Wikimedians of Kerala/Annual Report 2023-24
Wikimedians of Kerala Annual Report 2023-24
Overview
Throughout the period from October 2023 to September 2024, the Wikimedians of Kerala User Group actively participated in a wide range of initiatives and events, furthering its mission of promoting open knowledge and strengthening community collaboration. This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of the User group's significant achievements and contributions during this time.
This is the sixth year of the User group. This period the user group don't have any kind of financial grants or donations to report.
Activities during 2023
Workshops / Trainings / Edit-a-thons
Introduction to Wikidata at Cochin University of Science and Technology (7th October 2023)
This reporting year we have organized an event before the upcoming Tech Fest in Cochin University of Science and Technolgoy. The focus of this workshop was to introduce Wikidata to Computer Science students in University and the colleges nearby. This event was organized with the help of TinkerHub Foundation. User group members User:Ranjithsiji, User:Ambadyanands and User:KannanVM was there for organizing the event. read more
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Group Photo -
Presentation by KannanVM -
Presentation by Ranjithsiji
Wikipedia Asian Month 2023 (1st November 2023 – 30th November 2023)
As part of the internatonal Wikipedia Asian Month 2023 campaign an edit-a-thon was organized from 1st November 2023 to 30th November 2024 in Malayalam Wikipedia. The main focus of the edit-a-thon was to write articles about Asia. Ranjithsiji and Meenakshi Nandini and Irshadpp were the judges of the edit-a-thon. During this period, 38 articles were created and 8 editors participated in the event. This initiative has enriched the coverage of topics related to Asia on Wikipedia. Detailed statistics about the edit-a-thon can be found in the Statistics tool. read more
Celebrations
Wikidata Birthday Celebration at Bengaluru (29th October 2023)
The Wikimedians of Kerala User Group members who attended the IndiaFOSS 3.0 community meetup in Bangalore celebrated Wikidata's birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony and a fun-filled Wikidata Quiz. The idea to celebrate the milestone was brought forward by User:Gnoeee, User:Manojk and User:Ranjithsiji from the User Group, who proposed it to the IndiaFOSS team. The team enthusiastically agreed, and the celebration took place the following day.
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Wikdiata Bithday Cake -
Wikdiata Bithday Cake cutting -
Wikidata Quiz -
Wikidata Quiz results
The celebration was a lively gathering where participants participated in the Wikidata Quiz and marking the 11th birthday a memorable event. The Wikidata bithday cake, generously sponsored by CIS-A2K, added sweetness to the occasion. A small token prizes were awarded to the top performers, which added an element of excitement to the event. read more
Wikidata Eleventh Birthday at Thrissur, Kerala (4-5th November 2023)
The Wikimedians of Kerala User Group celebrated Wikidata's 11th birthday with a vibrant two-day event on November 4-5, 2023, held alongside the OpenStreetMap Kerala Community Meetup 2023. The celebration brought together around 75 enthusiastic community members, creating a platform for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. The event kicked off with a joyful cake-cutting ceremony, followed by an introduction to Wikidata, which emphasized its significance within the Wikimedia ecosystem.
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Wikdiata Bithday Cake -
Wikdiata Bithday Cake cutting -
Ranjithsiji about Wikidata
The second day featured a hands-on Wikidata workshop, where around 40 participants learned editing techniques and advanced functionalities. The interactive session encouraged collaboration and knowledge-sharing, deepening participants' understanding of Wikidata and fostering a sense of community. read more
Project Vidyodaya (10th December 2023)
User group members User:Meenakshi nandhini and User:Sreenandhini organized a one-day training workshop for the students of Vidyodaya English Medium High School in December 2023. This workshop was designed as part of the Malayalam Wikimedia Educational Program, aiming to engage students with Wikimedia projects and enhance their understanding of open knowledge.
Malayalam Wikipedia 21st Birthday Celebration (23rd December 2023)
The 21st birthday celebration of Malayalam Wikipedia was held on December 2023 at St. Thomas College, Thrissur, as part of WikiConference Kerala. The event was a review Malayalam Wikipedia's progress and celebrate its milestone. The event was organized by a consortium of Wikimedia-affiliated groups, including the Wikimedians of Kerala User Group, OpenStreetMap Kerala, Open Data Kerala, Swatantra Malayalam Computing, Sahya Digital Conservation Foundation, and others, the conference was an unconference format with broader participation.
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Birthday Cake -
Bithday Cake cutting by Dr. Martin K A -
Talk by Dr. P. Renjith about Malayalam Wikipedia -
Malayalam Wikipedia's statistics by Ranjithsiji -
User group's annual report presentation by Jinoy -
Group photo
During the event, the annual report of the Wikimedians of Kerala User Group was presented, highlighting the group's achievements and activities over the past year. Additionally, key statistics of Malayalam Wikipedia were shared, offering insights into the platform's growth and contributions from the community. read more
Activities during 2024
Workshops / Trainings / Edit-a-thons
Wikisource Digitization Event, Pala (6th January 2024)
A half-day Wikisource digitization program was held at St. Mary's GHSS Pala on January 2024. The program aimed to introduce participants to the concept of Wikimedia projects, with a focus on the scanning and digitization of old books for Wikisource. The program was led by user group members User:Tonynirappathu and User:Akhilan.
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Tony Antony giving introduction to scanning -
Venue -
Students participated
Indian general election edit-a-thon 2024 (15th April 2024 – 15 June 2024)
As part of the Indian General Election 2024, a dedicated edit-a-thon was organized from April 15 to June 15, 2024, focusing on enhancing and updating information related to the election and associated topics on Wikipedia. The primary goal of the edit-a-thon was to ensure the availability of transparent and up-to-date information regarding the Indian general elections. During this period, 87 articles were created or updated, and 11 individuals signed up for the event, with 5 active contributors making significant contributions to the content. This initiative has enriched the coverage of election-related information on Wikipedia, supporting public access to reliable data. Detailed statistics about the edit-a-thon can be found in the Statistics tool.
A hands-on Wikipedia content creation and editing session was held at Sir Syed College on August 7, 2024, led by User:Manojk with 12 students attending. The training covered creating accounts, editing articles, and writing new ones, equipping participants with practical skills for effective Wikipedia contributions.
| Wiki Loves Onam 2024 Campaign |
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This campaign was funded by the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) through the Wiki Loves Onam grant awarded to User:Gnoeee. Wiki Loves Onam 2024 Photography Campaign (1 Sept 2024 – 30 Sept 2024)Wiki Loves Onam 2024 campaign was organised in the month of september that was designed as a global initiative to capture and celebrate the rich cultural heritage and festive spirit of Onam, one of the most significant festivals celebrated by the Malayali communities. This campaign invites contributors from around the world to participate by documenting the diverse traditions, unique rituals, and vibrant festivities associated with Onam, contributing both visual and textual content to enrich Wikimedia's repositories. Participants are encouraged to submit photographs they have taken and descriptive content that highlight the variety of Onam celebrations—from the iconic Pookalam (floral decorations) to the grandeur of Vallamkali (boat races), the delicious Onasadya (feast), and various other regional customs. The goal is to create a comprehensive and diverse visual documentation of Onam, showcasing its regional variations and the cultural significance it holds for Malayali communities worldwide. The response to the campaign has been overwhelming, with more 100 participants participated and more than 4,000 images got uploaded, making it one of the most successful Wiki Loves campaigns related to Indian festivals. Wiki Loves Onam 2024 - Organized Events (1 Sept 2024 – 30 Sept 2024)As part of the Wiki Loves Onam 2024 campaign, several events were organized by collabrating with various communities and interested groups to document and celebrate the cultural heritage of Kerala during the Onam festival. Key events included:
Wiki Loves Onam 2024 - Edit-a-thon in Malayalam Wikipedia (1 Sept 2024 – 30 Sept 2024)As part of the Wiki Loves Onam 2024 campaign, a dedicated edit-a-thon was organized from Septermer 1 to September 30, 2024 in Malayalam Wikipedia, focusing on enhancing and updating contents related to Onam and culture of Kerala. During this period, 40 articles were created and 17 articles were update. and 12 editors signed up for the event. This initiative has enriched the coverage of Onam related articles in Wikipedia. Detailed statistics about the edit-a-thon can be found in the Statistics tool. |
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Representation in Conferences
WikiWomenCamp 2023 (19th-22th October 2023)
WikiWomenCamp, the global conference of women Wikimedians happened in New Delhi, where Netha Hussain and Meenakshi Nandhini from the Malayalam community got the chance to attend. Netha Hussain was a member of the program committee involved in co-designing the Research track of the conference. Prior to the conference, she co-authored the pre-read pack containing relevant research related to women in Wikimedia. She also co-presented three sessions related to research and gender diversity. Meenakshi Nandhini participated in the strategy track of the conference and presented her perspectives related to Malayalam Wikipedia.
Wikimania 2024 (7th–10th August 2024)
Members of our user group had the privilege of attending Wikimania 2024, held in Katowice, Poland, in person. It was a significant opportunity for collaboration and learning as the event brought together Wikimedians from around the world. Notably, two of our esteemed members, User:Gnoeee and User:Ranjithsiji were awarded individual scholarships from WMF to attend the event, traveling from India to participate. Additionaly user group member User:Mujeebcpy from Vienna also participated in the conference. Their presence at Wikimania 2024 not only strengthened our group's representation but also allowed them to engage in discussions, networking, and sharing knowledge with fellow contributors, further enriching the Wikimedia movement. Jinoy was the member of programme team for the Open Data Working Group, where he played the role in reviewing submissions, ensuring alignment with the priorities set by the core team.
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Ranjith Sajeev, Mujeeb Rahman, Jinoy Tom Jacob & James Samuel at Wikimania 2024 -
Ranjith Sajeev Presenting tool in Hackathon showcase, Wikimania 2024
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Ranjithsiji and Mujeeb Rahman participated in Wikimania Hackathon 2024. They created a tool called Vcut-cli in collaboration with Emerauld Ross and Houcemeddine Turki. This tool is created to cut videos of individual sessions in Wikimania 2024 from long full day lasting videos. The project was led by Emerauld Ross from Wikimedia Foudation. Ranjithsiji presented about this tool in Hackathon showcase.
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Poster presented by Ranjith -
![Poster presented by Jinoy[1]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Open_Data_Kerala_-_Wikimania_Poster_2024.pdf/page1-212px-Open_Data_Kerala_-_Wikimania_Poster_2024.pdf.jpg)
Poster presented by Jinoy[1]
![Poster presented by Jinoy[1]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Open_Data_Kerala_-_Wikimania_Poster_2024.pdf/page1-212px-Open_Data_Kerala_-_Wikimania_Poster_2024.pdf.jpg)
During Wikimania 2024, Jinoy and Ranjith have represented the group by delivering two poster presentation. Ranjith has also presented about talk about Schoolwiki project in Lightning talks.[2]
IndiaFOSS 4.0 (7th-8th Sept 2024)
At IndiaFOSS, the Wikimedians of Kerala User Group played an integral role as a partner for the event, further solidifying their presence in the open-source and free knowledge ecosystem. Ranjithsiji and Naveen represented for the UG during the event. Although Jinoy was unable to attend in person, he has submitted a comprehensive workshop on OpenRefine titled "OpenRefine Workshop: Cleaning, Exploring, and Contributing to Open Knowledge" which was conducted by Ranjith Sajeev and Ayushi.[3]
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Partner's Booth at IndiaFOSS 2024 -
Wikimedians of Kerala UG's event brochure's -
OpenRefine Workshop by Ranjith and Ayushi -
Partner's Booth at IndiaFOSS 2024
The group's participation in IndiaFOSS 4.0 highlighted their ongoing commitment to fostering collaboration and technical expertise within the free software and open knowledge communities, continuing their efforts to engage with and contribute to platforms that promote openness and accessibility.
Other Activities
Book Digitization (Nov 2023 - On-going)
Nearly 100 books have been digitized by Tonynirappathu using the scanner provided by CIS-A2K after the Train the Trainer Program 2023 program co-organized by Wikimedians of Kerala UG.
Indic Wikimedia Hackathon 2023 (16th-17th December 2023)
User group members Jinoy and Ranjith participated in the Indic Wikimedia Hackathon 2023, contributing to various technical projects and collaborating with fellow Wikimedians to enhance tools and solutions within the Wikimedia ecosystem. During the Hackathon, as per the request by Tamil Wikimedian User:Info-farmer, Jinoy and Ranjith have helped to incorporate Wikidata-powered infoboxes in Tamil Wikipedia.
Online Training by User:Manojk (January 14, 2024)
Manoj Karingamadathil facilitated an online training as part of the capacity building program of the Wiki World Heritage User Group about Introduction to OpenStreetMap OSM Project[4], the free and open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration.
Talk by User:Manojk (March 25, 2024)
Manoj Karingamadathil did a talk on "Innovative Trends and Opportunities in the field of Online Encyclopedias" at the Kerala State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications, under the Cultural Affairs Department of the Government of Kerala. The session highlighted emerging trends in digital knowledge platforms and explored new possibilities for expanding online encyclopedias. Web edition of Sarvavijnanakosam (State Govt's Malayalam Encyclopaedic) running with a MediaWiki Technology Platform[5].
Wiki Technical Training 2024 (22th-23th June 2024)
User group member, Jinoy was invited by CIS-A2K to serve as a trainer for the Wiki Technical Training 2024. Jinoy provided training on tools used for contributing to Wikimedia and also provided training on how to use outreach tools like the Outreach Dashboard and event registration tools for Wikimedia activities. In the afternoon, an introductory session on the OpenRefine tool was conducted.
Jinoy has provided technical support for the NDEC Wikimedia Bootcamp. To facilitate effective tracking of contributions during the bootcamp, Jinoy developed a tool that allows organizers to monitor the count of participants contributions across various Wikimedia projects during particular time period.[6]
Wikipedia Takes Kollam (2024 August - On-going)
"Wikipedia Takes Kollam" is a multi stage photo scavenger hunt set to take place in the city of Kollam, India. As part of OpenStreetMap's birthday, User:Akhilan, User:Athulvis & Muhammed Yaseen mapped areas surrounding Ashramam, including the adventure park, the ground, the biodiversity heritage site, and the residency building. A photowalk was also conducted during the event on August 12 and more than 120 photos were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
Village Documentation - Thalavoor (2024 August - On-going)
The Thalavoor Village documentation is a pilot initiative led by User:Akhilan, where Wikimedians from Kerala aim to increase media content related to gram panchayats on Wikimedia Commons. As a staring, locations were identified and geotagged as part of this effort.
Monthly Meetings & Newsletter
Monthly Online Meetings
The user group holds a monthly call on the 3rd/4th Saturday of each month to discuss ongoing and upcoming activities, as well as to share experiences and insights from community members.
| Event | Date | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| October 2023 Monthly Meetup | 14 October 2023 | 11 |
| November 2023 Monthly Meetup | 18 November 2023 | 21 |
| December 2023 Monthly Meetup | 16 December 2023 | 21 |
| January 2024 Monthly Meetup | 18 January 2024 | 9 |
| February 2024 Monthly Meetup | 17th Feb 2024 | 13 |
| March 2024 Monthly Meetup | 30th Mar 2024 | 6 |
| April 2024 Monthly Meetup | 27th April 2024 | 7 |
| May 2024 Monthly Meetup | 25th May 2024 | 8 |
| June 2024 Monthly Meetup | 18 January 2024 | 9 |
| MC discussion June 2024 | 29th June 2024 | 10 |
| July 2024 Monthly Meetup | 20th July 2024 | 12 |
| August 2024 Monthly Meetup | 17th August 2024 | 12 |
| September 2024 Monthly Meetup | 21st Sept 2024 | 13 |
In the January 2024 monthly call, the Wikimedians of Kerala UG member has proposed launching a monthly newsletter to share updates on upcoming and past events. A signup form was circulated, and based on the responses, the newsletter has been sent to those who signed up since January 2024. This year seven newsletters have been sent to the Village Pump and users' talk pages.
Thanks Note
A special thank you to all our dedicated contributors, community partners, and supporters. Your tireless efforts and generous sharing of resources are instrumental in shaping the future of the Wikimedia movement. Through your unwavering commitment, you help foster an inclusive environment that promotes free and open knowledge for everyone.
News
- "വിക്കിമാനിയ: എറണാകുളം, തൃശൂർ സ്വദേശികൾക്ക് അവസരം". epaper.manoramaonline.com (in Malayalam). 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- "വിക്കിയിലേക്ക് ഓണചിത്രങ്ങളായാക്കാം, സമ്മാനം നേടാം". epaper.mathrubhumi.com (in Malayalam). 2024-09-06.
- "ഓണച്ചിത്രങ്ങൾ അപ്ലോഡ് ചെയ്യാം". epaper.deshabhimani.com (in Malayalam). 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- Jose, Jomit (2024-09-07). "നിങ്ങളുടെ ഓണച്ചിത്രങ്ങൾ ലോകം കാണും; ഫോട്ടോകള് വിക്കിപീഡിയയിലേക്ക് അപ്ലോഡ് ചെയ്യാം, വിക്കി ലവ്സിന് തുടക്കമായി". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- Varrier, Gopika (2024-09-07). "Wikimedians of Kerala launches 'Wiki Loves Onam'". epaper.newindianexpress.com.
- ലേഖിക, മനോരമ (2024-09-07). "വിക്കിയിലൂടെ ലോകം കാണട്ടെ, നിങ്ങളെടുത്ത ഓണചിത്രങ്ങൾ". epaper.manoramaonline.com (in Malayalam).
- Anand, Prince (2024-08-24). "Hema report effect? Vandalism rife, AMMA Wikipedia page gets semi-protection tag for first time". https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/hema-committee-report-and-effect-on-amma-1.9851983.
Notes
- ↑ Karingamadathil, Manoj; Jacob, Jinoy Tom (5 August 2024), Open Data Kerala: Connecting Data, Inspiring Change, doi:10.5281/zenodo.13225823
- ↑ "Lightning Talk Showcase I - "School Wiki - A wiki of schools using Mediawiki"". eventyay.com. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ↑ "OpenRefine Workshop: Cleaning, Exploring, and Contributing to Open Knowledge". fossunited.org. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ↑ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WWH_activity_report_2023.pdf
- ↑ web-edition.sarvavijnanakosam.gov.in/
- ↑ Islam, Towhidul (2024-06-24). "NDEC Wikimedia Bootcamp 2024: We did it!". Diff (in en-US). Retrieved 2024-10-18.