Health impacts our lives and determines the quality of life in any nation,  individuals need to be informed to make healthy choices and this is why Dr Tesleemah led the project Visibility of health articles in Nigeria on English Wikipedia  2.0 between 1st of March 2025 and 1st of April, 2025 alongside her team members Taofeeq Abdulkareem and Abdullahalaba.

This project aims to incorporate medical editors from Nigeria into the Wikimedia Movement and to bridge the gap of health content in Nigeria on the largest online encyclopedia

One crucial step taken during the project was the recruiting of new health editors from University College Hospital Ibadan during one of the physical sessions held on the 15th of March, 2025. The health editors were medical students studying optometry, pharmacy,  medicine and surgery, veterinary medicine, microbiology and biochemistry at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

The first edition of the project was held between the 27th of April, 2024 to 7th of June where health editors from the University of Ilorin teaching hospitals were recruited from Kwara state, Nigeria as it was the first project,  the focus was on the translation of health content from English Wikipedia to local languages, wikidata and uploading medically related content on Wikimedia common. 50 articles were translated during this project involving 50 health editors.

Building on the training held for the health editors during the first edition of the project and further sessions held in the 2.0 version of the project, the focus was on creating new articles on English Wikipedia and 100 articles related to health were created.

Late March 2025 witnessed a series of health challenges in Nigeria ranging from Heat waves and Diphtheria outbreak which also happened while the project was going on, the organizers took the bull by the horns and added these crucial topics among the articles to be created by the participants and later on, omoshebi Joseph created an article on Heat wave in Nigeria and Outbreak of Diphtheria in Nigeria.

Beyond the project, the organizer, Dr Tesleemah aims to set up an African health initiative which will bridge the knowledge gap on health advocacy and disease prevention in Africa across Wikimedia projects.

You can read more about the project on the dedicated meta page

A group of women in Capalonga are preserving their cultural heritage through the art of bamboo weaving through the Kapalong Handicrafts Home Decor and Furniture. The Capalonga Women Bamboo Weavers are skilled artisans who have been passing down their knowledge and techniques to women in the community who are interested in learning the art, creating beautiful and functional handicrafts that showcase their community’s rich traditions. Last March 8, 2025, the Wiki Advocates Philippines User Group traveled to Sitio Lumok, Brgy. Camagsaan, Capalonga, Camarines Norte, to witness how these women transform thin bamboo strips into amazing handicrafts and hear about their personal stories about struggles and triumphs being in the women’s workforce. Through the efforts of Mr. Abner Aler, we were introduced to this group of Capalonga women and were granted permission to document their work. 

The Art of Bamboo Weaving

Bamboo weaving is an intricate process that requires great skill and patience. The Capalonga Women Bamboo Weavers begin by selecting and preparing the bamboo strips, which are then woven together to create a variety of products, including baskets, mats, and decorative items. These strips are exposed to direct sunlight and colored with different inks to produce distinct designs. The women are still using traditional tools such as bolos, knives, and hammers. Each piece is a testament to the weavers’ craftsmanship and attention to detail. 

Preserving Local Culture

The Capalonga Women Bamboo Weavers’ handicrafts are not only beautiful but also play a significant role in preserving the local culture. By continuing this traditional art form, the women are helping to keep their community’s heritage alive. The handicrafts also serve as a symbol of the community’s identity and are often used in celebrations and are being exported to other neighboring countries. There are similar products from other areas in the Philippines, but what makes them unique is how they utilize locally produced materials to be both used as home decoration and something that has practical use, such as woven fans, wooden sofas, lanterns, and even tables. 

Empowering Women

The Capalonga Women Bamboo Weavers initiative is also empowering women in the community. By providing them with a source of income and opportunities for skills development, the project is helping to promote economic independence and social mobility. The women’s participation in the project has also fostered a sense of community and cooperation. Some of the women we interviewed are housewives who have allotted their vacant time to doing handicrafts; later on, they were able to provide means to help their children and families. 

The Capalonga Women Bamboo Weavers are true custodians of their community’s cultural heritage. Through their beautiful handicrafts, they are preserving traditions and promoting cultural identity. Their story serves as an inspiration to others, highlighting the importance of preserving cultural heritage and promoting community development. As part of our work in Wiki Advocates Philippines, in our yearly Art+Feminism initiative, we sought to meet directly the women behind the culture and tradition we are documenting in Wikimedia projects. They may not be able to pass on the knowledge through creating detailed articles in Wikipedia or manuals for doing handicrafts in Wikibooks, but immersing ourselves with them has made us realize that as volunteers there is still a large part of untapped resources that needs to be preserved. 

From May 16–18, 2025, who would’ve thought I had the life-changing opportunity to attend the Wikimedia Youth Conference in Prague, hosted by Wikimedia Czech Republic and supported by the CEE Hub and Wikimedia Foundation. It was a 3 day event, but its impact will stay with me forever. This was the first international Wikimedia conference I ever participated in and as the sole representative of Wikimedia youth from Indonesia, I felt an immense responsibility, but also deep gratitude. I am thankful for the chance to not just attend, but to represent a community that means so much to me which is KlubWiki Universitas Brawijaya.

Before the conference even started, I was already getting a taste of international community-building through an online event called the Wiki Community Forum. It was initiated by KlubWiki Universitas Brawijaya, the organization I proudly belong to. The forum gathered university Wiki Club from different countries, offering a space to share our community profiles, play games, and even edit Wikipedia together. Although I saw some familiar faces on the screen, people who would also be attending the conference, but we hadn’t met in person yet. So when I finally arrived in Prague, I was nervous. It seemed like everyone already knew each other, especially those from the ESEAP region. I feared feeling alone or like an outsider. But that fear didn’t last long.

From Strangers to Shared Purpose

Within the first 24 hours, something beautiful happened. I was embraced by open arms, by people I had never met before. Everyone was welcoming, curious, and genuinely kind. It didn’t matter that I was new to this space. In fact, I was met with warmth and encouragement from organizers, facilitators and fellow participants. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I truly belonged. There was no gatekeeping. Just young people from all over the world, coming together to learn from one another, support each other, and dream of a more inclusive, collaborative Wikimedia movement.

Our Voice Mattered

Being in that space reminded me of something I sometimes forget, that my voice matters. Even when the issues being discussed weren’t directly connected to challenges in Indonesia, I still found space to contribute, to listen, and to grow. I learned so much from the experiences of other young Wikimedians from different corners of the globe, and their stories helped me imagine what the future of our movement could look like. I realized that understanding global issues gives us the tools to prepare for potential local challenges. It also showed me how much we can gain from collective solidarity.

One of the most unexpectedly powerful parts of the experience happened at the lunch table. We dove into topics like youth engagement, female representation on Wikipedia, even the potential future of the ESEAP Youth Group and many more. These organic conversations were full of insight and create so many ideas in me. The ideas I now want to bring home to Klub Wiki Universitas Brawijaya, the community that nurtured me and gave me the courage to stand on the global stage.

Coming Home with Treasures

If I had to conclude what I took from this conference, I would say “treasures”. It’s not a gold or souvenirs, but treasures of thought, of inspiration, of dreams. I met incredible young people who are doing impactful work. I listened, I laughed, I contributed. And now, I return with a backpack full of ideas I want to implement in Indonesia, to help strengthen youth engagement, enrich our local Wikimedia community, and foster inclusion for all. To my beloved KlubWiki UB, thank you for being my foundation, my home. And to Wikimedia Indonesia, who kept supporting me, my friends, and all young Wikimedians in Indonesia, for believing in us even when we are still learning. Because of your continuous encouragement, I had the courage to step into a room full of strangers and speak with confidence. You’ve created a safe space for us to grow and to find purpose in contributing to free knowledge. To the organizer and facilitator Wikimedia Czech Republic, CEE Hub, Wikimedia Foundation, and everyone I met along the conference thank you for making me feel seen, valued, and inspired.

This conference might have been my first, but it certainly won’t be my last. It’s hard to say goodbye and end this conference journey. But to me this is just the beginning for much bigger things. I may not just carried the memories, but a renewed sense of responsibility and passion to strengthen youth participation in the Wikimedia movement.

On March 22, 2025, a special Wikipedia training workshop was held at the Karimjee Hall, Posta, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This event marked the third consecutive sponsorship of workshops by one of Tanzania’s major corporate families, Karimjee.

Prior to the event, we created a survey to track participants interested in learning about Wikipedia. The survey attracted 30 participants. See the results here: Survey Results.

From this point, we set the foundation for our workshop. Unlike the previous two workshops, this session focused primarily on adding infoboxes to articles. This direction was guided by research conducted by Dr. Aneth David (User:Asterlegorch367). After discussions among facilitators, we agreed to provide instructions on embedding infoboxes.

Workshop Commencement

The event post indicated that the workshop would begin at 10:00 AM. However, due to a few logistical challenges, all facilitators arrived slightly late. Upon arrival, we found that everything had already been arranged by the chief workshop coordinator from Karimjee, Madam Elsie Ceasarianne Eyakuze, who has been instrumental in organizing these sessions.

Before proceeding with our activities, Aneth insisted that participants have breakfast. This was done after introductions of all attendees, including those joining online. Yes, this was a hybrid workshop—both in-person and virtual.

Aneth humorously suggested sending pictures of the snacks to online participants while those present enjoyed the actual food. However, none of us facilitators (Antoni Mtavangu, Aneth, and I) managed to send the pictures—perhaps due to our own hunger!

Following a short tea break, Dr. Aneth began explaining Wikipedia infoboxes. The PowerPoint presentation can be accessed here: Presentation.

She provided a detailed and simple explanation for beginners unfamiliar with Wikipedia, covering step-by-step instructions on Wikipedia’s purpose and functions. At the end of the session, she allowed both in-person and online participants to ask questions.

It was truly a great day, as participants were eager and filled with questions. If time were not a constraint, we could have spent several more hours addressing their inquiries. We were delighted by the engagement of our participants.

Outcomes

Every event is followed by outcomes, and all activities must be recorded on the Wikipedia Outreach Dashboard. For this event, we used the following link: Outreach Dashboard. The event was also officially registered on Swahili Wikipedia: Event Registration.

Key results from the dashboard:

Articles edited: 21

Total edits: 36

Bytes added: 5.76K

References added: 0

Article views: 178

Commons uploads: 4

You may wonder why we included Commons uploads. There was a case regarding infoboxes requiring images. It became necessary to either find or upload suitable images. Toni took on the task of explaining image licensing and its benefits. Although he covered the basics, he suggested a separate session dedicated to discussing image use on Wikipedia.

To support this, four sample images were uploaded.

Additionally, the Outreach Dashboard tracks activity for a month. Our training did not provide enough knowledge for some participants, who requested an online follow-up session. As Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili (JWK), we consider this event a success because it sparked interest among new participants who now wish to join our affiliate communities.

We documented both recognized and unrecognized affiliates working towards Wikimedia movements. Moreover, we continue engaging participants through a dedicated WhatsApp group specific to this editathon. We will keep updating them on progress until April 22, 2025.

On behalf of the entire Jenga Wikipedia ya Kiswahili team, in collaboration with Wikimedia Tanzania, I sincerely say THANK YOU ALL.

For more reports like this; please visit: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Jenga_Wikipedia_ya_Kiswahili/Report_24_%E2%80%94_2025

On Friday, 23rd of May 2025, Africa Wiki Women hosted an Office Hour session centered on the Accelerating Action for Gender Equality Campaign for 2025. The session was coordinated by Amarachi Okoro, campaign coordinator, and moderated by Blessing Ojewuyi Timothy, Wikidata trainer. With over 15 enthusiastic participants, including project leads and community members from across the African continent, the session created a space for connection, learning, and progress.

Icebreaker & Campaign Overview

The meeting kicked off with a fun and interactive icebreaker where participants shared their current moods. This was followed by a light quiz designed to refresh their knowledge about the Accelerating Action campaign, an engaging way to assess awareness and stimulate excitement.

Campaign coordinator Amarachi Okoro officially launched the session by appreciating the participants for their invaluable contributions.

“Without the participants, there will be no campaign,” Amarachi noted.

She emphasized that the Office Hour was designed to showcase and celebrate the campaign’s achievements thus far. Highlighting the broader vision, she explained that the campaign is part of a larger journey toward bridging the gender content gap, one step at a time.

Amarachi outlined the campaign’s primary targets:

• 100 articles expanded on Wikipedia
• 50 quality images uploaded to Wikimedia Commons
• 300 items improved on Wikidata
• Hosting in-person events

She also presented a data visualization breakdown of campaign achievements, including article creation, edits, and translations. Notably, the most frequently translated languages were Hausa, Igbo, and Setswana. While progress is commendable, Amarachi encouraged continued contributions, reminding everyone that the journey to gender equality is long but essential.

Wikipedia Update – With Muib Sheifu

Wikipedia trainer Muib Sheifu was pleased to report that the Wikipedia article target had not only been met but surpassed. He expressed gratitude to contributors and then shared some observed errors to help participants improve their submissions:

1. Sharing general Xtools contribution links instead of direct article links.
2. Submitting links to articles they didn’t work on.

Muib gave a special shoutout to the Hausa community for leading in the number of Wikipedia contributions and praised the quality of their translations. He also cautioned against shortcuts in editing, which are being noticed during review.

He concluded with a call to action while encouraging more contributions and extending the campaign deadline.

Wikimedia Commons Progress – With Nwonwu Uchechukwu Pascaline

Wikimedia Commons trainer Nwonwu Uchechukwu Pascaline built upon Amarachi’s earlier report. She shared that only 20 out of the 50 targeted images had been uploaded to Commons so far, and one of the main reasons for the campaign extension is to help meet this goal. She also identified two recurring issues among participants:

1. Re-uploading existing images from Wikipedia, Wikidata, or Commons under the campaign category.
2. Uploading images unrelated to the campaign theme of African Women in Politics and Journalism.

Pascaline stressed the importance of originality and relevance, reminding participants that quality outweighs quantity, a principle that will guide participant reimbursement at the campaign’s conclusion.

Wikidata Insights – With Blessing Ojewuyi Timothy

For the final segment, Wikidata trainer and campaign reviewer Blessing Ojewuyi Timothy addressed the 300 Wikidata items goal, which was not only reached but exceeded by 100 entries.

She noted two main challenges faced:

• Participants failing to include their unique identifier codes, complicating contribution tracking.
• Lack of concise user contribution descriptions, making it difficult to trace activities without digging through edit histories.

Blessing reiterated the importance of accurate documentation and accountability in such a collaborative campaign.

Closing and Final Notes

The session wrapped up with an open Q&A, and links to surveys and training resources were shared so participants could revisit or catch up on the campaign content. For those who missed the session, the link to access it is available on the community meta page. The campaign was extended to the 30th of May as participants were urged to utilize the opportunity to join the campaign and make a positive impact!
We encourage you to visit our YouTube channel as well for previous sessions recordings. Let’s continue to celebrate the inspiring African female politicians and journalists, document their achievements, and capture remarkable moments.

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In April 2024, I took a two-month sabbatical from work. During this period, and in the year that followed, I dedicated significant effort to improving my skills. Having spent nearly 20 years in software engineering, I’ve witnessed substantial changes in the field. Opportunities to learn and practice new skills don’t always arise naturally at work. While I made a conscious effort to dedicate time each day to reading and learning, finding time for hands-on practice remained a challenge. I set specific goals: to deepen my understanding of system architecture and modern design approaches, explore high-performance programming, and integrate AI into my development process. Here’s an update on my progress.

I started using AI-assisted coding tools and have deeply integrated them into my daily workflow. Specifically, I began using GitHub Copilot with VS Code. Thanks to GitHub’s open-source support program, I received a free Copilot license. This single change has boosted my productivity at least twofold. For experienced software engineers, these tools are incredibly powerful because we already understand the underlying architecture and the trade-offs of different solutions.

I also began learning Go, a compiled, statically typed programming language. I took on some personal projects, rewriting them in Go. Subsequently, I built internal tools for work and practiced designing large-scale systems, such as a “Factoids” system. Along the way, I learned many new concepts and programming styles, and I’ve now reached a solid level of proficiency in Go.

After getting comfortable with Go, I moved on to learning Rust. Rust has a reputation for being difficult to learn, but my experience with Go was a significant help, as there are many overlapping concepts between the two languages. While Go aims for simplicity, Rust takes a different approach. It forces you to think carefully about your code, variables, scope, and how data is passed around. You spend more time at the compilation stage, but once your program compiles successfully, you can be confident it will run correctly without unexpected issues in testing or production. This has been a refreshing and enjoyable experience. After achieving good proficiency in Rust, I found little reason to continue using Go. Rust addresses many of Go’s perceived shortcomings and boasts a larger ecosystem of libraries.

Learning a high-performance programming language has had some interesting side benefits. It introduced me to many efficient algorithms and optimization techniques that I had previously overlooked when working with higher-level and scripting languages. I also learned about different compilation targets, including building web frontends using WebAssembly (Wasm). Another unexpected benefit was the people I encountered. The communities around high-performance programming languages often attract highly productive and intelligent software engineers, and I’ve had the chance to connect with many of them. Following their work and writings has been incredibly educational.

Being part of this community also sparked my interest in their coding workflows and tools, particularly mouse-free, terminal-based, and very fast coding environments. I had always avoided tools like Emacs and Vi (the predecessor to Vim/Neovim), but I decided to learn and master Neovim, a popular choice among many skilled programmers. It took a significant amount of time and effort, but I now use Neovim for all my coding. My current setup includes Kitty (a terminal emulator), Neovim, Fzf (a fuzzy finder), Ripgrep (a fast search tool), Lazygit (a Git client), Tmux (a terminal multiplexer), and other similar high-speed tools. Neovim also has excellent Copilot integration, but I’ve recently been using Aider, which integrates well with my other terminal-based tools for AI-assisted programming. Neovim taught me to approach code editing more semantically, rather than as plain text editing. Thanks to Tree-sitter and its text objects, editing operations become semantic manipulations of code structure, not just text.

I had been using KDE Plasma as my desktop environment for the past 15 years, with some time spent on GNOME as well. Recently, I decided to upgrade to a tiling window manager-based desktop. A few months ago, I moved to Hyprland. It has been refreshing to build a comfortable desktop environment tailored to my preferences. The collection of small yet powerful components that make up such an environment (e.g., window manager, Hyprpaper (for wallpaper), Waybar (for status bars), Swaync (for notifications), etc.) and their incredible customizability is quite an experience. It reminds me of the enthusiasm in the early days of the KDE and GNOME development communities. I feel reinvigorated to be part of a highly skilled community of young developers pushing the FOSS-based desktop experience forward.

And, here’s a glimpse of my “rice”:

This dedicated period of upskilling has been a profound reminder that in the dynamic world of software engineering, continuous learning is not just beneficial, but essential. The journey has been challenging yet immensely rewarding, and I’m excited to carry this momentum forward, tackling new problems with renewed vigor and an expanded toolkit.

From April 5 to May 6, 2025, the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, in collaboration with African & Proud (AP), led a successful month-long contribution drive in Ghana under the Culture Connect Africa Project. The campaign aimed to increase and improve Wikipedia content on African film and cinema, both in Nigeria and Ghana. 

In Ghana, the project brought together four indigenous language communities: Dagbani, Gurene, Kusaal, and Dagaare. Each community actively participated in creating or improving 40 Wikipedia articles in their respective languages, totaling 160 articles covering Ghanaian and African films, actors, directors, producers, and other notable figures in the film industry.

About the Culture Connect Africa Project

Culture Connect Africa is a WikiProject launched by African & Proud (AP) to improve the representation of African culture on Wikipedia. It goes beyond simply adding facts. It’s about telling authentic African stories, preserving traditions, and celebrating creativity through open knowledge platforms. The project encourages African communities to document their cultural heritage in their own voices and languages.

This initiative features several sub-projects, each centered on specific aspects of African life; arts, history, languages, music, and more. The April-May campaign focused specifically on film and cinema across African countries, with Ghana taking a central role through the engagement of its diverse language communities.

What Happened in Ghana

The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group organized training sessions for all the participating language communities. The group facilitated editing sessions for editors from the Dagbani, Gurene, Kusaal, and Dagaare communities, equipping them with the skills needed to edit and translate articles related to African film and cinema. 

Some of the key outcomes include:

• Over 160 Wikipedia articles created or expanded.
  
• Enhanced visibility of African filmmakers, films, and cinematic history on Wikimedia platforms.
  
• Increased participation of new and experienced editors.

Why It Matters

This project matters because it helps fill the content gap on African culture on the world’s most used encyclopedia. It brings African languages to the forefront and empowers communities to take ownership of how their cultures and identities are represented online. By writing in Dagbani, Gurene, Kusaal, and Dagaare, contributors are helping preserve their languages while enriching the global pool of free knowledge.

Looking Ahead

At the end of the project, outstanding participants were recognized and awarded for their commitment and contributions, celebrating their efforts in enriching Wikipedia with content on African film and cinema.The success of the Culture Connect Africa Project in Ghana shows what is possible when local communities are given space, tools, and encouragement to tell their own stories. The momentum built from this collaboration will serve as a foundation for more language-based campaigns in the future; whether in arts, education, heritage, or local history.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Philippine Wikimedia Community User Group, a registered non-stock non-profit organization dedicated to promoting unrestricted access to knowledge within and beyond the archipelago. This article is the second part of a 3-part series on the PhilWiki Community’s 10 Milestones, celebrating 10 amazing years.

The Philippine Wikimedia Community aims to initiate, promote, participate, create, organize, develop and engage in projects, programs and activities that promote free, responsibly open-content resources and reference materials, in English and different Philippine languages through sustainable, creative and innovative projects, and partnerships with local government units, government agencies, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

10 MILESTONES OF THE PHILWIKI COMMUNITY

To continue, here is the list of major achievements of the Philippine Wikimedia Community User Group in the last decade:

4 – Wiki Loves Philippines: Promoting the country’s natural and built heritage since 2018

Wiki Loves Philippines project lead Maffeth Sto Tomas has annually organized the local Wiki Loves Earth (WLE PH) campaign, a nationwide nature photography competition, earning the Philippines a distinction as the only country in the Asia-Pacific region that has organized the competitions for seven consecutive years. 

Silay City-based macro photographer and WLE PH grand winner Mark Kineth Casindac won top prizes in the international round of the competition. In 2023, he placed 5th in the macro/close up category for his photograph showing two blue banded bees found in the lowland area of Northern Negros Natural Park. In 2024, he captured the 6th prize for his photograph depicting two potter wasps (see left photo below). 

Its sister competition, Wiki Loves Monuments Philippines (WLM PH), which is dedicated to documenting the built heritage in the country, is also being organized annually by the PhilWiki Community since 2018 with Irvin Sto. Tomas as the project lead.

WLM PH top winner Emman Foronda of Ilocos Norte earned the 16th place recognition in the International WLM 2024 for his striking photograph of Christ the King Parish Church (see right photo below), emphasizing its spiritual prominence amidst urban modernity. The same entry was adjudged 1st Place in the Special Prize for Places of Worship in the International WLM 2024.

Several Filipino photographers have also earned recognition in the International Wiki Loves Earth and Wiki Loves Monuments campaigns among them are Cagayan de Oro lensmen Glenn Palacio winning 6th prize (2019) over-all, and Dominador B. Asis, Jr. winning 2nd prize (2021) in the macro/close up category; and Michael Angelo Luna of Batangas winning 8th prize (2020) overall as well as the Special Nomination for Human Rights and Environment (2023) for his photograph depicting an up close view of Taal Volcano’s ash-covered rugged terrain. 

More than 40 participants, comprising past winners in Wiki Loves Philippines contests and Commons Wikimedia contributors, gathered at the inaugural WikiCommons PH Conference held from December 19-20, 2023 in Naga City.

The 3-day event was a collaboration between PhilWiki Community and Commons Photographers User Group, in partnership with the City Government of Naga, University of Nueva Caceres Museum, Center for Rinconada Culture and the Arts at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, and Social Sciences Department at Ateneo de Naga University.

Photos: Wiki Loves Philippines photography contest winners gathered at WikiCommons PH Conference in Naga City. (Alvin Casitas, CC BY-SA 4.0)

5 – WILMA PH: A program inspired by Indonesia’s Wikisource Loves Manuscripts

The first year of the Wikisource Loves Manuscript (WILMA) Philippines program, led by program manager Irvin Sto. Tomas, was a huge success in making the PhilWiki Community as the first implementer of the WILMA program outside Indonesia. As a result, the Language Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation approved new Wikisource projects in the Bikol and Tagalog languages in October 2024 and March 2025, respectively.

The PhilWiki Community is actively supporting programs, advocating the preservation of indigenous languages and intangible heritage through the WILMA PH program, in partnership with the Bikol Wikipedia Community and Nueva Caceres Heritage Movement Inc.

During the first phase of the WILMA PH training held in June 2024, participants had a basic training course on transcribing, proofreading, and validating of Wikisource pages. In the second phase, held from July to August 2024, around 40 participants, including cultural practitioners and students, completed an advanced training course and the Bikol Wikisource Training of Trainers (TOT). At the end of the first year of implementation, participants were engaged in transcribing, proofreading and validating over a dozen translations of novels, novenas, metrical verses, among others, through symposia, workshops, and proofreading contests.

The novels ‘Noli me tángere’ (1887) and ‘El filibusterismo’ (1891) originally written in Spanish by Philippine national hero Dr. José Rizal were translated into the eight major Philippine languages by the Jose Rizal Centennial Commission (JRCC) in the 1960s. These masterpieces along with his other literary works are now available on Wikisource and other digital libraries. The JRNCC publications became digitally available only in 2023 via the National Memory Project of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

Wikisource – The Free Library – is a collaborative project to create a growing free content online library of source texts, as well as translations of source texts in any language. Wikisource text units have been created in 79 languages. Six more Wikisource editions in the Philippine languages are underway. 

At the Wikisource Conference 2025 held in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia, Irvin and Maffeth Sto. Tomas presented in the session Collaboration Toward an Open GLAM: The Case of Wikisource Loves Manuscripts in the Philippines, wherein they talked about the best practices for sustaining the activities, strategies in fostering collaboration among the participants, and the learnings and challenges in implementing the WILMA PH program. The event with the theme Wikisource: Transform & Preserve Heritage was an international gathering to enhance global collaboration among Wikisource contributors.

6 – Project GLAM and the inaugural GLAM Wiki Conference in Vigan

The PhilWiki Community launched Project GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, museums) at the National Museum of the Philippines – Manila in September 2023 and the following year, the GLAM Wiki Conference Philippines was held at the UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan.

The project aims to document some of the important ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visual arts collections displayed at the National Museum of Anthropology, Natural History, and Fine Arts departments. The GLAM program committee is currently being chaired by Francis Charles Brioso.

The GLAM Wiki Conference Philippines 2024 was held in partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines – Ilocos. The 3-day national training conference gathered different cultural heritage advocates and professionals from GLAM institutions with the vibrant Wikimedia communities. Anchored on the theme “Empowering Communities Toward an Accessible Knowledge of Cultural Heritage,” participants discussed collaborations on open digital resources and cultural preservation. 

During the opening program, Paolo Mar A. Chan, Head of the National Museum of the Philippines – Vigan, gave his welcome remarks and presented the mandate, programs and services of the museum. Sakti Pramudya, PhD. – Senior Partnerships Manager, East South East Asia and Pacific (ESEAP) Wikimedia Foundation, delivered the Keynote Address.

Since conference, the PhilWiki Community has conducted more than a dozen GLAM outreach activities in various institutions in Manila, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Cebu and Negros Occidental from documenting collections to museum mapping.

To date, volunteers have identified valuable manuscripts and captured collections displayed at the National Archives of the Philippines in Manila; Malacañang ti Amianan in Ilocos Norte; Baluarte Zoo and Safari Gallery, Crisologo Museum, and Ilocos Sur Provincial Jail; Rizalian Library at Knights of Rizal Naga City Chapter, James O’Brien SJ Library, Raul S. Roco Library, Museo ni Jesse M. Robredo, Museo Historico de Universidad de Santa Isabel, Museo del Seminario Conciliar de Nueva Caceres, and the University of Nueva Caceres Museum in Naga City; National Museum of the Philippines – Daraga in Albay; Museo Sorsogon; and Port San Pedro, Museo de Parian, Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, Casa Gorordo and National Museum of the Philippines – Cebu.

7 – Closing the Gaps: Feminism, Fashion and Folklore

The PhilWiki Community has closed the gap!

A total of 807 articles have been contributed by Filipino Wikimedians through the local FNF Campaign. Most of the articles were contributed by Bicolano freelancer Roderick Sumalinog who placed 10th overall in the 2024 FNF edition organized by the Open Heritage Foundation. In 2021, Irvin Sto. Tomas and Maffeth Opiana earned the 6th and 10th prizes in the WikiGap Challenge, respectively, an international competition organized by Wikimedia Sverige and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with support from the United Nations Human Rights. Maffeth also completed the 100 Wiki Days challenge, twice!

Photos: Kaing Festival is a celebration of culture and bounty harvest of the municipality of Leon, Iloilo. By Mhlayson (CC BY-SA 4.0); Kaamulan Festival 2023 of Malaybalay, Bukidnon. By Fpj455 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The International Feminism and Folklore (FNF) Campaign aims to address gender gaps on Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons by exploring the dynamic intersection of folk culture and diverse gender perspectives. Similarly, the WikiGap Campaign is an international writing competition to strengthen Wikipedia’s coverage of women and related topics in as many languages as possible.

Photos: Child’s Faith to Santo Niño. By Michol Sanchez (CC BY-SA 4.0); Sandurot Festival. By Herbert Kikoy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In the Wiki Loves Folklore PH contest, a total of 1,771 images of folk culture from the Philippines were added on Wikimedia Commons since 2020. The entry entitled Child’s Faith to Santo Niño of Cebuano event photographer Michol Sanchez emerged as grand winner in the Wiki Loves Folklore 2022 photography contest. Surigao native shutterbug Herbert Kikoy won 2nd prize (Sandurot Festival) and 3rd prize (Viva for Niño) in the 2021 and 2020 editions, respectively, in addition to numerous consolation prizes. Graphic artist Rio Ubatay of Dapitan won 2nd prize for his entry Kinabayo Festival in 2019, and Cebu’s Francisco Pajares Jr. earned the 3rd prize for his entry Pintaflores Queen in 2021.  

The PhilWiki Community organized a sister competition called Wiki Loves Fashion in the Philippines which aims to improve and increase the available media of fashion and clothing in the Philippines reflecting its modern and traditional clothing. Raniel Jose Castaneda dominated the competition winning the top prizes in the 2021 and 2022 editions. His winning photograph in 2022 depicts the T’nalak Festival.

End of Part 2. This article is a 3-part series on the PhilWiki Community’s 10 Milestones, celebrating 10 amazing years.

The Africa Wiki Women has again shown that representation begin with action. As the community achieved a major milestone hosting its first-ever series of in-person training events across the African continent.

This was no ordinary feat. Not only did women gather physically under the banner of Africa Wiki Women a first in itself, but this milestone was simultaneously achieved in three countries spanning West and Southern Africa: Ghana, Nigeria, and Botswana. It was a significant step forward, a testament to the dedication, and years-long efforts of the Africa Wiki Women in bridging the gender gap.

The physical event which was held as part of the Accelerating Action for Gender Equality 2025 campaign, took place in Ghana in collaboration with Women for Sustainability Africa, Fempire, and the Open Inclusive Initiative. The 19 Participants, 12 being women, were introduced to Wikidata as a tool for preserving and sharing data.

The training spotlighted how Wikidata can increase the visibility of Africa women underrepresented in digital space . This wasn’t just in theory but an hands-on experience for participants who rolled up their sleeves to edit, improve, and create over 40 new Wikidata items, focusing on African women politicians and journalists.

Also, in West Africa, Gombe State, Nigeria, another powerful crescendo was reached. In collaboration with the Open Knowledge Development Initiative (OKDI), Africa Wiki Women brought together 20 participants. For half of these participants, it was their first encounter with contributing to open knowledge and interacting with the Wikimedia project. Yet, their impact was immediate and profound. The training exposed participants to Wikidata structure and the use of the Recoin tool for improving data quality. Which led to 190 Wikidata items about African women politicians and journalists being edited.

Meanwhile, in Southern Africa, Gaborone, Botswana. Africa Wiki Women in collaboration with the Google Developer Group Gaborone, University of Botswana. Hosted an empowering session with 17 participants who engaged deeply with the importance of Wikidata in digital representation. The result of the training culminated in 30 new items created and 24 items improved, all centering on African women journalists and politicians .

This milestone is a reminder that the journey toward representation is both local and global and Africa Wiki Women is not only breaking barriers; but building bridges between the past invisibility of African women and a future where their contributions are seen, valued, and preserved.

With the bold steps taken in Ghana, Nigeria, and Botswana. Africa Wiki Women remains relentless in its pursuit of closing the gender gap on Wikimedia platforms. With eyes set on greater collaborations, deeper impact, and more voices joining the movement, the community continues to forge a path for digital equity and collective empowerment.

• Kaxabu Wikidata Workshop
• Wikidata:WikiProject Taiwan/噶哈巫 Wikidata 工作坊

Taiwan, a small island lying peacefully in the western Pacific Ocean, is home to a rich mosaic of peoples, each with their own history and culture. Among them is the Kaxabu (Kahapu or Kahabu were also being used), an under-recognized Indigenous community rooted in the heart of the island. Yet despite their deep connection to the land, the Kaxabu face the growing threat of cultural and linguistic extinction. In response, they have been actively seeking new ways to revitalize their community and pass down their memories. This is where Wikidata Taiwan enters the picture. For the past six years, the Wikidata Taiwan Community has worked tirelessly to build bridges across Taiwan, including with Indigenous groups, helping them take their first steps into the world of open, linked data. And today, it is Kaxabu’s turn.

Who are the Kaxabu?

The Kaxabu are a quiet yet complex Indigenous group in Taiwan, rooted in Sizhuang, Puli. Linguistically part of the Austronesian family, and they are closely related to the Pazeh people. Together, they are known in academic circles as Pazeh-Kaxabu, and have”pzh” as their language code.

However, neither Kaxabu nor Pazeh is among the 16 officially recognized indigenous peoples in Taiwan. Without national support, efforts to preserve their culture is shouldered entirely by the community. The challenge is urgent; with each passing day, the gap widens, as recent surveys indicate that there are only about ten elders who can communicate in the language, listing it as one of the most endangered languages in the world. For the Kaxabu people, revitalizing isn’t just about language or ritual; it is an act of rediscovery, of reclaiming their identity and autonomy from a world which has long blurred them into someone else’s narrative.

Through Linguistics into Linked Data

It was against this backdrop that the recent Wikidata Lexeme workshop was held, an event born from collaboration between the Kaxabu community and the Wikidata Taiwan Community, marking the start of a new venture in their journey of preserving their stories. Held in the Wugonglun, a quiet corner of the Puli basin, next to the heart of Taiwan and home to the Kahapu people, the workshop marked the community’s first foray into the world of open, structured data.

On a typical Taiwanese afternoon, light rain giving way to a cool, comfortable breeze, participants were introduced to the Wikimedia movement. They gained an overview of Wikidata’s mission and how it works, before diving into practical sessions on how to, follow existing documentation, input linguistic data from their language into Wikidata Lexeme, a specialized branch of Wikidata focused on language itself. The platform dives deep into the building blocks of words, their meanings, grammatical roles, and usage. For endangered languages like Kaxabu, Wikidata Lexeme provides a unique opportunity. It allows native speakers to document and share their linguistic knowledge in their own language, in their own voice, and on their own terms, in a structured, digital, and machine-readable format which is freely accessible and reusable by all. For the Kaxabu people, this event was more than a mere technical training; it was a symbolic step toward reclaiming their identity on the bigger global digital stage, creating space for their voice and stories to be heard and recognized.

Looking Ahead

With the workshop ending on a positive note, marked by active engagement and a few more entries added to Wikidata Lexeme, the future for the Kaxabu community looks bright. In this beginning of a new chapter, we expect this event to be more than a one-time wonder but the starting point of a mutually beneficial long-term partnership that can empower both communities with new life and new ideas.

Here is a quick summary of the key points discussed:

• Role of open knowledge in speeding up effort towards gender parity in Africa and in the world
• How Wikimedia projects enable African women to move from areas of underrepresentation in gender equity
• How open knowledge platforms like Wikidata empower women to advocate for themselves and claim their narratives locally and globally
• The real definition of equity and leadership

Role of open knowledge in speeding up effort towards gender parity in Africa and in the world

Guest Bridgit Kurgat inaugurates the episode by stating how people are able to tell their stories and correct historical relations. She highlights that representation is more about who controls the length rather than a matter of visibility. She also brings her expertise into view, shedding light on women’s experience in editing and speaking their opinions.

How Wikimedia projects enable African women to move from areas of underrepresentation in gender equity

In this segment, Bridgit talks profusely about underrepresentation and leadership; highlighting that underrepresentation is not about lack of capacity but standard structural barriers. She also presses about the importance and vitality of investing in safe inclusive spaces for the confident leadership of women, and how cultural conviction blurs the actual definition of leadership as it mostly defines women as supportive structures rather than leading ones.

“In most of our cultures we see women as supportive structures. Women are the neck of the family, and the man is the head.” says Bridgit.

She also emphasizes on how speaking “shouting” our contributions is key; because if not done by ourselves, no one is going to do it for us.

“It is not about who speaks the loudest, but who brings strategy to the table, even while doing ‘supportive roles’.”

Moreover, Bridgit digs deep into critical questions we should ask ourselves concerning leadership:

• Do we really want to be at the table and participate?
• Are we finding the right people to fund our initiatives?
• Do people actually know what we are doing?

These are questions that allow us to analyze our stakeholders and attend to them based on their degree of interest and power.

“If you are not shouting, the loudest voices take always leadership even if they are doing the most minimal work.”

How open knowledge platforms like Wikidata empower women to advocate for themselves and claim their narratives locally and globally

For this part, we delve into the realm of AI and data, discussing how data is not neutral, how it shapes the world’s perception of us, and the power of Wikidata in giving power to tell stories that have been long missing and be seen on our own terms, in our own narrative.

Bridgit highlights the role of African women’s contribution in Wikidata, and how able they are to advocate with evidence, challenge stereotypes, and hold the world institutions accountable.

The real definition of equity and leadership

In the finalizing segment, Bridgit asserts that equity is achieved in efforts and not haphazardly.

“Equity isn’t accidental, it is intentional; it is a collective effort.”

She also stresses that African women do not need the permission from anyone to lead, and that one contribution at a time is worth it in the long run.

Our stories matter, our knowledge is potent, our voices can create ripple effects in the future, and it is about time microphones get to witness their bass and power.

Tune in to the episode and listen to the insightful conversation on Spotify and Pocket Casts.

• Spotify
• LinkedIn

What’s the connection between explosives, major depressive disorder, and chest pain? I wouldn’t have known until I reviewed some student work from last semester.

If you’ve taken an advanced cell biology class, you may have heard of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP), a molecule that’s related to ATP (the “energy currency” that mitochondria turn sugars into) and adenine (one of the bases is DNA), but you probably haven’t heard of its less well-known cousin, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (just cyclic GMP among friends). 

Much like cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP is what’s called a “second messenger” in cells. First messengers include molecules that carry messages around the body, from the organ where they’re produced to the cells where they actually have an effect. These include things like hormones.

While these “first messenger” molecules can travel around the body, most can’t get into cells. (Cells protect themselves by being very picky about the kinds of molecules they allow in.) Instead of entering the cells, these molecules attach to specific receptors on the cell surface, triggering the release of the second message – for example, cyclic GMP. 

While some small molecules like nitric oxide are able to enter the cell, they still depend on second messengers like cyclic GMP to cause things to happen inside the cells. 

Once activated, second messengers can set various processes in motion. Cyclic GMP, for example, can switch protein kinases on. Protein kinases are proteins that cut specific bits off other enzymes, which can either make those enzymes active (think about it like pulling the pin on a fire extinguisher) or inactive (like cutting the cord off an electric appliance).

While cyclic GMP was discovered only two years after cyclic AMP, research into cyclic GMP was largely overshadowed by Earl Wilbur Sutherland’s work on cyclic AMP, which won him a Nobel Prize in 1971. It’s hard to compete with that kind of publicity, but cyclic GMP had its own moment in the sun when Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad were awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine based on their work with cyclic GMP and nitric oxide (which helped explain how nitroglycerine work for heart disease).

Before a student in Dixon Woodbury’s Biophysics class started working on it last fall, Wikipedia’s cyclic guanosine monophosphate article wasn’t in bad shape.

The average reader might have found it challenging and a bit dense, but it seemed to include most of the important parts – sections about the molecule’s biosynthesis, its function, degradation, and its ability to activate protein kinase. It would take someone with some depth of knowledge to recognize some of the gaps in the article, and figure out how to fill them – and the Brigham Young University student was up to the challenge.

The student editor added a section about the discovery of cyclic GMP and the work that won Furchgott, Ignarro and Murad a Nobel Prize. They also added sections detailing cyclic GMP’s role in cardiovascular disease, major depressive disorder, and the way certain pathogens manipulate it to help them evade the immune system.

As they added information and improved the quality of Wikipedia’s cyclic GMP article, the student editor made this knowledge available to a much wider swath of the public (including me).

And that let me solve a mystery that has tugged at the back of my mind for decades – how does nitroglycerine, an explosive, help people with angina? I now know nitroglycerine releases nitric oxide, which triggers the release of cyclic GMP. And that sets in motion a series of steps that cause muscle cells to relax, which relieves their chest pain.

What mystery might your students help solve, just by editing Wikipedia?

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.

🕑 50 minutes

Edward Chernenko is a software developer, with extensive experience in MediaWiki development and consulting. He is also the administrator of Absurdopedia, a Russian-language humor wiki that is part of the loosely-affiliated Uncyclopedia family.

Links for some of the topics discussed:

• Абсурдопедия (Absurdopedia)
• Uncyclopedia
• Edward Chernenko user page on mediawiki.org
• Moderation MediaWiki extension
• AWS MediaWiki extension
• CreatePageUw MediaWiki extension

People should try to compare the quality of the kernel git logs with some other projects, and cry themselves to sleep.

– Linus Torvalds

I’ll never remember your project’s commit guidelines.

Every project insists on something different:

• Conventional commits
• Problem/Solution format
• Gitmoji
• The twisty maze of trailers in the Linux Kernel

But git commit templates help. Commit templates provide a scaffold for commit messages, offering documentation where you need it: inside the editor where you’re writing your commit message.

What is a git commit template?

When you type git commit, git pops open your text editor¹. Git can pre-fill your editor with a commit template—it’s like a form you fill out.

Creating a commit template is simple.

• Create a plaintext file – mine lives at ~/.config/git/message.txt
• Tell git to use it:

git config --global \
    commit.template '~/.config/git/message.txt'

My default template packs everything I know about writing a commit.

Project-specific templates with IncludeIf

The real magic of commit templates is you can have different templates for each project.

Different projects can use different templates with git’s includeIf configuration setting.²

Large projects, such as the Linux kernel, git, and MediaWiki, have their own commit guidelines.

For Wikimedia work, I stow git repos in ~/Projects/Wikimedia and at the bottom of my global git config (~/.config/git/config) I have:

[includeIf "gitdir:~/Projects/Wikimedia/**"]
    path = ~/.config/git/config.wikimedia

In config.wikimedia, I point to my Wikimedia-specific commit template. I also override other git config settings like my user.email or core.hooksPath.

An example: my global template

My default commit template contains three sections:

1. Subject – 50 characters or less, capitalized, no end punctuation.
2. Body – Wrap at 72 characters with a blank line separating it from the subject.
3. Trailers – Standard formats with a blank line separating them from the body.

In each section, I added pointers for both format³ and content.

For the header, the guidance is quick:

# 50ch. wide ----------------------------- SUBJECT
#                                                |
#     "If applied, this commit will..."          |
#                                                |
#     Change / Add / Fix                         |
#     Remove / Update / Document                 |
#                                                |
# ------- ↓ LEAVE BLANK LINE ↓ ---------- /SUBJECT

For the body, I remind myself to answer basic questions:

# 72ch. wide ------------------------------------------------------ BODY
#                                                                      |
#     - Why should this change be made?                                |
#       - What problem are you solving?                                |
#       - Why this solution?                                           |
#     - What's wrong with the current code?                            |
#     - Are there other ways to do it?                                 |
#     - How can the reviewer confirm it works?                         |
#                                                                      |

And that’s it, except for git trailers.

The twisty maze of git trailers

My template has a section for trailers used by the projects I work on.

#     TRAILERS                                                         |
#     --------                                                         |
#     (optional) Uncomment as needed.                                  |
#     Leave a blank line before the trailers.                          |
#                                                                      |
# Bug: #xxxx
# Acked-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Cc: Example User <user@example.com>
# Co-Authored-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Requested-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Reported-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Reviewed-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Suggested-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Tested-by: Example User <user@example.com>
# Thanks: Example User <user@example.com>

These trailers serve as useful breadcrumbs of documentation. Git can parse them using standard commands.

For example, if I wanted a tab-separated list of commits and their related tasks, I could find Bug trailers using git log:

$ TAB=%x09
$ BUG_TRAILER='%(trailers:key=Bug,valueonly=true,separator=%x2C )'
$ SHORT_HASH=%h
$ SUBJ=%s
$ FORMAT="${SHORT_HASH}${TAB}${BUG_TRAILER}${TAB}${SUBJ}"
$ git log --topo-order --no-merges \
      --format="$FORMAT"
d2b09deb12f     T359762 Rewrite Kurdish (ku) Latin to Arabic converter
28123a6a262     T332865 tests: Remove non-static fallback in HookRunnerTestBase
4e919a307a4     T328919 tests: Remove unused argument from data provider in PageUpdaterTest
bedd0f685f9             objectcache: Improve `RESTBagOStuff::handleError()`
2182a0c4490     T393219 tests: Remove two data provider in RestStructureTest

Stop remembering commit message guidelines

Git commit templates free your brain from remembering what to write, allowing you to focus on the story you need to tell.

Save your brain for what it’s good at.

Jun 2, 12:17 UTC
Resolved - This incident has been resolved.

Jun 2, 11:32 UTC
Identified - We are working on a fix.

22/05/2025-28/05/2025

Mapping campaigns

• Séverin Ménard shared a new blog post ► about the ongoing building damage mapping in Mayotte, with statistics for each of the territory’s 17 communes, including hourly updated pie charts showing mapping progress and the damage classes. The preliminary results reveal the heterogeneity of the damage across the communes and show that the north-eastern coasts were not necessarily the areas most severely affected.
• The newly added Mastodon account ‘OpenStreetMap Wiki Proposals’ toots when proposals are open for voting, with its latest toot being: ‘A new OpenStreetMap Wiki proposal aims to improve power circuit routing by introducing standardised relations for circuits and line sections, enhancing electrical grid modelling’.

Community

• Peter has calculated the year when the sun first stopped setting on the British Empire, based on the boundaries in OpenHistoricalMap (we reported earlier).
• Peter Brodersen has developed a prototype route planner for Denmark that avoids roads named after men. It was made possible by using the OSRM routing engine and the Wikidata entries referenced by the name:etymology:wikidata OSM tag.
• After logo submissions and a community voting process, Unique Mappers Network has unveiled the official logo for State of the Map Nigeria 2025.
• Faced with the limited storage capacity of his older Garmin device, which can hold only one map at a time, Pascal Neis has developed custom minimalist Garmin maps based on OpenStreetMap data to ensure they remain small enough to fit.
• In a recent instalment of the Mapper Diaries vlog series, Gregory Marler talked about his participation in the second UK quarterly project of 2025, a healthcare-themed mapping campaign, by mapping neighbourhoods in Dundee City, Scotland.
• Christoph Hormann offered his views about the ways diverse cultures collaborate within OpenStreetMap, highlighting the challenges that arise from these cross-cultural interactions.
• KhubsuratInsaan’s diary entry reflected on mapping in India, highlighting the difficulty of identifying house numbers. The comments discuss whether street plans may be used for OpenStreetMap.

Local chapter news

• The OpenStreetMap US May 2025 newsletter has been published. The highlights are the improvements to the OSMCha, the support program for participation in the SotM US 2025 and the celebration of the OSM US’s 15th anniversary.
• Oliver Rudzick and Katja Haferkorn released ► a report on the 23rd FOSSGIS-OSM Community Meeting, held in May 2025.

Events

• OpenStreetMap contributors are organising a collaborative mapping workshop called Kartenwerkstatt Augustusburg, to improve regional map data and foster community engagement in Augustusburg, Germany.

OSM research

• HeiGIT reported that a new paper was published in African Transport Studies. This study investigated the impact of school sessions on traffic congestion in Nairobi using openrouteservice, an open-source routing engine that utilises OpenStreetMap data to model road networks. Results highlighted how children’s mobility needs are often overlooked in transport planning.

Maps

• The author of Maps Interlude presents various socio-economic factoids on maps, with their latest showing the origins of Havard’s international students during the previous Trump presidency in 2018.
• Christoph Hormann introduced another extension to his Musaicum satellite image mosaic coverage, which includes the European Arctic islands: Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Novaya Zemlya.

OSM in action

• The World Heritage Journeys Europe portal has adopted OpenStreetMap and Mapbox for their maps of world heritage catalogued by UNESCO and the European Union.
• Where Filmed’s ‘Filming Places Near You’ feature lets users discover nearby filming locations via an interactive web map powered by OpenStreetMap and Leaflet.

Open Data

• Ralph Straumann commented on grid’s interview with Jennings Anderson, a software engineer at Meta, noting that it’s overall an interesting – albeit clearly insider – perspective on the Overture Maps Foundation, OSM, and the evolution of geodata in general.

Software

• [1] Rphryin published his first JOSM map style: LastUpdated. It displays the last update time of each OSM way shown on the screen. This is useful for checking whether a particular mapping area has been updated recently.
• Andrii Holovin has developed osm-diff-state, a tool designed to find the state file corresponding to a specific diff in the OpenStreetMap minutely/hourly/daily replication feeds.
• The team behind Contour has launched a browser-based GIS platform that uses natural language commands to perform spatial analysis and mapping, aiming to simplify traditional GIS workflows and make spatial tools accessible without coding.
• András Zlinszky explained how to load Sentinel-2 true-colour satellite imagery into the Locus Map app using its Web Map Service feature.
• HeiGIT, in collaboration with the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, have worked on the LaVerDi Project, which integrates freely available satellite data with crowdsourced OpenStreetMap data to support continuous, large-scale land cover monitoring and improve the detection of landscape changes in Germany.
• To celebrate its 15th anniversary, OsmAnd has published some of its growth statistics.
• GeoObserver introduced ► Radinfra.de, a new platform that visualises Germany’s cycling infrastructure using open data and user-friendly maps.

Programming

• Researchers at the University of Freiburg have developed Loom, a tool for efficient multi-modal route planning using OpenStreetMap data, enabling detailed and customisable transport network analysis.
• OMP explained how they built a custom OpenStreetMap-based map service using mbtileserver.

Releases

• Jake Low explained the latest upgrade to OSMCha, highlighting the performance improvements achieved by building augmented diffs instead of using Overpass queries.
• The Panoramax mobile app v1.7.1 has been released. The app is now available on F-Droid and is being prepared for iOS. Highlights of the new changes: app info is added to the EXIF data of uploaded pictures and there is a new settings page and splash screen.

Did you know that …

• … there’s an OpenStreetMap Bluesky feed? It allows you to see posts featuring the hashtags #osm and #openstreetmap.
• … you can open a random OpenStreetMap note from any country of your choice?
• … the OpenStreetMap API has a rate-limiting feature that prevents new users from committing large, potentially damaging changesets? After it was implemented in the backend, some user-facing apps, such as iD, had to make adjustments to support this change. As a result, users running older versions of the editor may find their large changesets disappearing into thin air without any clear explanation or error message.

OSM in the media

• Game developers have integrated OpenStreetMap data into simulation games like City Bus Manager and Global Farmer, enabling players to build and manage real-world-inspired transport and farming systems while encouraging contributions to improve map accuracy.
• Gregory Thomas, of the San Francisco Chronicle, reported that Megan Gardner has ridden every publicly accessible road in San Mateo County – a feat spanning 2,800 miles. To accomplish this feat, Gardner relied on Wandrer, a social mapping platform built on OpenStreetMap data. The app turns everyday walks, hikes, and bike rides into personal quests, awarding symbolic points and rewards to users who go the farthest. Participants can track their progress and compare standings on leaderboards showing who is covering the most ground and where.

Other “geo” things

• The mapShare creators have launched a platform that lets users share and discover custom Google Maps, helping travellers find curated local recommendations such as sightseeing spots and photo locations, with strong initial coverage in Japan.
• Rainer Follador has developed ‘delta-relief’, an project designed to enhance the visualisation of SwissTopo’s LiDAR data by highlighting subtle terrain variations for easier interpretation. It has been implemented as an interactive online map, with a portion of the data from eastern Switzerland now available to the public at lidar.cubetrek.com.

Upcoming Events

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 Elizabete, MarcoR, PierZen, Raquel Dezidério Souto, Strubbl, TheSwavu, barefootstache, derFred, mcliquid.
We welcome link suggestions for the next issue via this form and look forward to your contributions.

As part of Wikimedia UK’s work in the area of information literacy, in late 2023 we partnered with the BBC and the Royal Society to plan, programme and host a two day invitation-only workshop with high level policy makers, broadcasters, academics, practitioners and other stakeholders working in the field of information literacy.

The topic was ‘Building resilience to future emergencies and disinformation through adult media literacy’, and the aim was to develop a set of recommendations for policy makers and organisations working in related fields. Wikimedia UK brought our extensive network within information literacy and worked closely with the Royal Society to shape the agenda, while also acting as hosts and facilitators for the event which our Chief Executive, Lucy Crompton-Reid, chaired alongside the BBC’s Ros Atkins.

We are delighted to share the summary note from the workshop here.

The post Wikimedia UK and the Royal Society host workshop on information literacy and future health emergencies appeared first on WMUK.

From AI leaders, engineers, inventors, environmentalists, and designers (just to name a few!), we’ve explored the stories behind the Wikipedia assignments that bring new biographies of historically excluded figures in STEM to Wikipedia.

And when it comes to improving representation on Wikipedia, there’s no doubt that adding new articles to the encyclopedia makes an impact. But not nearly as visible are the small edits made by student editors to underdeveloped biographies already found on the site – and even a short contribution can influence the accuracy and completeness of an article.

Just ask master’s student Gillian McGinnis, who completed a Wikipedia assignment as part of her Foundations of Information Science course at the University of Arizona this semester. As she first learned to edit Wikipedia, McGinnis made a small addition to the article for American atmospheric chemist Susan Solomon – small, but incredibly important, explained the information science major.

“Looking at Dr. Solomon’s list of awards in the Wikipedia article was impressive,” said McGinnis, who was already familiar with atmospheric chemistry data and research. “After doing some research, I was surprised that there was no mention in her article of her receiving the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur – especially since this is an incredibly honorable award, and foreign recipients are not common.”

Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of women in STEM helps to showcase their contributions in the field over the centuries, particularly if they were initially overlooked or previously omitted from formal recognition in their subject, emphasized McGinnis. 

“Representation matters, and because Wikipedia is free and accessible to a wide audience, improving these articles [about women in STEM] may help to inspire and encourage other women and girls interested in STEM,” said McGinnis.

Like McGinnis, classmate Tushar Vimal kicked off his coursework on Wikipedia by making a small yet significant edit of his own. In appreciation for computer scientist Lixia Zhang’s contributions to internet architecture, Vimal chose to improve the article about Zhang, adding her election to the National Academy of Engineering.

“I don’t think only a specific group of people have advanced STEM,” explained Vimal, reflecting on the importance of small edits like his for historically excluded figures. “People from all kinds of backgrounds have made meaningful contributions. Whether their work solved big problems or smaller ones, they all played a role, and they deserve to have their work represented equally and neutrally on platforms like Wikipedia.” 

And McGinnis and Vimal weren’t the only students to improve representation and fill gaps in STEM biographies with small but impactful edits this term. 

From Victor Valley Community College and UCSB to Florida State University and Middle Georgia State University, postsecondary students from all corners of the country have been lending their new editing skills to improve articles of underrepresented figures in STEM.

This spring, student editors have made small but meaningful contributions to biography articles like chemical engineer Daniela Blanco, medical technologist Paulette Dillard, computer scientist Augusta H. Teller, and microbiologist Harold Amos, among many others – and often sparked new edits for the articles by other Wikipedians along the way. 

The student work outlined in this story is part of a larger Wiki Education initiative sponsored by the Broadcom Foundation, which supports the creation of new biographies of diverse people in STEM on Wikipedia.

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.

Democracy is one of the fundamental values of the EU and today, as never before, it needs to be preserved and nurtured. Wikimedia Europe welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to adopt a European Democracy Shield to uphold the Union’s founding values.

We are convinced that Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects have a great role to play in the everyday efforts to nurture European democracy and to make the digital information ecosystem more resilient. We explained how in our submission to the public consultation launched by the European Commission. 

Our submission

When drafting our submission to the public consultation, we focused our attention on four main aspects. First, we explained how the application of the “Wikipedia Test” can help to defend and promote the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information in the online sphere. Second, we clarified the importance of recognising and promoting the Wikimedia projects’ and volunteer communities’ efforts to strengthen digital and media literacy skills and safeguard the integrity of the online information ecosystem. Third, we explained why the public interest contributions of Wikimedia volunteer editors need protection from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). Fourth and lastly, we highlighted the importance of promoting human-centered artificial intelligence (AI), and making sure that the digital commons—including Wikipedia and other reliable sources of openly licensed journalism and research—used to train large language models (LLMs) are protected and that these sources receive proper attribution.

conclusion

The protection of European democracy goes hand in hand with an effective protection of free and open knowledge projects such as Wikipedia, which are governed by a community of volunteers who are exclusively driven by the goal of serving the public interest in Europe, and beyond. 

—I suppose you are an entomologist?—I said with a note of interrogation.

—Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name! A society may call itself an Entomological Society, but the man who arrogates such a broad title as that to himself, in the present state of science, is a pretender, sir, a dilettante, an impostor! No man can be truly called an entomologist, sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.

The Poet at the Breakfast Table (1872) by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. 

I wrote the first version of WikiCrowd back in 2022 and haven’t really iterated on it much since, beyond adding the odd new set of image categories, and removing features that I decided were not optimum.

At the 2025 Wikimedia Hackathon however, WikiCrowd came up as both an entertaining little game to show people during beers, and also a project similar (ish) to something Daanvr was working on (I think it was Suggestion-Engine-Commons-prototype ?)

Upgrades

During the hackathon, and in the weeks following, WikiCrowd went through quite a number of changes

• The YAML config files for the pre-calculated depicts statements are now on Commons for all to edit
• Generation of the questions has been spruced up to stop it breaking as it gets deeper into category trees
• Generation can now be triggered in the UI, as can deleting pending questions
• The old one by one image mode was removed, and instead replaced by a grid mode
• More categories and depict options were added
• A custom grid view was added, allowing users to specify their own category and or Wikidata item
• Ability to zoom in on an image being displayed
• Addition of “levels” of questions
• Display of Wikidata labels and descriptions in the UI (Making use of the new REST API)

The addition of the grid view really increases the speed that depicts statements can be made, and only seems to improve the flow and focus for the user.

It’s very easy to look at a grid and determine what is or is not a cat, and not having to wait for a page reload or image reload is lovely with the preloaded rows below the fold on the grid.

The custom view (which is currently accessible via a button at the bottom of the home page) opens up the tool for use by all, even for small categories, without having to generate the questions ahead of time, and without having to edit YAML anywhere…

Search is integrated for the Commons categories, and Wikidata identifiers, as well as a couple of sanity checks and the ability to automatically look up the other half of the information you need (id or category).

For example, this like will take you to a custom grid of sunflowers that you can try to tag with depicts statements… https://wikicrowd.toolforge.org/questions/depicts/custom?category=Category%3ASunflowers&auto=1

Hackathon leaderboard

During the hackathon, Siebrand really powered ahead with the number of depicts being added. In fact, Siebrand tagged more things during the hackathon than everyone else combined!

Here is the leaderboard for May 2–4, 2025

Overall leaderboard

Looking at all answers since the tool was created, where users have made more than 100 answers PMG is still top, with Siebrand close behind in second (overtaking me in only a matter of weeks).

Answers over time

The tool has been around for quite a number of years now, it’s had periods of time when the generation has broken, and periods of time during events where it gets lots of use.

I’m looking forward to the custom view hopefully increasing the tools usefulness, and perhaps it can be linked to directly from Wikidata and or Commons for people to use from category pages or Wikidata items.

We are now at 239k answers, and 163k edits, woop woop!

But you can really notice the increase in rate since the grid mode was introduced!