Extending Traditional Wiki Systems with Geographical Content

The paper is an overview of the project that is being carried out at the Warsaw University of Technology. The project strives to create a Wikipedia – like system, that will allow people to collaboratively create and edit vector data, especially city maps and plans (instead of text, as in traditional wiki systems, such as Wikipedia) in order to provide communities and businesses an accurate and cheap geospatial information. Contrary to other systems that have been created towards this purpose, and which could be potentially integrated into Wikipedia, the system which has been described assumes that geospatial accuracy is not achievable for ordinary users and thus provides built-in mechanisms for dealing with data uncertainty and inaccuracy. Additionally a collaboration infrastructure essential for Wikipedia-like growth (version control, possibility to discuss and revert changes, reliance on conceptual objects – such as crossroads – instead of absolute geospatial coordinates etc.) is also provided. Finally the system prototype is designed in such a way, that no external software (such as Java VM), apart from ordinary web browser, will be required.