2025:Program/Unlocking Government Data for Wikidata: Stories, Impacts, and Open Dialogue
Session title: Unlocking Government Data for Wikidata: Stories, Impacts, and Open Dialogue
- Session type: Lecture
- Track: Open Data
- Language: en
š„ š¦š²ššš¶š¼š» šæš²š°š¼šæš±š¶š»š“: https://w.wiki/FAjg
ETHERPAD (audience notes) link: https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/2025_N7BDNB
As part of the 20th anniversary celebration of Wikimania, this session will explore how the reuse of public domain & government datasets enriches Wikidata & bolsters public engagement with Wikimedia projects. Drawing inspiration from previous sessions such as "Add Your Country to Wikidata Govdirectory" (2023, 2024) & the Philippine success story featured on diff.wikimedia.org titled "Ten Years of Philippine Local Government Data as a Gift to Wikidataās 12-Year Anniversary", this program highlights the practical & transformative benefits of structured open data.
Through short, compelling stories, participants will learn about successful case studies showcasing integration of government data into Wikidata. The session will culminate in an open forum where attendees can ask questions & exchange insights on accessing & reusing government datasets to create a more inclusive & impactful Wikimedia ecosystem.
Description
This session aims to inspire and educate Wikimedians on the transformative power of integrating government and public domain datasets into Wikidata. By leveraging open and structured data, participants will explore ways to strengthen public engagement, enrich Wikimedia projects, and foster inclusivity within the ecosystem.
Objectives: 1. Showcase the successful reuse of government datasets in Wikidata, in various parts of the world including the Philippines. 2. Provide attendees with actionable insights for identifying and integrating public datasets into Wikimedia projects. 3. Encourage a collaborative exchange of ideas to inspire global participation in data-driven initiatives.
Session Structure: 1. Introduction: Overview of session goals and relevance on inclusivity, impact and sustainability 2. Stories of Impact: Share short stories demonstrating the reuse of public domain and government datasets in Wikidata. Include contributions such as the Philippine Local Government Data initiative. 3. Open Forum: Facilitate a Q&A session for attendees to discuss challenges, successes, and future opportunities for government data in Wikimedia projects.
Intended Audience: Wikimedia contributors, data enthusiasts, advocates for open knowledge who are interested in leveraging public datasets to enhance the inclusivity, impact, and sustainability of Wikimedia projects.
Expected Outcomes: - Increased awareness of the value of government datasets for Wikidata. - Empowered attendees equipped with ideas and strategies to pursue similar initiatives in their own communities. - Strengthened global collaboration on open data projects within Wikimedia.
Additional Notes: This session directly builds on the momentum of previous related sessions at Wikimania 2023 and 2024. Attendees will gain practical knowledge and inspiration to amplify the impact of government datasets for Wikimediaās future.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 ā Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
The session directly aligns with Wikimania 2025's theme, "Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability." in several meaningful ways:
1. Inclusivity:
By showcasing the reuse of public domain and government datasets, the session encourages broader participation in Wikimedia projects, including contributions from underrepresented regions and communities. It emphasizes inclusivity by demonstrating how open data can empower diverse contributors to enhance global knowledge equity.
2. Impact: The session highlights the transformative role of government data in enriching Wikimedia platforms like Wikidata, leading to better-informed and more accessible content across projects like charts and tables in Wikipedia. By sharing success stories, it underlines the tangible benefits and wide-reaching impact of open data initiatives on public usage and knowledge dissemination.
3. Sustainability: Through discussions on integrating government data into Wikimedia projects, the session promotes sustainable practices for data reuse and knowledge sharing. This not only ensures long-term contributions to Wikimedia's repositories but also fosters collaborative relationships with government entities, paving the way for future data-sharing initiatives.
By connecting these elements, your session embodies the spirit of Wikimania 2025, offering practical insights, inspiring global collaboration, and strengthening the movement's mission of inclusivity, impact, and sustainability.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- Butch Bustria
- Butch Bustria is an Overseas Filipino Worker / Wikimedian (OFW) based in Singapore, He use his spare time in doing Wikimedia projects. His first edit was in December 2005 with a series of edits about the Philippinesā hosting of the Southeast Asian Games. In 2010, he along with 4 others co-founded Wikimedia Philippines, the second Wikimedia chapter in Southeast Asia. Since 2017, Butch had been involved in organizing the ESEAP conferences and summits in Bali, Indonesia, in Bangkok, Thailand, in Sydney, Australia, in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and in Manila, Philippines. He is part of the Regional Funds Committee for ESEAP since 2021. He is remembered as well as the Event lead for Wikimania 2023 in Singapore. Since 2020, he is part of the Wikimania Steering Committee and as of this writing, its vice chairperson.
- Wishywiz
- Iām a volunteer of Shared Knowledge Asia Pacific (SKAP) since 2022 and have been active in participating in various projects such as the Philippine Local Government Data Project, Digitization of Philippine Local Laws and Ordinances, and Intangible Local Living Heritage.
- Lady01v
- I am Lady01v, a Wikimedian since 2012. I have been a member of the Wikimania COT in 2021 and 2023. I have been a co-founder of Wikiwomen Summit at Wikimania since 2023. Currently, I am a member of the ESEAP Preparatory Council and working actively on public policy advocacy
- Doc James
- James M. Heilman is a Canadian emergency physician, Wikipedian, and advocate for the improvement of Wikipedia's health-related content. He encourages other clinicians to contribute to the online encyclopedia.
- With the Wikipedia username Doc James, Heilman is an active contributor to WikiProject Medicine and a volunteer Wikipedia administrator. He was the president of Wikimedia Canada between 2010 and 2013, and founded and is the current president of Wiki Project Med Foundation.
- Jan Ainali
- I started editing in 2006. I have been an administrator on Swedish Wikipedia since 2008, with a pause when I was the executive director of Wikimedia Sverige. For the last five years, I have been running a weekly podcast about Wikipedia. I have also done over 100 live streams editing Wikidata. I am one of the founders of Wikimedians for Sustainable Development.