大阪社会運動協会)

Additions to existing articles:

Labor Archive (大阪産業労働資料館)

General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (日本労働組合総評議会)

Fujinagata Shipyards (藤永田造船所)

Muto Sanji (武藤山治)

Exchange of opinions

In the exchange of opinions after the editing was finished, the question “What kind of person can create a standalone article on Wikipedia?” was asked, leading to a heated discussion between the instructor and other Wikipedians. The instructor, Miya.m, presented “Wikipedia:Notability” and answered that a standalone article can be created for a person who has “significant mentions in reliable sources unrelated to the subject,” but the questioner did not seem to be completely convinced.

Wikipedia:Notability is a “guideline” in Wikipedia’s rules, and is said to be “something that many users basically agree on and are recommended to follow.” Under this guideline, the notability of each person is judged for each field and discussion, and in some cases it is difficult to say that it is consistent. In a sense it can be said to be inconsistent, which can be confusing for new participants, but I think it is the best guideline considering the characteristics of Wikipedia.

Mar 12, 13:54 UTC
Resolved - This incident has been resolved.

Mar 12, 13:50 UTC
Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.

Mar 12, 12:23 UTC
Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue.

Mar 12, 11:35 UTC
Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.

Mar 12, 11:34 UTC
Investigating - We are aware that users are having trouble editing Wikipedia and other Wikimedia wikis, and we are investigating.

This article was originally published in the Signpost on February 27th, 2025

When you click the “edit” button on a wiki, you’re likely focused on improving the content. The process feels seamless: edit, save, repeat. From patrolling new edits to uploading photos or joining a campaign, you can count on the Wikimedia platform to be up and running—in your language, anywhere in the world. That is, except for a couple of minutes during the equinoxes.

Twice a year, around the equinoxes, the Wikimedia Foundation’s Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team performs a datacenter server switchover, redirecting all traffic from one primary server to another—essentially a backup. But why? In case of a crisis we can rely on the other datacenter.

The scheduled switchover process allows for essential maintenance and improvements at the backup center. It also allows the team to test their procedures, minimize the impact of the read-only time, and work on the overall reliability of the sites.

Thanks to Listen to Wikipedia, a playful tool that turns each edit into a sound and visualizes it as a floating bubble in real-time, you can actually hear the switchover take place. Before the switchover starts, you will hear the steady stream of edit sounds. But then—about 2 minutes in—the sound stops, which means the system has entered the read-only phase. And when the sounds start up again? That’s the moment engineers can finally breathe—it’s the clear signal that the toughest part of the switchover is done and edits are flowing again. Watch this video to experience that extraordinary moment.

This rare interruption happens because all Wikimedia wikis rely on a server designed specifically for their needs and managed by the Wikimedia Foundation. This setup allows us to remain independent, while delivering a reliable experience for users around the world.

The SRE team oversees a global network of datacenters, seven in total, spanning the United States, Singapore, the Netherlands, France, and, most recently, Brazil. These datacenters allow articles and other content to load quickly, securely, and privately, to be accessed anywhere and anytime.

At the heart of this network are the two application server groups which host the live copies of the projects. Having two application server groups is necessary to keep all the wikis we host alive: if one server fails, the second one can take over, and vice-versa. With an estimated 342 edits per minute happening on Wikipedia alone, having a backup server is a must.

While the switchover may sound simple, the reality is that the process has evolved significantly over the years.

Every equinox, it’s switchover time

Since its inception, the datacenter switchover has been refined and is now largely automated. What once took nearly an hour of read-only downtime now takes between 2 and 3 minutes–a significant leap forward in efficiency. But how did we get here?

It all started in 2015, when an increase in donations allowed the Foundation to allocate a larger budget to establish a second datacenter capable of hosting the core of our ecosystem, using MediaWiki, and all other services that make it work. To prove the new datacenter’s capabilities, the SRE team had to test that all operations could be fully served from this new location.

The first switchover, in March 2016, was a big undertaking. It took six months of preparation and the effort of ten engineers. Beyond the technical groundwork, the Foundation shared the switchover timeline through banners, village pumps, and other outreach channels, keeping everyone informed.

During the process, a technical limitation in MediaWiki forced the SRE team to set the wikis to read-only mode for 45 minutes, followed by two hours of somewhat degraded performance. The wikis remained accessible, but no one could edit them. Shifting operations from a “warm” datacenter — already handling significant traffic — to a “cold” datacenter had noticeable impacts. The key takeaway? Regular switchover practice was essential.

By deciding to schedule switchovers regularly, the team wanted to guarantee that the backup center is always prepared to take over full operations in the event of an emergency. After each switchover, the new primary data center handles all traffic for a week, allowing time for essential maintenance and improvements at the secondary center. It also allows the team to test their procedures, diminish the impact of the read-only time, and work on the reliability of the sites.

Why the equinox?

Picking something memorable that does not particularly change across cultures, countries, hemispheres, jurisdictions, et cetera, allows more people to remember it and relate to it, making it more fitting to our global movement. Human-made things tend to vary a lot and have different connotations (including bad ones) across cultures, so we settled on something that has been close to a constant for humankind since times immemorial. That’s an astronomical event that has been quite predictable by humankind for millennia: the solar equinox.

Keen-eyed Wikimedians will certainly note the traffic is not redirected precisely on the day of the equinox but on the Wednesday the week it happens, as it requires some preparation work. But it’s easy for everyone to remember, whether it’s editors, affiliates hosting events, or developers improving the platform’s codebase.

The decision to align the system switchover with the equinoxes reflects both practicality and a nod to Principal Site Reliability Engineer Alexandros Kosiaris’ passion for astronomy. The equinoxes aren’t just a functional choice — they’re an irresistible one, as they mark a natural rhythm that resonates with the team. As they like to say, edits “fly north in the spring and south in the fall”, mirroring the migratory path of birds between datacenters.

To build resilience into this process and make sure all the right people know how to run it, the newest team member manages the switchover. A rite of passage that guarantees the process is thoroughly documented, easy to follow, and provides hands-on experience on one of the most critical operations. It’s also a reminder that behind the editing experience of the Wikimedia projects is a team of dedicated engineers, constantly learning and improving.

So the next time you click “edit”, know that behind that simple action lies a carefully maintained network that makes your contribution part of the world’s shared knowledge — a collaboration of people and technology that makes the whole system work, unseen but essential.

If you want to keep an ear out for the next server switchover, listen to the wikis on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at 14:00 UTC.

🕑 1 hour 39 minutes

Jonathan Lee is the director of the MediaWiki-based wiki hosting company Weird Gloop.

Links for some of the topics discussed:

• Weird Gloop
• "Why we're helping more wikis move away from Fandom" (October 2024 blog post)
• The RuneScape wiki
• OSRS ("Old School RuneScape") Wiki
• Fandom RuneScape Grand Market tutorial video from 2017
• "How to Make an Old Fashioned" (Mahalo.com instructional video from 2010)

Wikidata needs an open-source developer to make its geographical query results compatible with GPS devices and other geo-spatial tools. Here’s why…

If you query Wikidata (the database sibling project of Wikipedia) for geographically locatable subjects (say, a list of accredited museums in the UK) the results are returned in a table.

When the data has coordinates, with a single click (on the left-hand menu, in desktop view) the results can also be displayed on a map.

The tabular data can be downloaded (via the right-hand menu) in a number of formats, such as CSV, HTML or JSON.

The Wikidata community would like users to be able also to export the data in one or more GPS-friendly formats. These are not only useful for GPS devices, but are compatible with other mapping and visualisation tools. I opened a ticket for this feature request—in 2019!

A patch to do this, supporting GPX, GeoJSON and KML, has been coded. However, it relies on a number of libraries, which in turn introduce numerous dependencies on other libraries. Because these libraries all need to be security-checked, and maintained, using the patch would be cost-prohibitive. As a result, it has been declined.

We are told that it should be possible to code the conversions directly, so that the libraries are not needed. Or to look at removing what we do not need from those libraries. This “requires a developer with a bit more understanding of the formats to look into it”.

I’m not a developer, and the nuts-and-bolts of this are mysterious to me.

We need someone with the relevant knowledge and experience, willing to work on an open-source fix, for the common good.

Who will step up and take on this pro-bono work?

The post Developer needed to make Wikidata’s geographical data compatible with GPS tools appeared first on Andy Mabbett, aka pigsonthewing..

• Albania report: Celebrating the English Wikipedia’s Birthday in Albania!
• Belgium report: Belgium Public Domain Day and Dance Heritage
• Brazil report: Wiki and COP30 in the Amazon rainforest
• Germany report: GLAM digital and seminar on Jewish life
• Italy report: GLAM call and Progetto cultura
• Netherlands report: [GLAM metrics] Usage of Delpher in Dutch Wikipedia articles
• New Zealand report: Wikipedia podcast episode, Trilepidea newsletter article, and the Wikipedian at Large
• North Macedonia report: Wikimedia MKD GLAM program for 2025
• Poland report: What’s up in GLAM in Poland
• Switzerland report: Swiss GLAM Programme
• UK report: Islamic and Jewish history
• Ukraine report: GLAM news from Ukraine – events for libraries, #1Lib1Ref, launch of a larger GLAM product
• USA report: February meetings
• Biodiversity Heritage Library report: BHL-Wiki Working Group February monthly highlights
• AvoinGLAM report: Connecting Media Art Archives
• Memory of the World report: 5.1 million image views
• Wikidata report: Wikidata event: Data Reuse Days 2025
• Wikisource report: Wikisource Conference 2025
• Wikimedia and Libraries User Group report: Wikimedia + Libraries International Convention 2025
• Calendar: March’s GLAM events

27/02/2025-05/03/2025

Mapping

• The proposal to add catenary_mast:*=*, the structures that support the system of overhead wires used to supply electricity to overhead powered vehicles such as trams, street cars, light rail, trains, and trolleybuses, is open for voting until Saturday 15 March.

Community

• Pieter Vander Vennet has conducted an analysis of location reviews published via MapComplete and Mangrove Reviews.
• Michael Kennedy, host of the Talk Python Podcast, interviewed Geoff Boeing, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, to discuss the power of OpenStreetMap as a global mapping resource. The conversation also explored Geoff’s Python library, OSMnx, which simplifies the process of downloading, modelling, and visualising OpenStreetMap data.
• Une Famille à Vélo showcased a selection of OpenStreetMap-based apps ► designed for use before and during a bike trip.
• Christoph Hormann warned of the knowledge retention and generational succession problem within the OpenStreetMap movement, citing significant losses as experienced contributors left without adequate support to pass on their expertise and the lack of a supportive environment for younger people interested in map design to develop their skills.
• Ted, from the Trufi Association, gave us an update on Salim Bouhorma, a Moroccan developer whose career was launched after he single-handedly mapped his hometown, Tétouan in 2020.
• Peter Elderson shared his perspective on mapping and tagging pedestrian and bicycle crossings.
• Supaplex reported ► that on Saturday 22 February OpenStreetMap Taiwan collaborated with the Wikidata Taiwan community to survey Luodong’s streets and temples, collecting street-view images and mapping religious sites. Meanwhile, at the g0v Hackathon, participants used online resources including the TRFC (Taiwanese Religion and Folk Culture) temple list and RapiD’s Overture data overlay to enhance temple mapping in Taipei’s Wanhua district.
• Long time contributor Dan Jacobson brought up a few issues to discuss in the community forum of Taiwan. Mainly about the correctness of the translation of village names, improvements in the user experience for CJK search, and the Taiwan community forum title being too long.

OpenStreetMap Foundation

• The OpenStreetMap Foundation announced that OSM has been accepted as a mentoring organisation for this year’s Google Summer of Code, a global program that provides stipends for students and new open-source developers to contribute code to open-source projects. Applications will open in mid-March via Google’s official GSoC website and prospective applicants are encouraged to begin preparations in advance.

Local chapter news

• OpenStreetMap US has published its February 2025 newsletter. It spotlights Attilia’s completion of forest landcover in West Virginia (we reported earlier).
• Kiri Carini and Jazzy Smith have been elected as new members of the OpenStreetMap US Board following the recent election results. Meanwhile, Matthew Whilden was re-elected and will continue serving for another two-year term.

Events

• Registration ► is still open for the Green Open Data Day 2025, to be held on Monday 31 March, promoted by the IVIDES, in cooperation with HUB YouthMappers Rio de Janeiro and Open Knowledge Foundation. Raquel Dezidério Souto has more information in her diary post.

OSM research

• A study using OpenStreetMap data has revealed that counties including the US and UK dedicate significantly more land to golf courses than to renewable energy. Repurposing these areas could generate up to 842 GW of solar and 659 GW of wind power – surpassing current and projected capacity in many top golfing nations.

Humanitarian OSM

• In response to the Trans-Sumatra Highway being completely cut off by severe flooding between Jambi and Padang, the OpenStreetMap Indonesia community swiftly coordinated efforts to update the map, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information for travellers and authorities.

Maps

• John Nelson released a video tutorial on downloading high-resolution OpenStreetMap data using ArcGIS Online.
• Matt Whilden has developed HighSchoolMascotMap, an interactive web map that visualises high school mascots across the United States. You can also contribute to this project by adding mascot data to OpenStreetMap through this MapRoulette challenge.
• GitHub user pkoby has developed LGBTQ+ Map, an interactive web tool that assesses the inclusivity of public spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. The map categorises locations based on their level of acceptance, ranging from explicitly LGBTQ+ friendly to outright prohibitive. The data is sourced from OpenStreetMap’s lgbtq=* tag.

OSM in action

• Inijabar.com has launched Inijabar Maps, an OpenStreetMap-based interactive web map that visualises news locations ► across West Java, Indonesia.
• Justine Williams and Irene de la Torre Arenas, of the Financial Times, have designed an interactive OpenStreetMap-based map highlighting the locations of artwork installations across New York City’s subway network.
• Levels FYI have released the Software Engineer Pay Bubble Map, an interactive tool that visualises total compensation ranges for software engineers across European cities, complete with a colour-coded legend. The platform has also introduced salary heatmaps for the United States and India, offering insights into regional pay trends.

Open Data

• Lilli Iliev and Heike Gleibs, from Wikimedia Deutschland, have proposed ► several actionable steps that the German federal government could take to support and promote free knowledge.
• Henri has developed a toolchain to enhance access to cycling path geodata in OpenStreetMap, offering a dataset ► of all the cycling routes across Europe from the Geofabrik dataset.
• At the Wikidata Data Reuse Days 2025, Volker Krause showcased ► the KDE Itinerary app’s use of Wikidata and OpenStreetMap to display accurate public transport logos and colours. By combining public transport line identifiers from Wikidata with geographic data from OpenStreetMap, the app ensures correct branding even for similar lines in different cities.

Software

• Map Amore showcased the Walkers Guide, an initiative aimed at creating a free and accessible global map that provides navigational support tailored for blind and visually impaired pedestrians.
• Candid Dauth has initiated a complete rewrite of the OSM History Viewer and OSM Route Manager, tools used for visualising and analysing changesets and route relations, with plans to integrate them into FacilMap. Once the transition is complete, the original services will be discontinued, with redirects put in place.
• Tiny Static Map is a lightweight JavaScript library (~1 kB) that generates static map images centred on specified coordinates, utilising OpenStreetMap tiles. Its minimalistic design allows for easy integration into web pages, enabling developers to display maps without relying on external APIs or complex setups.
• Leaflet now shows an OSM attribution if OSM tile servers are used and the web developer did not configure the attribution explicitly, following community discussion. If you find other cases of OSM tile server usage without explicit attribution, please report them to the OSMF, by opening a ticket.
• Simon Poole explained the intricate complexity of the changeset upload process in the OpenStreetMap API, while confirming that this issue will be addressed in Vespucci’s forthcoming version 21.

Programming

• LavX News has reviewed map3d, a tool for creating 3D maps using OpenStreetMap data, with support for exporting models in GLB format.
• Tykayn has developed Wololo! ►, a set of tools for converting and refining datasets from GeoJSON or CSV formats for import into OpenStreetMap. The project name is a reference to the priest unit in Age of Empires, which is used to convert an opponent’s unit to the player’s side.

Releases

• The Vespucci 21.0.0 release notes highlight many improvements in the support for uploading photos and general behaviour.
• TrickyFoxy has published better-osm-org 0.9, which includes: the display of satellite images in Chrome-based browsers, displaying photos from Mapillary, visualisation of direction=*, display of the number of comments near links to changesets, and the ability to open objects in a changeset in JOSM or Level0.
• The newly released Sketch Map Tool v2.1 features higher accuracy in digitising hand-sketched markings on Sketch Maps, thanks to a larger training dataset and an updated machine learning model for sketch detection. New user metrics show that thousands of Sketch Maps are created every month all over the world.
• Organic Maps version January 2025.01.26 has been released. This update includes improved navigation with speed limit signs, new language support, Android Auto and iOS enhancements, improved POI icons, and added map data details for communication and observation towers.
• Alexis Lecanu announced the release of version 1.7.0 of Baba, an Android and iOS application designed for contributing to the Panoramax project.

Did you know that …

• ^[1] … the Sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí, the location of the Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), can be seen in 3D using the F4map demo? This area is officially known as the Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro in honour of his services.
• … osm.org now displays the number of changes in a changeset on the history page of the changeset?
• … Commute Time Map allows you to create reachability maps for different forms of transport?
• … most OpenStreetMap services now use LetsEncrypt’s Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) HTTPS certificates for improving performance and privacy?
• … the Mozilla Firefox web browser redirects osm.ogr to openstreetmap.org?
• … you can render all the flags in front of the UN headquarters by using the man_made=flagpole tag and Ultra?

OSM in the media

• Benedikt Bucher from CHIP reported ►, on OpenCycleMap, an online map optimised for cyclists based on OpenStreetMap, which highlights cycling routes and includes extras including parking spots, repair stations, and water refill points. Particularly useful are the elevation view for route planning and the option to display public transport connections. However, it lacks built-in navigation, making it more suitable for pre-trip planning.

Other “geo” things

• The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) has successfully shown that Earth-based GNSS signals can be used on the lunar surface. Aboard the Blue Ghost lander, the first commercial lunar lander to achieve a successful Moon landing, the LuGRE utilised signals from two global navigation satellite systems, GPS and Galileo. These constellations provided real-time tracking data, marking a significant milestone in lunar navigation technology.
• Polish GNSS researchers have identified ship-based GNSS jammers in the Baltic Sea, shedding light on shifting patterns of GNSS disruptions in the region. Over a six-month period, starting in June 2024, the team recorded 84 hours of GNSS interference. Some incidents lasted up to seven hours, causing horizontal positioning errors of up to 30 m, enough to impact navigation in confined waterways.

Upcoming Events

Where	What	Online	When	Country
	UN Mappers #ValidationFriday – Roads Mappy Hour		2025-03-07
Lerdo	Mapeando tu escuela		2025-03-07
	OSMF Engineering Working Group meeting		2025-03-07
Anglet	Rencontre Mapadour (Groupe local Pays Basque – Sud Landes)		2025-03-07
Zagreb	Zagreb mapathon @ FER		2025-03-07
Moers	Starke Frauen, Brot und Rosen – Community-Hackday im JuNo in Moers		2025-03-07 – 2025-03-09
Ciudad de México	A Synesthete’s Atlas: Cartographic Improvisations between Eric Theise and Adriana Camacho		2025-03-08
Dwarka	14th OSM Delhi Mapping Party		2025-03-09
København	OSMmapperCPH		2025-03-09
Grenoble	Découverte d’OpenStreetMap		2025-03-10
中正區	OpenStreetMap x Wikidata Taipei #74		2025-03-10
Zürich	173. OSM-Stammtisch Zürich		2025-03-11
Hamburg	Hamburger Mappertreffen		2025-03-11
Žilina	Missing Maps mapathon Žilina #16		2025-03-13
Pankow	201. Berlin-Brandenburg OpenStreetMap Stammtisch		2025-03-13
München	Münchner OSM-Treffen		2025-03-13
Marseille	Conférence présentation d’OpenStreetMap		2025-03-14
Marseille	Balade et cartopartie – Parcours de fraîcheur		2025-03-15
Comuna 13 – San Javier	Junta OSM Latam – Avances SotM Latam 2025 Medellín		2025-03-15
Metz	Cartopartie – Quartier du Pontiffroy Metz		2025-03-15
	Local Chapters and Communities Congress 2025		2025-03-15
	Panoramax monthly international meeting		2025-03-17
	Missing Maps London: (Online) Mid-Month Mapathon [eng]		2025-03-18
Lyon	Réunion du groupe local de Lyon		2025-03-18
Bonn	186. OSM-Stammtisch Bonn		2025-03-18
Lüneburg	Lüneburger Mappertreffen	✓	2025-03-18
Karlsruhe	Stammtisch Karlsruhe		2025-03-19
Zürich	Missing Maps Zürich Mapathon		2025-03-19
Stainach-Pürgg	16. Österreichischer OSM-Stammtisch (online)	✓	2025-03-19
Düsseldorf	Düsseldorfer OpenStreetMap-Treffen (online)		2025-03-21
Chemnitz	Chemnitzer Linux-Tage 2025		2025-03-22 – 2025-03-23
Stadtgebiet Bremen	Bremer Mappertreffen		2025-03-24

Note:
If you like to see your event here, please put it into the OSM calendar. Only data which is there, will appear in weeklyOSM.

This weeklyOSM was produced by Raquel Dezidério Souto, Strubbl, Supaplex, TheSwavu, TrickyFoxy, barefootstache, jcr83, mcliquid.
We welcome link suggestions for the next issue via this form and look forward to your contributions.

Mar 7, 15:09 UTC
Resolved - This incident has been resolved.

Mar 7, 14:55 UTC
Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.

Mar 7, 14:45 UTC
Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.

Mar 7, 14:42 UTC
Update - We are continuing to investigate this issue.

Mar 7, 14:42 UTC
Investigating - We are aware that developers are having trouble updating and checking out code from gerrit.wikimedia.org and our engineers are working on it.

At Fosdem 2025 I had the opportunity to arrange the Web Performance developer room together with Dave, Julien and Nazim from Mozilla.

FOSDEM is a completely free and open conference held annually in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to promoting free and open-source software and knowledge sharing. One thing I particularly like about FOSDEM is that all speakers volunteer their time and expertise, making it truly community-driven. All sessions were recorded, so I'm excited to share the videos here for those who couldn't attend.

Our developer room was fully packed during several sessions, it was great to see that people still care about web performance.

Here are the talks from our Web Performance room this year:

• How browsers REALLY load Web pages - Robin Marx (video)
• Making Sense of the Long Animation Frames (LoAF) API - Andy Davies (video)
• Scheduling HTTP streams - Alexander Krizhanovsky (video)
• Chromium on Android: How we doubled Speedometer & developed the LoadLine benchmark - Eric Seckler, Gurj Bahia (video)
• Collaborate using the Firefox Profiler - Nazım Can Altınova (video)

Enjoy watching the talks!

After nearly three years of advocacy by the Polish Wikimedia community and open knowledge activists, the Polish government has committed to restoring free and open licensing for its digital content. This marks a significant step toward greater transparency and public access to information in Poland.

The Road to Openness

Until August 2022, all content published on the Gov.PL portal—including text, images, and multimedia from government ministries and agencies—was available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 3.0 PL) license. This allowed for widespread reuse, including within Wikimedia projects. However, without public explanation, in 2022 the government abruptly switched to a restrictive license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL), preventing reuse on Wikimedia platforms and limiting the openness of government information.

In response, civil society organizations in Poland, including Wikimedians, began advocating for the return to free licensing. Wikimedia Europe engaged directly by submitting Freedom of Information Act requests to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Digital Affairs, seeking clarity on the reasons behind the change and urging a policy reversal.

A Turning Point in Parliament

On 21 February 2024, the lower house of the Polish parliament (Sejm) convened a committee session on “Open Access to Re-use of Public Information and Data and Citizens’ Access to Knowledge about the State.” Local Wikimedians – Maciej Nadzikiewicz, Szymon Grabarczuk, and Łukasz Lipiński, were invited to participate in the hearing, with Nadzikiewicz presenting an expert opinion and insights on the impact of restrictive licensing.

Following discussions, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Michał Gramatyka, made a decisive statement:

“It is in my view self-evident that government content should be made available under open licences. Everything that is produced with public money should be made available for public use. I am a big supporter of open licences.”

Gramatyka announced that his ministry would begin coordinating with all government ministries to restore free licensing, starting with multimedia content on official government Flickr accounts by the end of this quarter. Work will follow on extending free licensing to all content, including the Gov.PL portal.

A Landmark Success for Open Knowledge

This commitment represents a major victory for the Wikimedia community and open knowledge advocates in Poland. It restores access to valuable public information and signals a broader shift towards transparency and openness in the Polish government’s digital policy.

We celebrate this success and look forward to seeing Poland reaffirm its leadership in open government data – having scored top positions in the Open Maturity Data ranking in the previous years. This achievement underscores the power of persistent advocacy and collaboration in shaping policies that benefit the public and support free knowledge worldwide.