CIS-A2K/Events/Indian Community Capacity Development/Wikidata Training Sessions for Santali Community

A2K has planned a series of online training sessions for the communities, however, we are starting with the Santali community to learn about Wikidata. The sessions will be conducted every week just kind of a certificate course. We have prepared and provided the curriculum for the community around Wikidata, according to community needs. There will be 2 trainers who will deliver the service to the participants.

Background

A2K has conducted at least 4 calls with the community and communicated via email as well to engage the community under the Indian Community Capacity Development program. There was a small survey with the community to ask about the community's needs. The community wants to start working on an important and new project and most of the responses were about Wikidata training.

Wikidata is an essential project to take forward and involve as many Wikimedians as we can. Wikidata is full of all kinds of databases, so people can interlink the content with Wikidata and can find the material from the same place. Wikidata is an open, multilingual structured knowledge base that can be read and edited by both humans and machines.

Date and Time

First Session

• 18 June 2023 (Sunday)
• Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Second Session

• Date: 25 June 2023
• Time: 11:00 am to 1:30 pm

Third Session

• Date: 2 July 2023
• Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

4th Session

• Date: 9 July 2023
• Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

5th Session

• Date: 23 July 2023
• Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Language

English & Hindi - translation will be provided by the community only, if needed.

Sessions Highlights

• Etherpad

Tracking

• Dashboard

Sessions

First Session

Introduction to Wikidata

-

• What, Why and Importance of Wikidata
• What is the connection with other projects
• Interlinking
• Wikidata-powered Infoboxes
• Descriptions in Wikipedia mobile app
• Graphs and Maps

Module 1

Updating the items

What is an Item?

• • How to add labels and descriptions in existing Wikidata Items
  • Basic task for a week (like a label-a-thon for a week)

Second Session

Module 2

Update the items and Create a new item

Activities

• Add statements
  • Add references
  • Add qualifiers
  • Add stable identifiers

• Create a new item
  • Directly from Wiki data
  • Directly from Wikipedia

Third Session

Module 3

Introduction to querying

Activities

• Introduction to Wikidata Query Service (SPARQL)
  • Try examples
• Introduction to tools
  • Uses of Tabernacle

Fourth Session

Module 4

Some Basic Tools

• Activities:
• Terminator
• Quick statements
• PetScan
• Wiki Scripts

Fifth Session

Module 5

• OpenRefine

Closing Session

Closing & Feedback Call

Participants

1. R Ashwani Banjan Murmu (talk) 15:35, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
2. Rocky 734 (talk) 17:46, 16 June 2023 (UTC)
3. MT731 (talk) 03:28, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
4. Premchand murmu thakur (talk) 03:45, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
5. Shibu Murmu (talk)
6. Fagu Baskey (talk) 03:47, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
7. Ramjit Tudu (talk) 04:04, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
8. Bijendra Hansda Purudhul (talk) 05:27, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
9. ᱥᱟᱹᱜᱩᱱ ᱗ (talk) 05:58, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
10. Surukuni Murmu (talk) 12:25, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
11. Manik Soren (talk) 04:56, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

Program Report

CIS-A2K organized a series of Wikidata Training Sessions for the Santali community. The training aimed to enhance the capacity and skills of Santali Wikimedians to effectively contribute to Wikidata, a collaborative knowledge graph.

Trainers: Jinoy Jacob, Satpal Dandiwal and Tulspal Kaur

Session 1

Understanding Wikidata Basics

The first session commenced with an introduction to Wikidata, explaining its significance as a structured database supporting Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Participants learned about the essential components of Wikidata, such as items, properties, and statements, and how they interconnect to create a vast knowledge network. This session provided a solid foundation for the subsequent training sessions.

Session 2

Data Entry and Editing in Wikidata

The second session focused on data entry and editing techniques in Wikidata. Participants received hands-on training on adding new items and properties to Wikidata, as well as editing existing entries. Special emphasis was given to maintaining data accuracy and using reliable sources to support statements. The Santali community members actively participated in practical exercises, gaining confidence in contributing to Wikidata.

Session 3

Querying Wikidata with SPARQL

In the third session, the attendees delved into SPARQL, a query language for retrieving specific information from Wikidata. The session covered SPARQL syntax, basic query structures, and more advanced filtering techniques. Participants were encouraged to create custom queries to extract relevant data, enriching their understanding of how to extract valuable insights from Wikidata.

Session 4

Basic Tools & Integrating Wikidata with Wikipedia

The fourth session focused on demonstrating the integration between Wikidata and Wikipedia. Participants learned how Wikidata acts as a central repository for multilingual information, making it accessible to Wikipedia articles in various languages. The session showcased how to link Wikipedia pages to relevant Wikidata entries, facilitating cross-language referencing and expanding the reach of Santali knowledge.

Session 5

OpenRefine & Showcasing Wikidata Contributions

The final session provided an opportunity for participants to showcase their Wikidata contributions and share their experiences. Each participant presented their notable contributions, ranging from adding notable Santali personalities to creating properties specific to Santali culture. This session fostered a sense of achievement and motivated others to engage more actively in Wikidata and other Wikimedia projects.

The sessions was not only to empower the Santali community with technical expertise but also encouraged them to take an active role in preserving and disseminating Santali knowledge on a global platform.