Nick Jenkins wrote:
Just thinking
out loud here, but are we using our photographs in Commons to maximum advantage?
User:Para has also created something that works with Google Earth,
which I haven't yet tried out:
http://tools.wikimedia.de/~para/GeoCommons/
People, take a look at the screenshot at
<http://tools.wikimedia.de/~para/GeoCommons/GeoCommons.jpg> to see
what's available right now.
That is very cool. It's very close to what I was imagining as the best-case
scenario.
[...]
My two "... and a pony" blue-sky wishlist items would be:
[...]
All these technologies have their limitations: Google Maps doesn't
support dynamic retrieval of data, Google Earth doesn't support client
side programming or real user interaction with the server, and MediaWiki
doesn't support easy contributions by proxy. Someone on
[[Commons:Geocoding]] suggested using Google's new "mapplets", which
might help with some items on the wish list. Same goes for Google Earth
COM API.
Google Maps sort of reads KML and showing the images there works
already*, though only partially. It needs work, but for the reasons
mentioned above I haven't started.
Also as the WikiMiniAtlas is already embedded on Commons, I'm sure it
can and will be developed in such a way that it'll interest more people
in geocoding their images.
For tagging images there's a number of tools listed on
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Obtaining_geographic_coordinates>,
and with a quick look at least
<http://perso.orange.fr/universimmedia/geo/loc.htm> and
<http://www.giswiki.org/hjl_get_CoorE.htm> work through Google Maps.
Nick's version looks more attractive for some reason though, I'm not
sure why. Maybe I've grown a liking to the Commons logo.
The suggestions are good and having all that in one place would be
great, but as far as I can see, it's not doable today.
*
<http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&q=http://tools.wikimedia.de/~para/GeoCommons/kml.php?BBOX=-0.0830,51.5026,-0.0666,51.5093>