Commons:Structured data
About Structured Data on Commons
Structured data on Commonsismultilingual information about a media filethat can be understood byhumans,with enough consistency that it can also be uniformly processed bymachines.
The basics
Each media file page on Wikimedia Commons has a 'File information' and 'Structured data' tab.
We look at a simple example of a featured image on Wikimedia Commons:Würfelzucker (2018).
Add multilingual captions to files
Under theFile informationtab, you can addfile captionsin many languages: short, factual descriptions about the file, without hyperlinks or wikitext. These file captions make the file easier to find in search.
What is depicted (shown) in a file?
Under theStructured datatab, you can indicate what is portrayed ( "depicted" ) in the file. In this case: twelve white sugar cubes. The screenshot below is animated, demonstrating how the descriptive elements are multilingual. You can see structured data in a different language by switching your interface language setting.
More information: seeCommons:Depicts.
Other statements about a file
Also under theStructured datatab, you can add other descriptive information about the file. This example describes the file's license, creator and quality assessment.
More information: seeCommons:Statements.
What Structured Data on Commons does
Structured data on Commons improves access, searchability, exploration and provides new ways to use the content.
Improving accessibility
- Multilingual:Provides labels in over 300 languages which are added automatically.
- Accessibility:Provides information that makes content more accessible to users with specific needs e.g. blind and partially sighted.
New ways to find content
- Searchability:Allows people to easily find content through better descriptions of what they depict.
New ways to explore and use content
- Connect knowledge from different sources:Allows content from many sources together to provide new ways to explore and visualise a subject.
- Explore collections and topics:Collates content to provide new ways to explore collections and topics.
- Usable by other websites and services:SDC data is free and machine readable meaning and ready to be used in apps and other content.
Improving the quality of information
- Data with references:Data can reference to its sources, allowing you to see the original creator of the information and corroborated by third parties.
- Queryable:Allows queries to check data quality across 1,000s of files at once, allowing people to more easily identify and correct missing, out of date or incorrect information.
A few easy ways to start
- Uploada new, freely licensed file to Wikimedia Commons. You will be prompted to add multilingual file captions(help page)and depicts statements(help page).
- Add structured data to some high-quality images supported by a Wikimedia chapter,via the ISA Tool.(You must log in with a Wikimedia account here.)
Get in touch
- Use thetalk page of Structured Data on Commonsto ask questions.
- Report bugsandpost feature requestsonPhabricator(Help).
How you can help
- Helpwriting documentationabout Structured Data on Commons.
- Discuss and decide how filesshould be described,atCommons:Structured data/Modeling.
Tools to add structured data to files
ISAis a tool to help beginners to adddepictsstatements and multilingual captions to files.Read more.
AC/DC( "Add to Commons, Descriptive Claims" ) is a Wikimedia Commons gadget to help with batch editing. It allows adding statements to a group of files (for example a category).Read more.
SDCis a user script similar toCat-a-lotthat allows adding limited number of structured data statements to files in a category.Read more.
Depictorlets you add depicts statements using a game-like interface. You can customize it using specific categories or SPARQL queries.
Image Annotatoris a tool that runs image annotation campaigns on Wikimedia Commons.
OpenRefineis a powerful and flexible tool to add structured data to Wikimedia Commons files in batch (from OpenRefine 3.6).
Info for developers
Development of Structured Data on Commons istracked on Phabricator.
Structured Data on Commons is powered by theWikibasesoftware. Data can be accessed via API; seemw:Wikibase/APIfor documentation.
The extension used for structured data isWikibaseMediaInfo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of structured data should I add? How should I describe a certain file in structured data?
- For best practices on Depicts statements, seeCommons:Depicts.
- For inspiration and examples of other statements, please check theModelingpages. Feel free to ask questions there and contribute to the documentation yourself. The data model of Structured Data on Commons is a work in progress and is designed by the Wikimedia Commons community.
How can I find files that already have structured data?
You can use the Wikimedia Commons search function to find files with structured data. A few examples:
- All files that depict a bunny (Q9394)
- All files with a caption in Italian
- All files with the word 'broccoli' in a file caption
- All files that have a structured data statement saying that the file's license is CC BY-SA 4.0
- All files that donothave a Depicts statement
How can I add structured data to many files at once?
You can use thetoolsmentioned on this page; see above.
Other questions?
Check theFrequently Asked Questionspage.
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