Since last year, we have turned our attention to Wikidata at Art+Feminism motivated by the idea that if data is the backbone of online knowledge, it should also be the backbone of our strategy. Structured data powers Wikipedia’s notoriety, fuels AI, and drives search results. So when it’s incomplete or biased, those knowledge gaps have a large scale impact in our work. However we understand that this pivot in the conversation can not be done without upskilling our editors and organizers community.

With that in mind we launched this month our own educational resources to enable us to work jointly at the intersection of gender equity, knowledge justice, and open data. These materials aim to strengthen your skills in contributing to Wikidata while keeping feminist perspectives on structured data at the forefront.

We held a launch session with Greta Suiter, the Manuscripts Archivist at Ohio University and a total pro Wikidata user who helped us to create and test these resources, to present it to our community. Now they are in the wild and we want to share them with all Wikimedians who want to join our mission!  Organizers can use these modules for individual learning and to train their community at their own Art+Feminism event. 

Organized in five modules that go from the relevance of editing on Wikidata to improve knowledge equity to practical tutorials that cover topics ranging from beginner to intermediate levels, they can be found on WikiCommons, Youtube and Art+Feminism website. We can find them in video format, narrated by Greta, or in slide decks for you to share, use, reuse and mix as a good Wikimedian would do. You can also help us to reach more communities by translating them!

And stay tuned: we have new modules coming soon about queries and curated lists of resources. And of course, more opportunities to edit together. 

We hope you’ll enjoy it and join our campaign!

Talk to us in info@artandfeminism.org

What started as a vision to document and preserve the world’s living heritage has blossomed into a global movement. This year, I am entirely thrilled and deeply humbled to announce as lead coordinator that the Wiki Loves Folklore campaign has reached a historic milestone: over 100,000 media contributions in a single year!

Running from February 1st to March 31st, this year’s campaign captured the vibrant essence of local cultures, folklore, and traditions from approximately 150 countries – spanning nearly 75-77% of the globe. Rooted in the spirit of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, these images and media files serve as a timeless digital archive of humanity’s shared living heritage.

A Journey of Incredible Growth

When we look back, the growth of this campaign is nothing short of spectacular. In 2019, we celebrated gathering just over 7,000 files. Today, breaking the 100,000 mark stands as a testament to the passion and dedication of the global Wikimedia community.

This monumental achievement was driven by National Organizers from 56 countries and regions who took the lead on the ground, working hand-in-hand with local Wikimedia chapters and affiliates to make this campaign a resounding success.

“Reaching 100,000 contributions isn’t just a numerical milestone – it represents 100,000 unique stories, traditions, and memories that our incredible global community has preserved for future generations.” – Tiven, Lead Coordinator

It Takes a Village: Thanking Our Remarkable Team

Behind these numbers is an international team that has been working day and night. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my core team: Joris Darlington Quarshie, Stella Sessy Agbley, Hrithik Salian, and Rupika Sharma.

A campaign of this scale requires a robust foundation and brilliant outreach:

• Technical Infrastructure: Flawlessly led by Nokib Sarkar and Mst Rukaiya Islam Tonni.
• Social Media & Brand Creatives: Masterfully managed by Meghna K, who brought our campaign to life visually. 
• Language & Regional Ambassadors: Champions like Rotana Nawwaf Al Hasanat, Nwonwu Uchechukwu Pascaline, Nyirahabihirwe Clementine, Irvin P. Sto. Tomas, Jesse Asiedu-Akrofi, Shreya Dwivedi, Camelia Boban, Kouame N’guessan Aristide Bonaventure and Azogbonon Pephael Constant E played a crucial role. They built an ecosystem focused on community leadership, giving underrepresented communities a much-needed platform to participate and share their stories.
• Community liaison Isaac Chabota Kanguya and Kritzolina Commons Administration 
• Advisors: A special thank you to Fiona Romeo, Praveen Das, Francesc Fort, and Alex Stinson for their invaluable and continued guidance.

Gratitude to Our Partners and Sponsors

Our microgrants program opened doors for communities to document new, unseen cultures and traditions, fostering a beautiful community spirit. None of this would have been possible without the necessary support from the WMF Community Resources team and the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Funds Committee. We are also incredibly grateful to Wikimedia Switzerland (Wikimedia CH) for supporting us with activity microgrants.

Furthermore, a massive thank you goes out to the Open Knowledge Impact Foundation, which has been a crucial backbone for this year’s campaign, providing vital institutional support and resource management.

Feminism and Folklore: Breaking Records on Wikipedia

Our sister writing campaign, Feminism and Folklore, has officially become one of the largest organized writing campaigns on Wikipedia!

This year, 319 users across 56 Wikipedia language communities contributed a staggering 11,700+ Wikipedia articles. To celebrate this incredible effort, and in honor of Wikipedia 25, we will be digitally sending out a special birthday postcard to all participants of Feminism and Folklore. Join us in this celebration!

What’s Next? The Jury Phase Begins

As we close the submission window, the exciting work of reviewing these phenomenal contributions begins. We are now officially entering the jury phase.

Suyash Dwivedi will be orchestrating the process to train our jurors. We look forward to announcing the final results of the campaign in late July.

Stay tuned, and thank you all for helping us preserve the world’s heritage, one upload and one article at a time!

Jennifer Bernstein, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Case Studies in the Environment
Faculty, Texas Tech University

In an eight-week, online introductory environmental science course, I assigned the Wikipedia assignment in lieu of a traditional research paper. Students selected an article from a list of geoscience terms and improved it through editing and contributing text, references, and media. My learning objectives were similar to those associated with a traditional research paper: evaluating source quality, synthesizing information, writing clearly, and supporting claims with evidence. The Wikipedia assignment met these goals while also placing student work in front of a public audience.

As an instructor, I also grapple with student use of LLMs. Rather than rely on detection tools or restrictive policies, I aim to design assignments that are difficult to complete successfully using LLMs. The Wikipedia assignment does this effectively. Students also recognize that Wikipedia serves as an input for LLMs, demonstrating how information is produced and circulated.

To assess how the assignment functioned, I conducted an informal content analysis of students’ end-of-semester reflections and compared them with their final article contributions. 

The most notable outcome was a change in how students understood their role in working with information. Instead of summarizing existing material, students were asked to revise, clarify, and make it usable for others. The experience was characterized less by content mastery and more by a move from receiving information to contributing to it. 

Some students engaged fully with this shift and meaningfully edited their articles. These students were often more comfortable with online learning environments or more invested in the course material. For them, the assignment offered benefits beyond a traditional research paper, particularly in developing a clearer understanding of how information is constructed  and disseminated.

At the same time, many students experienced the assignment as uncomfortable. Reflections expressed uncertainty about expertise and legitimacy, with students questioning whether they were qualified editors. In response, some focused on lower-risk contributions, working around the edges of their articles rather than making substantive revisions. A small number expressed strong dislike for the assignment in course evaluations.

From a pedagogical perspective, this discomfort is not surprising. Historically, students have been asked to take in information, internalize it, and demonstrate their understanding through correct answers. Over time, this reinforces the idea that knowledge is fixed and that their role is to receive it. Asking students to contribute introduces a different expectation, as it requires them to take responsibility for how information is presented and supported. This shift can feel unfamiliar, particularly in introductory or general education settings. At the same time, research on “desirable difficulties” suggests that this kind of challenge can support deeper and more durable learning (Bjork & Bjork, 2011; Bransford et al., 2000).

Other factors mediate how and to what degree this discomfort is experienced. Despite robust support, some students struggle with the technical demands of the platform. Others find the premise confusing, especially as many have been taught to avoid Wikipedia as a source. There is also something more fundamentally destabilizing at work. When students participate in producing and revising information, they must reconsider how it is created and trusted, and that the knowledge they encounter is the product of human construction and interpretation.

This discomfort does not lead to a single outcome. Some students step into it, engaging more deeply with the assignment and its expectations. Others hesitate or pull back, focusing on lower-risk contributions or struggling to engage. These responses are shaped by who students are and what they bring to the course. Students with prior positive experiences in online learning, stronger interest in the subject, or a sense of connection to the course community were more likely to persist through the initial uncertainty. For these students, the discomfort became productive. For others, particularly when combined with technical challenges, time constraints, or different expectations for what a course should provide, the same assignment felt confusing or misaligned. The impact of the assignment depends on how it intersects with student preparation, expectations, and course context.

Part of what makes this assignment feel different is also tied to how generative AI is reshaping the classroom and the broader information environment. Many responses to LLM use focus on restriction or monitoring. These approaches address immediate concerns but do not resolve the underlying challenge of designing learning environments that require active engagement with information. The Wikipedia assignment asks students to evaluate sources using shared standards, write for a public audience, and work within an existing body of knowledge. This is not simply a workaround for AI use. It reflects a shift toward forms of learning that prioritize evaluating information, making judgments, and working with knowledge in ways that are increasingly necessary in an AI-shaped information environment.

At the same time, this shift has pedagogical consequences. Non-traditional assignments often look and feel unfamiliar to students. They can create opportunities for deeper engagement, but they can also expose mismatches between course design and student expectations. In accelerated courses or with diverse student populations, these mismatches can be more pronounced, making careful scaffolding especially important when introducing assignments like the Wikipedia project.

For instructors considering the Wikipedia assignment, its value lies in how it asks students to engage with information as something they must work with, not simply receive. Students evaluate sources, write for a public audience, and contribute to knowledge that others will encounter. In courses with varied student backgrounds or limited time, careful scaffolding is essential to ensure that all students can engage with this work.

Even when it is uncomfortable, this kind of learning helps prepare students to evaluate information critically and make informed judgments in a landscape where those skills are increasingly necessary.

References 

Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2011). Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning. In M. A. Gernsbacher, R. W. Pew, L. M. Hough, & J. R. Pomerantz (Eds.), Psychology and the real world: Essays illustrating fundamental contributions to society (pp. 56–64). Worth Publishers.

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded ed.). National Academy Press.

Wiki Education’s support for STEM courses like Jennifer Bernstein’s is available thanks to the Guru Krupa Foundation.

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. 

On April 18, the Azerbaijani Wikimedia community marked Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary with a large-scale celebration, organized by the Azerbaijani Wikimedians User Group (from now on, “the user group”) with the support of Azersun Holding. The event brought together around 150 participants, including experienced Wikimedians, active contributors, volunteers, and invited guests. It highlighted Wikipedia’s global impact and also the growth and direction of the Azerbaijani Wikipedia community.

The program opened with a formal ceremony, including a moment of silence to honor the memory of the martyrs followed by the national anthem. Participants then watched a video showcasing the history and development of the Wikimedia movement in Azerbaijan. Opening remarks were delivered by representatives of the local community and the broader Wikimedia movement, including members of the Azerbaijani Wikimedians User Group and Azersun Holding, as well as a congratulatory video message from Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.

A representative of the Wikimedia CEE Hub also took part in the event. Barbara Klen, Regional Coordinator of the Wikimedia CEE Hub, participated in panel discussions and engaged with community members, partners, and guests throughout the day. Following the event, she shared her reflections in a LinkedIn post, highlighting the growth of Azerbaijani Wikipedia, the increasing reach of Wikimedia content beyond the platform itself.

A key part of the event focused on recognizing community contributions. In total, 50 contributors were awarded for their work on Azerbaijani Wikipedia. Among them, 15 highly active editors were recognized for outstanding contributions, while 35 others were honored for supporting the growth of free knowledge in Azerbaijani language.

The event featured two thematic panel discussions that focused on both the long-term development of Wikipedia and the specific dynamics of content creation in the Azerbaijani-language edition. The first panel, titled “Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary and the future development of Azerbaijani Wikipedia”, was moderated by Aida Aslanova, Vice Chair of the user group’s board. It brought together Elgün Atalıyev, Chair of the Board of the user group; Barbara Klen, Regional Coordinator for Wikimedia CEE Hub; Məsud Mahmudov, Professor and Head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics at the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics; and Elçin Əliyev, an Azerbaijani Wikipedia community member. The discussion addressed Wikipedia’s evolution over the past 25 years and highlighted priorities for the continued growth of Azerbaijani Wikipedia.

The second panel, “Characteristics of content creation in Azerbaijani Wikipedia”, was moderated by Elçin Əliyev and focused on the practical aspects of editing and content development. Speakers included Toğrul Rəhimli, board member of the user group; Arzu Rahim, Business Development Manager; Əkbər Əliyev, Assistant to the Chair of the Board for legal matters at the Intellectual Property Agency of Azerbaijan; and Qasım Vəliyev, Head of Intelligent Systems at Proxima Tech Solutions. The discussion explored editorial practices, legal considerations, and technological perspectives, highlighting both challenges and opportunities in strengthening high-quality content creation.

The event also included cultural elements, such as a live performance of the overture from the opera Koroghlu.

Throughout the day, participants networked, visited a photo exhibition dedicated to Wikimedia activities, and engaged in informal discussions during breaks. The atmosphere reflected a strong sense of community and shared purpose.

As Wikipedia enters its next chapter, the Azerbaijani Wikimedia community continues to develop as an integral part of the global movement. This anniversary event served as a celebration of past achievements and a moment to reinforce a collective commitment to expanding free knowledge, strengthening collaboration, and inspiring new contributors to join the movement. The Azerbaijani Wikimedians User Group will continue its efforts to implement initiatives that ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the movement in Azerbaijan.

The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group undertook a purposeful photo walk to the Choggu Naa’s Palace in Tamale, Northern Region of Ghana on 19th April 2026 to document the enskinement of Choggu Nyorinlana, an important traditional event within the Dagbon Kingdom. The activity was carefully organized as part of ongoing efforts to contribute meaningful visual content to the Wiki Loves Africa 2026 campaign while preserving valuable aspects of our cultural heritage.

Upon arrival, the atmosphere at the palace reflected the significance of the occasion. Community members, elders, and traditional authorities had gathered in their numbers, each playing a role in upholding customs that have been passed down through generations. The enskinment ceremony itself was conducted with dignity and adherence to tradition, symbolizing leadership, continuity, and the authority entrusted to the newly installed figure.

Volunteers of the group focused on capturing clear and respectful images that tell the story of the day. The lenses documented key moments of the enskinment process, highlighting the presence of chiefs, elders, and attendants, as well as the cultural symbols that define such ceremonies. Attention was given not only to the central event but also to the surrounding activities that give depth and meaning to the occasion.

The photo walk also captured vibrant displays of traditional music and dance that accompanied the ceremony. Performances of the Gonje brought a distinct rhythmic storytelling element, while Sapasini Waa, known as the warrior dance, showcased strength and historical identity. The Naɣ’begu dance and other cultural performances added color and movement, reflecting the richness of Dagbani traditions.

After the ceremony, volunteers returned to the user group office for an upload session. During this session, images captured from the photo walk were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons to ensure proper documentation and global accessibility.

To further strengthen coordination and accountability, a dedicated dashboard was created to track volunteers’ uploads. This made it easier to monitor contributions, measure participation, and ensure that all efforts were aligned with the goals of the campaign.

Through this activity, the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group continues to play its role in documenting local knowledge and cultural practices. The combined effort of field documentation, structured uploads, and tracking of contributions strengthens the quality and visibility of outputs for the Wiki Loves Africa 2026 campaign while encouraging more members to actively participate in preserving and sharing our heritage.

April 24th, 2026, the Igala Wikimedia Community hosted a capacity-building session titled “Beyond Article Writing Organizing Wikipedia in Your Language with Categories and Other Curation Tools.” The session marked an important step in deepening the community’s understanding of how to build not just content, but a well-structured and sustainable Wikipedia in Igala language.

It was more than just another training it was a chance for us to pause, learn, and grow together as a community. While many of us started our journey by writing articles, this session helped us understand that building Wikipedia goes beyond that. It’s also about how we organize and manage the knowledge we create.

We were excited to welcome Amir E. Aharoni as our trainer.

For us, this was a special moment. Amir has been part of our journey from the early days of building Igala Wikipedia on the Incubator. His guidance and encouragement helped us get started, especially when things felt new and a bit overwhelming.

Having him return to train us at this stage felt like coming full circle, seeing how far we’ve come and how much more we can still build.

Learning to Organize What We Create

During the session, we shifted our focus from just creating articles to organizing them better.

We learned about:

• How categories help make content easier to find
• Why structure matters for readers and contributors
• Simple tools that help keep Wikipedia organized and useful

It was eye-opening for many participants. It made us realize that writing is just one part of the work keeping things well-arranged is just as important.

This session reminded us that we’re not just adding content we’re building something meaningful in our language.

For a growing community like ours, learning how to organize and sustain content is very important. It helps us create a Wikipedia that is not only rich in information but also easy to use and reliable.

Appreciation

We are truly grateful to Amir E. Aharoni for his continued support and for always showing up for language communities like ours. His impact on the Igala Wikimedia journey means a lot to us.

And to everyone who participated, thank you for your time, your questions, and your commitment to learning.

Looking Ahead

This is just one step in our journey. There is still so much to learn, build, and improve.

But one thing is clear we are growing together.

On Thursday, 30 April 2026, the Wikimedia Foundation completed the Wikipedia app’s administrative registration process as an Electronic System Provider (PSE), applicable to online platforms operating in Indonesia. (We also intend to register the Wikipedia website with further assistance from Komdigi; the process was halted today due to a bug on the registration website.) The Foundation has been in discussions with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) since earlier this year to explain the unique Community-led model of content moderation on Wikimedia platforms and to raise its concerns regarding user privacy, editorial independence and preservation of the Wikimedia projects’ volunteer governed model.

In a constructive virtual meeting that took place between Komdigi and the Wikimedia Foundation on 23 April 2026, the Foundation discussed these concerns and its commitment towards knowledge integrity, privacy and security of Wikipedia editors. Komdigi, in turn, recognised the importance of these principles to maintain Wikimedia’s open knowledge projects and assured that the relevant framework was intended as an administrative formality. To further formalise its commitment, Komdigi has since shared a letter of assurance with the Wikimedia Foundation’s legal team confirming that the registration will not be a legal basis for content moderation or data disclosure that could undermine the Wikimedia community-led model. 

Since 25 February 2026, volunteer editors in Indonesia have been denied access to their account resulting in their inability to contribute to Wikipedia and other knowledge platforms hosted by Wikimedia Foundation. As a result of the Foundation’s registration, Komdigi has assured restoration of access to the domain auth.wikimedia.org at the earliest, so that editors can resume their contributions.

What this means for contributors

The Foundation has carefully assessed the legal, technical, and community implications of this registration, especially how such a decision could affect the safety and sustainability of our contributors to the Wikimedia projects.

The registration will not have any additional impact on the Foundation’s existing legal review processes. The Foundation will continue to assess the validity of content takedown orders or data disclosure requests on a case by case basis in accordance with its established legal processes and applicable policies, and respond in line with international human rights norms. The Foundation remains committed to ensuring that every legal order we process is lawful, applicable to the Foundation, and is not an abuse of the legal process, and will continue providing assistance to Wikimedia’s good faith users. 

To the Wikimedia affiliates and contributors in Indonesia

The Wikimedia Foundation is grateful for all the efforts by Wikimedia Indonesia and contributors of Wikimedia projects in Indonesia to continue raising awareness and public support for our projects and knowledge access in the country. Your efforts highlighted the value of a thriving community that is passionate about Wikimedia’s free knowledge projects and is committed to sharing Indonesia’s vast wealth of knowledge with the world. 

The Foundation remains committed to supporting its volunteer contributors and users in Indonesia. We expect that the access to auth.wikimedia.org will be restored soon, and that the volunteer communities in Indonesia can continue to freely contribute to the Wikimedia projects.

Guess what? There is something powerful about telling your own story, especially through images. That’s exactly what the Igala Wikimedia Community set out to do during the Wiki Loves Folklore campaign. It wasn’t just a photo walk; it was a journey into the heart of Igala culture, tradition, and identity.

A Walk Through Culture

Curios, community members stepped into different parts of the Igala community to document what makes Igala heritage unique. From the rhythmic beauty of local drums to the intricate designs of traditional beads, every snapshot told a story of craftsmanship and cultural pride.

But it didn’t stop there.

Documenting Indigenous Craftsmanship

One of the highlights for me was visiting the local pottery sites. Seeing how clay is turned into pots and everyday items was truly special. Watching the artisans carefully shape and smooth the clay using skills they’ve learned over generations was really inspiring.

Participants captured each stage of the process, preserving not just the final products, but the skill, patience, and cultural knowledge behind them. These are the kinds of stories that often go undocumented, and this initiative helped bring them to light.

The Energy of the Festival

A major highlight of the photo walk was the vibrant Ogani Angwa Festival in Idah, Kogi State. The atmosphere was alive with music, dance, colorful attire, and deep cultural expression.

From traditional performances to joyful community gatherings, participants captured moments that reflected the true spirit of the Igala people. The festival offered a rich visual experience one that beautifully showcased culture in motion.

Why It Matters

Through the Wiki Loves Folklore Campaign, these images found a home on Wikimedia Commons, making Igala culture accessible to a global audience. What was once local is now part of a worldwide digital archive.

Beyond photography, the initiative empowered participants with new skills, strengthened community bonds, and sparked a deeper appreciation for cultural preservation. It also played a role in closing the content gap—ensuring that African and indigenous stories are seen, heard, and valued.

Looking Ahead

The Wiki Loves Folklore campaign in the Igala Community reminds us that culture is part of our everyday lives in the tools we use, the traditions we keep, the crafts we make, and the way we celebrate. And when people come together to capture these moments, they create something meaningful that can last for generations..

This is just the beginning. More stories remain untold, more traditions waiting to be documented. And with every photo, the Igala narrative grows stronger in the global knowledge space.

Being an AWA Fellow has been a defining phase in my life.

The African Wikipedian Alliance (AWA) EmpowerHer Project is a fellowship supported by Code for Africa (CfA) in partnership with the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD). It brought together four female African Wikipedians-in-Residence under AWA to support experienced Wikimedians in closing the gender gap and increasing the visibility of African women on Wikipedia and Wikidata.

I remember that while applying for this fellowship, I wrote: “If I can learn so much as a participant, I will definitely learn more as a fellow.”And looking back now, that became my reality.

Those weeks were filled with learning, stepping out of my comfort zone, thinking on my feet, and taking responsibility for others. I intentionally supported each participant who showed interest in the project, ensuring that both newbies and experienced editors stayed on track. I made a conscious effort to carry everyone along and create a sense of belonging.

I also deeply appreciate my participants. Their eagerness to learn and the energy they brought into every session gave me so much joy. Watching them contribute, ask questions, and stay committed became one of the most fulfilling parts of the journey for me.

The feedback I received meant a lot, and at some point I told myself, yes, this is it. You are doing a great job.

There were also challenges along the way. The network provider I had been using became frustrating at a critical time. Interestingly, the very day I received my acceptance email into the AWA EmpowerHer Fellowship was the day I decided to switch networks, and I made a decision not to let network issues stand in the way of this opportunity.

One of the biggest shifts for me was in communication. Before the fellowship, I expressed myself more through writing. I preferred being behind the keyboard. But during this journey, I grew into speaking more confidently. I facilitated sessions, and engaged in one-on-one mentorship with participants.

I also guided participants on the importance of using email as a professional communication tool. Through this, they became more familiar with Google Workspace by engaging with surveys, invitations, and structured communication that supported a more professional workflow.

Collaboration played a huge role in this experience. I worked with community leads like Michael Diala, and Ramatu Haliru for participant recruitment. I also collaborated with Blessing Ojewuyi to facilitate training sessions, and her support remained consistent and invaluable throughout.

This journey would not have been as smooth without the constant support of our community coordinator, Bukola James. Her responsiveness, attention to detail, and commitment to ensuring all fellows succeeded made a key difference.

One of my personal goals was to recruit new participants, especially women, and I am proud to say that this goal was achieved.Out of the 22 participants who joined the project, 12 were newbies, marking a significant step in expanding the community.

A total of 52 contributions were made, including 20 improved Wikipedia articles and the creation of 32 new Wikidata items. These efforts focused on documenting notable African women from Cameroon, Somalia, and Sudan, thereby contributing to improved representation and recognition of their achievements.

Notable Examples of Created Items

• Solange Swiri Tumasang: Cameroonian gender and child protection advocate and General Coordinator of the Network of Women-Led CSOs in Cameroon (NEWOLEC).
• Arrey-Echi Agbor-Ndakaw: Recipient of multiple recognitions, including the Cell 101 International Advocate of the Year (2019), World Pulse Spirit Award (Encourager Category, 2020), and Deaf Women Breaking Barriers Award (2021). She was also named a WILD (Women in Leadership & Disability) Woman.
• Halima Farah Godane: Founder of the Somali Women Solidarity Organization (SWSO).

More details are available on the event page to explore the full impact of the project.

This fellowship has helped me grow, take on leadership, and become more confident in my abilities.

As part of the ongoing WikiNgalam initiative by KlubWiki Universitas Brawijaya, a new project called WikiSekal (Wiki Seni Lokal) was launched to document and celebrate Malang’s rich performing arts heritage. Funded by the Dana Wiki Wikimedia Indonesia, the project ran from March to April 2026 and focused on two iconic elements of Malang’s traditional arts: Tari Topeng Malangan and the intricate process of mask-making and painting.

WikiSekal aimed not only to capture the surface beauty of local arts but to dive deeper into the stories, processes, and human interactions behind them. Through on-site visits and hands-on workshops, participants documented real-life artistic practices on Wikimedia Commons while also learning how to create collective knowledge on Wikibooks, turning personal experiences into lasting digital resources.

Field Visits to Malang’s Art Studios

On Sunday, 29 March 2026, eight WikiSekal participants visited Sanggar Seni Topeng Asmorobangun. They received a comprehensive introduction to the sanggar’s history, the origins and narrative of Tari Bapang, the complete process of crafting Topeng Malangan, and a live demonstration of mask painting. Participants had the opportunity to try painting masks themselves, gaining first-hand insight into the techniques and cultural meanings behind every color and detail.

A week later, on Sunday, 5 April 2026, another group of eight participants visited Sanggar Tari Sekar Kedoya. There, they joined the sanggar members, including many young dancers, for an energetic practice session. They learned and performed several traditional and contemporary dances: Tari Gandrung Marsan, Tari Beskalan, Tari Topeng Malangan, as well as creative pieces such as Tari Semut and Tari Dongklak. The experience allowed participants to feel the rhythm and spirit of Malang’s living arts from within.

Later that same day, all participants from both visits gathered for a WikiLatih (training) session at Kopi Titik Koma Tidar. Fourteen enthusiastic members learned how to upload their documentation to Wikimedia Commons and how to transform their field experiences into structured Wikibooks articles. The training successfully bridged the gap between real-world artistic encounters and open knowledge contribution.

Project Impact in Numbers

During the project, Wiki Seni Lokal contributed:  

• Media Uploaded to Commons: 56 
• Articles on WikiBooks: 14
• Total Participants: 14
• Total Bytes Added: 32,881

Lessons Learned

One of the most memorable moments happened during the visit to Sanggar Seni Topeng Asmorobangun. Participants witnessed a live rehearsal for an upcoming performance, where young male and female dancers energetically practiced Tari Topeng Bapang Panji, accompanied directly by a group of senior gamelan musicians who have decades of experience. The powerful combination of youthful energy from the young dancers and the masterful playing of the older musicians created a deeply moving cross-generational scene that left everyone inspired. 

Working on WikiSekal taught the team valuable lessons for future projects. As young students, we learned how to adapt and position ourselves respectfully when collaborating with senior artists who have decades of experience. We were also deeply inspired by the active involvement of children in the sanggar; seeing the younger generation enthusiastically learning traditional dances showed us how important it is to introduce local culture early so it continues to live and thrive rather than disappear.

WikiSekal proved once again that documenting local wisdom is not only about uploading photos and writing articles, but it is also about building meaningful connections between generations and turning those connections into open knowledge that anyone in the world can access and be inspired by.

Now on its 16th edition, Wiki Loves Monuments still retains its crown as the world’s largest photo contest. Each year since 2010, photographers from around the globe have come together to celebrate cultural heritage through their camera lens—and donate it all to benefit Wikimedia’s freely shared knowledge. 

Despite Wiki Loves Monuments’ size and scope, it is primarily run by local organizers. For the most recent edition of the contest, 3,789 people submitted 227,918 photos to locally run national contests in September and October 2025. Each country then submitted its winners to a nine-person expert jury, who closely examined and identified the below 25 winners during a multi-month selection process. 

This year’s winner, shown above, captured a wall and gate near the Dayr-e Gachin Caravanserai in Iran. Dayr-e Gachin has been called the “mother of Iranian caravanserais” due to its size and importance. It is also a well-photographed UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of 54 caravanserai to share the honor. Hossein Pourakbarian’s photograph nevertheless found extraordinary within ordinary by backdropping the location with a distant mountain.

Over all its years, Wiki Loves Monuments photographers have collectively donated millions of images to Wikimedia Commons, a freely licensed media repository that supports Wikipedia and other websites. Each photo adds another nugget of knowledge to the world’s collection, and you (yes, you!) can use those images for just about any purpose with only a few stipulations.*

Second place

Photo by Darabad Andromeda, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Mehmāndust Tower in northern Iran was built by the Seljuk Empire in 1097 to serve as a tomb, but its dome and the names of the people interred there have long been lost to time. If you open this photo up and zoom in on the tower’s top, you will be rewarded with a look at its intricate brickwork and carved decoration.

Third place

Photo by Arjunfotografer, CC BY-SA 4.0

Kusum Sarovar is “a place where beauty, history, and tranquility flow together,” the photographer said. The reservoir in northern India is said to have been the place where Krishna clandestinely met with Radha.

Fourth place

Photo by Volcanicaaa, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Construction on the Ishak Pasha Palace, located in eastern Turkey, started in 1685 and was not finished for about a hundred years. Its architectural style blended elements from Anatolian, Iranian, and North Mesopotamian styles. Today, it is a prospective UNESCO World Heritage Site and tourist attraction.

Fifth place

Photo by Dehghanpourpix, CC BY-SA 4.0

One of the first buildings constructed in Arak, Iran, was this bazaar, seen here on a cold February day. The bazaar held a public bath, a mosque, water reservoirs, and an inn, and is unusual in its straight symmetrical lines aligned with the four cardinal directions.

Sixth place

Photo by Mohamed Abdelzaher, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Sometimes called the “world’s greatest open air museum,” Luxor contains or sits near a wealth of ancient Egyptian cultural heritage. It is also known for its tourist hot air balloons, giving this image a contrast between old and new.

Seventh place

Photo by Federico Milesi, CC BY-SA 4.0

Parts of Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey) have been around for around a thousand years. Standing atop a mountain in northwestern Italy, it is today an active Catholic abbey and tourist attraction. A much chillier image of the abbey took second place in Wiki Loves Monuments 2015.

Eighth place

Photo by Mikipons, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Sant Climent, Taüll is a Romanesque-style complex in Catalonia, Spain, with influences from Lombard and Byzantine architecture. The interior contained the primary work of the Master of Taüll, a 12th century painter who became an exemplar of Romanesque art; some of it has been moved to facilitate preservation efforts (such as the Apse of Sant Climent, Taüll).  Along with eight other churches, Sant Climent became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Ninth place

Photo by Yurii-mr, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Summer is looming around this image of the Church of the Intercession, built in 1854 and located in a small village in western Ukraine.

Tenth place

Photo by Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0

Kcx36, a veteran member of the volunteer communities that keep Wikimedia projects updated, took this photo of an archway within a Confucius temple in Tonghai County, located in southwestern China.

Eleventh place

Photo by Mehmety11maz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Perhaps in the aftermath of a winter storm, this image snapshots the ruins of Perge or Perga in southwestern Turkey with an evening glow. The site contains remnants from Greek and Roman settlement; it includes an agora (a central public gathering space), a theater, a stadium, palaestra (wrestling school), a temple of Artemis, and two churches.

Twelfth place

Editor’s note: We have omitted the 12th-place winner pending the conclusion of a discussion about its copyright status.

Thirteenth place

Photo by Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0

Giles Laurent, a six-year Wikimedia volunteer, visited Saint Peter’s Church in Leuven, Belgium, late on a winter night to grab this photo of its facade with few people around. The church was designed to have a bell tower, but it was never completed. The building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside other churches on the Belfries of Belgium and France list.

Fourteenth place

Photo by Basavaraj M, CC BY-SA 4.0

Some buildings are designed to be viewed from the front only. Lakshminarayana Temple in Hosaholalu, India, is not one of them—this is actually a photograph of its backside. The temple is an estimated 800 years old and is an example of Hoysala architecture. Another image from photographer Basavaraj M placed at #22.

Fifteenth place

Photo by عدسة قوريني, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Extramural Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone in Cyrene, Libya, carries that first word because it was founded outside the city limits. The complex was in use by the late 7th century BCE. Archaeological excavations of its ruins, which include a temple and theater complex, started in 1969.

Sixteenth place

Photo by Hekmat Al-Ayashi, CC BY-SA 4.0

Khan al-Rubu’ in Iraq was built by the Ottoman Empire along the Karbala–Najaf road to serve as a stopover point for traveling caravans. It is also known as Khan al-Nakhila.

Seventeenth place

Photo by Tournasol7, CC BY-SA 4.0

Long-time Wikimedia volunteer Tournasol7 (since 2008!) snapped this photo of the city hall in Novi Sad, Serbia, on a grey November day. Located in the heart of the city’s Old Town, the neo-renaissance building was built in the 1890s to serve as a permanent seat of local government. Another image from Tournasol7 placed at #25.

Eighteenth place

Photo by Husky221, CC BY-SA 4.0

This theatrical stage stands as part of the Great Flower Hall in the Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Taichung, Taiwan. After being completed in the 1890s, it was used for public banquets. Today, it is a tourist attraction and museum.

Nineteenth place

Photo by Rafael Lemieszek, CC BY-SA 4.0

France’s Palais Longchamp houses two major museums in the city of Marseille (its Natural History Museum and Museum of Fine Arts), and the park that surrounds it is listed on the French government’s list of remarkable parks. Rafael Lemieszek, who has been donating their time to Wikimedia initiatives for over a decade now, got this photo of it all on a bright February day.

Twentieth place

Photo by Athichitra, CC BY-SA 4.0

One of just 23 first-class royal temples in Thailand is Wat Phra Si Mahathat in Bangkok. It was built to commemorate the government’s victory over a 1933 rebellion.

Twenty-first place

Photo by Wowan1978, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Havuts Tar monastery was constructed over the course of some two hundred years, but it was effectively abandoned due to damage suffered in a 1679 earthquake. Today, only ruins remain, but you can access them via a 30-minute hike.

Twenty-second place

Photo by Basavaraj M, CC BY-SA 4.0

The elaborate carvings on the sandstone walls of Sun Temple of Modhera can be readily seen on this clear January day. Although the temple no longer offers worshipping services, it is now a Monument of National Importance in India and a tentative candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage Site listing. Another image from photographer Basavaraj M placed at #14.

Twenty-third place

Photo by Siabanaei, CC BY-SA 4.0

Seyyed Mosque in Isfahan, Iran, is the location for this unusually lit photograph of a walkway’s ceiling. Outside, the mosque unusually has a clock tower instead of a minaret.

Twenty-fourth place

Photo by Worldfootage, CC BY-SA 4.0

Wikipedia says that Kirby Hall is “one of the great Elizabethan houses of England.” Construction began in 1570, but its condition declined in the 1800s after its owners moved into a newly constructed mansion. Today, it remains in a semi-ruined state with multiple rooms lacking a roof.

Twenty-fifth place

Photo by Tournasol7, CC BY-SA 4.0

This castle is a standout feature in the small commune of Onet-le-Château in southern France. According to them, it was constructed in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 16th to look like a castle. Another image from photographer Tournasol7 placed at #17.

Post by Ed Erhart, Communications Specialist, Wikimedia Foundation.

*Please be sure to follow each image’s copyright tag. All of the images above, for instance, are available under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license—you are free to share them for any reason so long as you give credit to the photographer and release any derivative images under the same copyright license.

The post The winners of the 2025 Wiki Loves Monuments photo contest appeared first on Wikimedia Foundation.

In a world driven by semantic search, artificial intelligence, and structured data, language is no longer merely a means of communication; it has become a data layer upon which modern systems are built.

For Arabic, despite its rich morphological and derivational nature, its representation within Wikidata has remained significantly limited. Before the start of this project, Arabic lexemes did not exceed 2,500 entries, and many of them lacked essential morphological and derivational data. Roots were often unlinked, patterns incomplete, verbs without forms, and lexemes without a clear ontological framework.

From this point, I began working on the “Arabic Lexeme Enrichment” project during the period from August to December 2025 – not merely as a partial improvement effort, but as a practical attempt to build a coherent Arabic linguistic layer within the platform that can later be relied upon in Wiktionary and other systems.

From a Clear Gap to a Structured Approach

At the beginning, I developed a dashboard to better understand the actual state of Arabic lexemes. As I began analyzing the data, it became clear that the gap was much larger than I had expected, while at the same time the potential for building was achievable given the right tools and methodology.

I relied on a combination of manual work and supporting tools to create lexemes, link them to Arabic roots, and add verb conjugations and derived nominal forms.

When Numbers Become Structure

During this project, I was able to create more than 33,000 Arabic lexemes in Wikidata, covering verbs, nouns, adjectives, and roots. This was not merely quantitative expansion, but the result of a structured approach that included:

• Organizing and linking patterns such as active participles, passive participles, and verbal nouns to their related lexemes.
• Linking around 4,000 Arabic roots to historical dictionaries such as the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic and the Sharjah Historical Dictionary.
• Building morphological conjugations for verbs, averaging around 120 forms per verb. (example)
• Developing an interactive dashboard to analyze Arabic lexemes, track data quality, detect duplication, and improve overall consistency.

Free Knowledge Is Not Built Individually

Although the work began as an individual effort, its most important turning point came when the community began to engage with it. This was reflected in receiving an invitation from the Arabic Wikidata community to deliver a training session as part of Wikidata Days. During this session, I presented the core outcomes of the project in a one-hour training, focusing on lexeme construction, morphological linking, and how to model Arabic within the platform. I also prepared a presentation consisting of 47 slides and published it as a PDF on Wikimedia Commons to serve as an open reference for anyone interested.

For me, this moment confirmed that the project was no longer just an individual effort, but had become part of a broader learning and community-driven process.

What Does This Mean for the Future?

Building a structured Arabic lexical layer within Wikidata is not an end in itself, but a foundational step toward:

• Improving machine translation
• Supporting semantic search
• Enabling Arabic language processing tools
• Developing applications that rely on structured linguistic data

All of these areas depend directly on the quality and depth of lexical data.

Conclusion

What began as an attempt to understand the data evolved into an effort to build it. What started as a simple tool became an entry point for reshaping how Arabic is represented within one of the most important open knowledge platforms. Creating more than 33,000 Arabic lexemes does not mark the end of the journey; rather, it lays the foundation for a structure that the community can build upon and expand. What has been achieved so far is only a first step toward strengthening the presence of Arabic in the semantic web and enriching its knowledge ecosystem.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Million Wiki Project for their financial sponsorship of this project.

By: Mr. Ibrahem

Another academic year concludes in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). The chatbots are certainly more capable: ChatGPT 5.4, Gemini 3.1, and Opus 4.7 are extraordinary. However, though enthusiasts made much of OpenClaw, it’ll be a year or so before ordinary people are using Claude’s Computer Cowork or OpenAI’s Operator. But when they do, students will be able to direct agents to complete their work without detection. For an essay, a student might specify: “following the assignment instructions and rubric: develop a thesis, find sources, read and summarize the sources, create an outline, and write the prose; avoid the tell-tale signs of AI prose, use a humanizer, and complete all steps with the pace and haphazardness of a human.”

Because I required my students to include a link to their drafts’ histories and to document their AI usage—even sharing their AI conversations—I already saw students use AI to complete each one of those steps individually. That was just one thing I saw by way of pangram.com and Process Feedback.

• obvious misconduct
  1. stupidly copying-and-pasting (and falling for a poison pill)
  2. sneakily copying-and-typing (via “humanizer” plugin or by hand)
     • there’s even Scrawl AI that can write out assignments in a person’s handwriting
• definitely concerning (and bordering on misconduct)
  1. copying-and-pasting and then rewriting every paragraph themselves
  2. asking for a thesis, sources, source summaries, and an outline, and then genuinely writing (then possibly editing it in Grammarly)
• skillfully appropriate
  • developing a novel thesis (“I’m interested in topic X, and I’m thinking Y & Z, help me brainstorm.”),
  • finding sources (“What are the best sources on X? Why are they the best? Compare these to the sources in the Wikipedia article on the topic.”)
  • understanding the sources (“What is the novel contribution relative to the literature? What were the methods, strengths, and limitations?”)
  • polishing their writing (“Here are common writing issues, as well as my own foibles; critique this draft.”)
  I share my own prompts with students to stress that these are the result of many conversations with AI and still should be the start of new interactions.

This summer I’m going to continue adapting my courses to AI and the new cohort of AI “native” (dependent) students. I will lessen the weight of out-of-class writing by introducing low-stakes pop quizzes. I also plan to introduce some “use AI appropriately” exercises, such as creating self-tests and asking for critique.

Ultimately, though, I am not optimistic about education. A few students will use AI well: those who enjoy learning and who have the ability to focus and orchestrate tasks, threads, and agents. Ironically, this group of students will include those who were kept away from screens for much of their childhoods. Otherwise, I fear AI will enfeeble many, accelerating the achievement gap.

16/04/2026-22/04/2026

Mapping

• • The proposal Civil Protection Areas was approved with 24 votes for and 7 votes against. The approved tag emergency:*=yes was proposed by AndreaDp271, who maintains a interactive map which shows the infrastructure for civil defence as mapped with OSM.
  • The proposal Cable Landing Stations, created by Trailrunner13, was unanimously approved with 12 votes in favour. The approved tag telecom=cable_landing_station (CLS) is used to map a specialised telecommunications location where submarine telecoms cables terminate when they return to shore.
  • The proposal Unified ETCS Signals (railway), created by AwFi, was approved with 17 votes for and 1 vote against. The proposal is meant to unify all the national ETCS (European Train Control System) markers tags into a harmonised tagging scheme valid everywhere.

Community

• A new wiki page gathers together a list of projects analysing how many streets are named after women or men using OpenStreetMap data. It was initiated by Amanda McCann to bring together existing analyses.
• Mateusz Konieczny has received funding from the OpenStreetMap Foundation to work on iD and the iD tagging schema. Read the full report on that work.
• Unresponsive mappers, affiliated with Uber, doing low quality pavement mapping in the UK has led to complaints on the OSM Community forum. At least one of them ignored multiple user blocks and continued editing despite instructions from the DWG. rphyrin contacted Uber for clarification on the matter. Uber stated that it takes full responsibility for the incident, has temporarily paused all organised editing in the affected areas, and is working to improve its workflow before resuming such activities.
• Victory114 shared their experience of joining the Unique Mappers Network in Nigeria and described their first steps with OSM, training activities, and humanitarian mapping, highlighting the role of the community in building GIS skills.

Local chapter news

• For Christoph Hormann the FOSSGIS association, which represents the OSM community in Germany, was historically dominated by professional developers and he proposed revising the rules regarding FOSSGIS membership fees to ensure a greater level of participation.
• At the latest FOSSGIS networking meeting 28 participants gathered ► to discuss topics such as careers, geodata management, and open-source strategies. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 17 June 2026.

Events

• Attention: The deadline for SotM 2026 is tomorrow! Authors are invited to submit extended abstracts using the OSM Science 2026 Pretalx submission system. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 27 April 2026.
• Wikimedia Deutschland hosted the OSM Hack Weekend Berlin in April 2026, where the OpenStreetMap community worked together on projects. On the FOSSGIS website, Lars Lingner and other participants reported ► on the results.
• The organisers of State of the Map Latam 2026 have announced a call for academic papers focused on OpenStreetMap research. Submissions are open until 1 June, with the conference taking place in person during October in Mexico City.

OSM research

• Raquel Dezidério Souto is the author of Chapter 12 of Public Access to Beaches: Conflicts and Management, published by Editora IVIDES (Brasil). The chapter ‘Collaborative Mapping of Beach Access with OpenStreetMap’ presented the mapping of features related to the access of beaches and their surroundings. The ebook is available on Zenodo.org and will be released in Ramatuelle (France) in May 2026, as part of the activities of the Beach Access Network.

Maps

• ^[1] We first reported ► on MapOSMatic all the way back in Wochennotiz Number 4 in August 2010. We congratulate the instance at print.get-map.org on the 500,000 maps so far generated and thank Hartmut Holzgraefe for operating and developing the service.
• OpenFuelMap project displays fuel stations in France based on OpenStreetMap data and enriches them with current fuel prices. The map enables comparisons and highlights the use of open geodata for practical applications.
• Andy Townsend has built a railway map using the SVE01 schema.
• stlnbg highlighted that motorcycle parking in OpenStreetMap is often missing or lacks details such as fees or capacity. parkmymoto is a dedicated map that visualises this data and aims to encourage more complete mapping.
• The veganguide platform displays vegan restaurants, shops, and venues based on OpenStreetMap data.

Open Data

• Wikidata’s SPARQL Query Service now has a facility to download query results that include coordinates as KML or GPX. GeoJSON has been available since last year. The text from the first column in the results is used as the value for naming POIs. There is a sample query available.

Software

• Pascal Neis has introduced a new ‘OSM Activity’ calendar to his ‘How did you contribute to OpenStreetMap?’, covering not only edits but also discussions and notes. The tool now also displays mapping streaks and expands user activity insights.
• Clearance is an open source tool designed to enhance the reliability and increase confidence in collaborative OpenStreetMap data by acting as a quality control proxy between OSM and data consumers and functioning as a standard OSM data source (OSM PBF file or overpass API). Its source is available freely at GitHub as is its frontend. The project has been funded since 2025 by the NGI0 Commons Fund, a fund established by NLnet with financial support from the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet Programme.
• Kevin Ratzel has updated his Suggest-A-Brand tool to support contributions to the Name Suggestion Index. It now includes Wikidata search, additional input fields, and has been migrated to Codeberg.
• Mapillary has published an interactive demo of its public API, which shows central functions such as image data, object recognition, and traffic sign layers. The open source project serves as a reference for developers and does not require any frameworks.
• Tobias Jordans has released ► a series of improvements for the ‘OSM Schulabgleich’ (OSM school matching) tool for Germany. These include deep-linking via map and OSM parameters, an improved search function (including pasting OSM URLs), and enhanced data matching that now also includes amenity=college. The comparison tables, interactions, and editing features have also been refined. It has the ability ► to log in with an OSM account and perform edits directly.
• In response to ongoing performance issues, stricter blocking rules are now being enforced on the Overpass servers. Especially, large or abusive users may be temporarily cut off so that the service becomes reliable again for smaller requests such as from Overpass Turbo.
• Park and Rest is a new mobile app that allows you to find overnight parking spots with nearby services and activities and it is built entirely on OpenStreetMap data. Users are encouraged to give back to OpenStreetMap by adding new POIs and updating existing data. The app is proprietary and currently only available via the Google Play Store.
• WebODM is an open-source tool for processing drone imagery into orthophotos and 3D models. The resulting data can be used to support mapping and updates in OpenStreetMap.

Programming

• The default map style OSM-Carto is now using osm2pgsql’s flex output after the OSM Foundation completed the rollout. This paves the way to retire the legacy pgsql output and simplifies future development of osm2pgsql.
• The plugin Pinhead SVG Icons was marked for permanent deletion in the QGIS repository on 23 April. But you can still use the icons through QGIS Resource Sharing instead, since they’ve already been merged there.

Releases

• The migration of the BRouter server (we reported earlier) has now been completed and tagged as version 1.7.9, which has lookups.dat version 11. To fully benefit from the new tags and improvements, the routing profiles will need to be updated accordingly.
• BRouter version 1.7.9 introduced additional languages and extended the use of pseudo tags in routing profiles. It also enabled enhanced database access and improved handling of routing data. BRouter-Web was not changed this time.
• OsmAnd 5.3 for Android and iOS have been released. They introduced a globe view, 3D buildings, and an astronomy plugin with sky overlays. The update also enhanced routing, tracking, and visualisation features for OpenStreetMap-based navigation.
• Route-Crafter version 0.2.2 introduced user interface adjustments and allows selecting an Overpass API endpoint or specifying a custom URL.

Did you know that …

• … pgRouting is an extension for PostgreSQL/PostGIS with which routing and network analyses can be carried out directly on geodata, e.g. OpenStreetMap?
• … if you see outdated map tiles on OpenStreetMap then reloading the page without cache might help you? On Windows and GNU/Linux this can be done using the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F5, on macOS CMD+SHIFT+R (or CMD+OPTION+R for Safari). In Firefox for Android, hold down the page reload button. If these keyboard shortcuts are not available to you, then open the site in a private window (incognito mode).

Other “geo” things

• GeoValida introduced a tool that analyses satellite time series to detect land use changes and identify risks such as illegal clearing. The platform targets spatial analysis and decision-making use cases.
• Junta de Andalucía explained how rivers, mountains, and other geographic features are used as natural borders. Junta highlighted global examples and their relevance for mapping and datasets such as OpenStreetMap.
• After 16 years and 8 billion USD the US Department of Defense has cancelled the OCX programme for a new GPS ground control system. Instead, the existing system will be upgraded to maintain navigation services for military and civilian use.
• The first release of the year of QField for QGIS came packed with new features as well as a bundle of improvements and polishing.
• Enrique Yunta Cantarero showed ► how to connect Claude AI with QGIS via the Model Context Protocol, enabling control via natural language. This allows geoprocessing, layer management, and map creation directly from a chat interface.

Upcoming Events

Country	Where	Venue	What	When
	Rostock	ehemalige KGA Groter Pohl	Bäume erfassen Groter Pohl	2026-04-19 – 2026-04-26
		Pinneberg	Hamburger Mapping-Spaziergang (in Pinneberg)	2026-04-25
	Torreón	On line	OpenStreetMap: Mapeo libre	2026-04-25
	Grad Zagreb	Sveučilište Algebra Bernays, Gradišćanska ulica 24	State of the Map Croatia (DORS/CLUC 2026)	2026-04-25
	Chennai Corporation	Ranganathan Street, Chennai	Mapping at Ranganathan Street, Chennai	2026-04-25
	Mumbai	The Food Town, Mulund West	OSM Mumbai Mapping Party No.9 (Central Line)	2026-04-25
			B of A – EC AM’s Mapathon -Global Service Month	2026-04-27
	Brno	Kamenice 753/5, Brno, Kamenice 753/5, Brno	Dubnový Missing Maps mapathon na Ústavu botaniky a zoologie	2026-04-27
			Missing Maps : Mapathon en ligne – CartONG [fr]	2026-04-27
	Stadtgebiet Bremen	Online und im Hackerspace Bremen	Bremer Mappertreffen	2026-04-27
	Saint-Étienne	Zoomacom	Rencontre Saint-Étienne et sud Loire	2026-04-27
		Online	Mappy Hour OSM España	2026-04-28
	Wien	Schlupfwinkel (Kleine Neugasse 10, 1040 Wien)	78. Wiener OSM-Stammtisch	2026-04-28
	Kiel	Mango’s, Kiel	Kieler Mapper*innentreffen	2026-04-28
	Berlin	Online	OSM-Verkehrswende #74	2026-04-28
	Hannover	Kuriosum	OSM-Stammtisch Hannover	2026-04-29
	Düsseldorf	Online bei https://meet.jit.si/OSM-DUS-2026	Düsseldorfer OpenStreetMap-Treffen (online)	2026-04-29
	Sydney	Parramatta	Social Mapping Event in Parramatta	2026-04-30
	Essen	Linuxhotel Essen	FOSSGIS-OSM-Communitytreffen im Linuxhotel	2026-04-30 – 2026-05-03
		Weil der Stadt	MA1PPING	2026-05-01
	Augsburg	Augsburger Linux-Infotag 2026	Workshop: JOSM – Java OpenStreetMap Editor – Eine Einführung	2026-05-02
		Sovigliana-Vinci	Mappando si Vinci! – 2 Maggio 2026	2026-05-02 – 2026-06-02
	Braunschweig	Stratum 0	Braunschweiger Mappertreffen im Stratum 0 Hackerspace	2026-05-02
	नई दिल्ली	Jitsi Meet (online)	OSM India – Monthly Online Mapathon	2026-05-02
	Salzburg	Bewohnerservice Elisabeth-Vorstadt	OSM-Treffpunkt	2026-05-05
			Missing Maps London Mapathon (with Training) Beginner Friendly (Online) [eng]	2026-05-05
			iD Community Chat	2026-05-06
	Stuttgart	Stuttgart	Stuttgarter OpenStreetMap-Treffen	2026-05-06
	Richmond	Shockoe Bottom	Surveillance mapping with MapRVA	2026-05-07
		Rio de Janeiro	Capacitação OSM 2026 – IVIDES DATA ® – Dia #2 – Editor iD	2026-05-08
		online	SOSM Association Annual Meeting	2026-05-08
	København	Cafe Bevar’s	OSMmapperCPH	2026-05-10
	Delhi		OSM Delhi Mapping Party No.29 (South Zone)	2026-05-10
			Missing Maps : Mapathon en ligne – CartONG [fr]	2026-05-11
	臺北市	MozSpace Taipei	OpenStreetMap x Wikidata Taipei #88	2026-05-11

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 MatthiasMatthias, Raquel IVIDES DATA, Strubbl, Andrew Davidson, TrickyFoxy, barefootstache, derFred, izen57, mcliquid, renecha.
We welcome link suggestions for the next issue via this form and look forward to your contributions.

Hackers are pwning packages at an exhausting clip.

In late February, a hackerbot AI¹ yoinked the release key for a single project. Within a month, fifty-ish other projects had cred stealers. Each infected repo swiped credentials for the next.

This spate of supply-chain hacks started from a well-known GitHub Actions trap. A trap that AI can exploit or push us into.

GitHub Actions are a trap

Trivy is an open-source security scanner. But if you used Trivy in late March, you had a bad time.

On March 19th, hackers pushed a version of Trivy that tried to smuggle secrets from anywhere it ran. Trivy cited a “misconfiguration” in their continuous integration (CI) system, GitHub Actions.

But the exploit was less a misconfiguration and more a GitHub Actions trap.

Here’s a simplified version of how Trivy got pwnd²:

# INSECURE. DO NOT USE.
on:
  pull_request_target

jobs:
  check:
    steps:
      - uses: action/checkout@deadbeefdeadbeefdeadbeefdeadbeefdeadbeef
        with:
          ref: refs/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/merge
      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go
      - uses: some/go-static-analysis@c0ffeec0ffeec0ffeec0ffeec0ffeec0ffeec0ff

At first glance, this code looks fine:

• No secrets referenced.
• Third-party actions pinned to an immutable hash.
• Check out a pull request. Perform some static analysis.

But this code is a verbatim antipattern from a 2021 GitHub blog post titled “preventing pwn requests”:

if the pull_request_target workflow only […] runs untrusted code but doesn’t reference any secrets, is it still vulnerable?

Yes it is

– GitHub Security Lab

The problem is pull_request_target:

• pull_request_target – plunks a nice, juicy GITHUB_TOKEN into the environment.
• actions/checkout – takes an optional parameter persist-credentials, which removes secrets if set to false. But the default for the parameter is true.

Setting the persist-credentials parameter to false has been an open issue in GitHub Actions since 2021.

CI/CD Integration Example (GitHub Actions with Trivy)

    - name: Scan image for vulnerabilities
      uses: aquasecurity/trivy-action@master

Marketing and Information Systems major Tim Qian is a senior at the University of Washington. As part of his Wikipedia assignment, Tim created the new Wikipedia article on the 2008 Shell Bodo Oil Spill.

Tim, creating a brand new Wikipedia article is a big deal! Why did you choose to work on this article? 

In class, we had a reading on Oil Frontiers and the Niger Delta, which was a topic new to me. I remember doing some Wikipedia surfing and eventually coming across a page containing a list of oil spills which referenced the Bodo Oil Spill, but it didn’t have an article of its own at this point. I was really surprised how such a significant spill didn’t have an article, and because I was curious to learn more, I chose to start this article for my Wikipedia project.

How did you choose to approach/organize your work on this article?

My goal for this article was essentially to lay the groundwork so that future Wikipedians could also build on it. For my project, I chose to cover three sections: the spill details, the environmental impacts, and the legal aftermath. I thought these sections would help me meet that goal and give readers a comprehensive overview of the spill.

What did you especially want to get right about it? 

Something I especially wanted to get right was the spill details. Data like the volume of oil spilled and the duration are disputed due to systemic factors and differing reports between oil companies and independent investigations, so I made sure to highlight those differences and what each side reported. Through my research, I also learned a lot more about the systemic issues in the relationship between the residents of the Niger Delta and oil companies, and how this remains an ongoing and relevant topic today. I hope readers feel encouraged to learn more and explore other articles related to the Niger Delta.

Did you build any skills along the way? Was the work meaningful for you?

A skill I definitely developed was writing neutrally. Through my research, I also got to explore topics like media framing and environmental justice. It was really meaningful because it taught me a lot about the media landscape, particularly around visibility and why some stories are more visible than others. One of my early questions was why this spill wasn’t as well known as the Exxon Valdez spill, given its similar magnitude? That led me to learn more about how media narratives are framed and to explore the gaps in environmental communications when it comes to highlighting important topics.

How would you describe the power of Wikipedia?

I think Wikipedia is really crucial in shaping awareness and understanding. It’s a completely free encyclopedia with reliable, up-to-date information that is constantly being reviewed and revised by people around the world. The sheer breadth of coverage geographically and across different languages is also so fascinatingly mind-boggling to me. There’s so much one can explore.

What was your favorite part of editing Wikipedia?

I really enjoyed the research process. It allowed me to build a fuller picture of my topic and develop a much deeper understanding of what happened and what the implications might be going forward, since this is still an ongoing situation in terms of litigation, remediation, and geopolitics.

What was your least favorite part? 

I’d say one of the biggest of the biggest challenges I had was writing neutrally as it wasn’t something I was used to. When it comes to writing, I also have the tendency to spend an hour going through the cycle of writing something and deleting it over and over again. A mental heuristic I came up with that ended up being pretty helpful was asking myself who, what, when, why, and how questions. That really helped me get actual content down on the page. 

What advice would you give to other students starting their first Wikipedia assignment?

My advice for students starting their Wikipedia assignment is to surf for a bit and follow your curiosity. Working on an article is an opportunity to explore a topic more deeply, so if it’s something you’re interested in, it can be a lot of fun.

Many thanks to the Guru Krupa Foundation for supporting students to improve STEM content 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.

Wikidata needs an open-source developer to make its geographical query results compatible with GPS devices and other geo-spatial tools. Here’s why…

If you query Wikidata (the database sibling project of Wikipedia) for geographically locatable subjects (say, a list of accredited museums in the UK) the results are returned in a table.

When the data has coordinates, with a single click (on the left-hand menu, in desktop view) the results can also be displayed on a map.

The tabular data can be downloaded (via the right-hand menu) in a number of formats, such as CSV, HTML or JSON.

The Wikidata community would like users to be able also to export the data in one or more GPS-friendly formats. These are not only useful for GPS devices, but are compatible with other mapping and visualisation tools. I opened a ticket for this feature request—in 2019!

A patch to do this, supporting GPX, GeoJSON and KML, has been coded. However, it relies on a number of libraries, which in turn introduce numerous dependencies on other libraries. Because these libraries all need to be security-checked, and maintained, using the patch would be cost-prohibitive. As a result, it has been declined.

We are told that it should be possible to code the conversions directly, so that the libraries are not needed. Or to look at removing what we do not need from those libraries. This “requires a developer with a bit more understanding of the formats to look into it”.

I’m not a developer, and the nuts-and-bolts of this are mysterious to me.

We need someone with the relevant knowledge and experience, willing to work on an open-source fix, for the common good.

Who will step up and take on this pro-bono work?

Update: 18 June 2025—WDQS now offers GeoJSON downloads for results that include coordinates. KML & GPX should follow. See the ticket link, above, or try it for yourself here (works best on desktop; mouse over right-hand edge to get menu with download link).

Update2: 23 April 2026—Data can also be downloaded as GPX or KML (using the first column for name values).

The post Developer needed to make Wikidata’s geographical data compatible with GPS tools appeared first on Andy Mabbett, aka pigsonthewing..

Season 2

By Rupal Karia – Outreach & Community Coordinator | 22 Apr 2026

We are excited to announce a second season of the virtual Sandbox Session and invite community members to propose sessions they are interested in leading. Community Sandbox Sessions offer a space for community members to share their learning, meet other Wikimedians and try new things. They are volunteer-led events, supported by Wikimedia UK. 

Our first season featured sessions on the Wikidata tool Duplicity, how to edit calmly in controversial areas, a wikisource transcribe-a-thon, smell-related content on Wiki, and being an en.wiki admin!  Huge thanks to all our presenters – Josef Anthony, Femke Njise, Martin Poulter, Lucy Moore, and Harry Mitchell.

The type or format of an event is open; however, we’d like to encourage proposals which go beyond the traditional Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Maybe there is something you do on Wikimedia projects you’d like to do in community with others? Here are some session suggestions.

• A talk on how to advocate for the release of images from a collection
• Here’s how I overcame hurdles related to adding under-represented content
• Let’s add images to Wikipedia from this collection
• My special niche on Wikimedia projects
• Let’s spend an hour thanking people on Wikipedia
• Let’s build a worklist and find reliable sources for this under represented topic on Wikipedia
• Hints and tips on translation of articles
• Here’s a cool Wikidata tool I’ve found, let’s try it out
• How to add structured data to images
• Add pictures to articles together
• If you have extended user rights and are involved in the governance of Wikipedia tell us about your role 
• Here’s how I got this article to Featured Article status

We would love to hear any other ideas that you might have.

Support WMUK can offer 

• Advice on refining your format
• Setting up of Event Registration 
• Event promotion through UK listings & mailing lists
• Hosting on the WMUK Zoom account / Google Meet
• Friendly space support from a WMUK staff member (or volunteer) during the event 

Dates and times

Events can take place throughout the year, and can also be on an evening or weekend.  Suggested duration is an hour, but longer (or shorter!) events could be considered. We’re suggesting that these events are online in the first instance, to reach the widest possible audience, and all events should of course be run in line with the Wikimedia UK Safe Space policy.  

If you’re interested in running a session, please submit a proposal here.

Deadline

The initial deadline for submitting proposals is 18th May 2026. If you have any questions, please contact rupal.karia@wikimedia.org.uk

Season 1

By Dr. Sara Thomas – Programme Manager | 24 April 2025

Do you have an idea for a Wiki-learning session?  Have you found something that you’d like to share with other Wikimedians, or an idea that you’d like to try out?  And would you like some help from Wikimedia UK in sharing it? 

In response to feedback from the community around having opportunities to improve Wiki-skills, and connecting with other community members, and as part of the overall training package for 2025, we’re excited to introduce a new strand of event programming, called Community Sandbox Sessions.

We’re looking to programme up to 6 virtual events over the next year, which would be open to all members of the UK community, and supported by Wikimedia UK.  We’re asking community members to propose sessions that you’d like to lead.

Session suggestions

The type or format of any event is open; but we’d like to encourage proposals which go beyond the traditional Wikipedia editathon – for example: 

• Here’s a cool Wikidata tool I’ve found, let’s try it out
• Wikisource transcribe-a-thon
• A talk on how to run backstage pass events
• Here’s how I got this article to Featured Article status
• Let’s add images from this collection to Wikipedia
• A mobile meeting where we take pictures of our local area for Wikimedia Commons
• Minoritised language work – eg: adding Wikidata labels
• Building a worklist & finding reliable sources for future events

Dates and times

Events can take place throughout the year, and can also be on an evening or weekend.  Suggested duration is an hour, but longer (or shorter!) events could be considered.  We’re suggesting that these events are online in the first instance, to reach the widest possible audience, and all events should of course be run in line with the Wikimedia UK Safe Space policy.  

Support WMUK can offer 

• Advice on refining your format
• Setting up of Event Registration 
• Event promotion through UK listings & mailing lists
• Hosting on the WMUK Zoom account / Google Meet
• Friendly space support from a WMUK staff member (or volunteer) during the event 

This is very much an experiment, and we hope that the format will allow community members to share knowledge and skills, and get to know other UK Wikimedians, as well as test out new ideas!  If you’d be interested in running a session, please submit a proposal here.

Deadline

The initial deadline for submitting proposals is Tuesday 20th May. 

If you have any questions, please contact sara.thomas@wikimedia.org.uk.

The post Community Sandbox Sessions appeared first on Wikimedia UK.

🕑 1 hour 3 minutes

Sandra Fauconnier is an art historian by training who works on digital projects in the cultural sector. She has worked at different times for Wikimedia Nederland, the Wikimedia Foundation, and Wikimedia Sverige.

Links for some of the topics discussed:

• Sandra Fauconnier user page on Meta-Wiki
• Sandra Fauconnier user page on Wikidata
• Sandra Fauconnier user page on MediaWiki Commons
• Structured Data on Commons
• Modeling works on Commons without a Wikidata item
• Sandra reading from the "Paul Otlet" article for WikiReadings

09/04/2026-15/04/2026

Mapping

• Comments are requested on this proposal:
  • terminal=yes to consistently map freight terminals and better describe connected transport modes and handled cargo.

Mapping campaigns

• A new MapRoulette challenge in Germany uses Mapillary-detected traffic signs to identify and add missing access restrictions in OpenStreetMap. The initial focus is on German regulatory signs such as DE:260.

Community

• Raquel Dezidério blogged about her participation in ‘Mapping Together’, a virtual meeting of the MapYourGrid project, representing the Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development – IVIDES.org (Brazil). The overall objective of the meeting was to demonstrate the structure of Wikidata and discuss improvements to the connection between the MapYourGrid web map, Wikidata, and Wikipedia, which have been adopted to document objects related to the power distribution network map using OpenStreetMap. The project is maintaining the osm-wikidata-toolset repository on GitHub and invites you to map what is missing for your country on OSM.
• A message from CasGroenigen on the OpenStreetMap Community forum warned of possible incorrect OSM edits related to a Pokémon GO event targeting specific landscape types. Mappers are encouraged to monitor their areas and check suspicious changes using tools such as OSMCha.
• On Mastodon users have discussed open-source Android apps for cycling, including OsmAnd, CoMaps, BikeRouter, and FitoTrack. The conversation also highlighted a request for a dedicated cycling layer in CoMaps.
• Pierre-Yves Beaudouin tooted that OpenStreetMap is now available as an official icon in FontAwesome. This makes it easier to integrate OSM into web applications and designs.
• rphyrin noticed that MapComplete’s recent new feature of adding pictures to reviews is very relevant to a September 2025 discussion thread by boramalper regarding a crowd-sourced review service for OpenStreetMap.
• Andy Townsend explained how vector tile processing performance can be improved by reducing data volume, for example by delaying the display of smaller features. The changes halved tile sizes and highlight the importance of cartographic generalisation for both performance and readability.
• Christoph Hormann examined the development and use of tags related to the key waterway in OpenStreetMap. Despite regional differences and ambiguities, the analysis shows that the classification, which has evolved over time, remains widely used and functional.
• Ruslan Fatih, an OpenStreetMap contributor from Kazakhstan, shared ► how he got into OpenStreetMap (and why ‘scary maps’ turned out to be the most useful hobby).

Imports

• Sweety_Kumar stated on the OpenStreetMap Community Forum that students from IIT Delhi propose importing hydrology data from the CoRE Stack project, such as watersheds and water bodies, into OpenStreetMap. The ultimate goal is to improve accessibility further to enable analysis and collaborative enhancement within the OSM ecosystem.
• The Kanach Yerevan initiative has proposed importing around 11,000 mapped urban trees into OpenStreetMap, based on volunteer field surveys. The dataset includes species and size information and is planned to be integrated gradually following import guidelines.

Events

• Bastian Greshake Tzovaras presented how CoMaps can be used for humanitarian use cases with the open technology and innovation working group of Humanitarian OpenStreetMap. The presentation slides are available online.
• The State of the Map Baltics 2026 conference will take place on Thursday 4 June in Riga, bringing together the OSM and GIS communities from Northern and Eastern Europe. Participation is free and talk submissions are encouraged.
• thapa prativa reported on Nepal’s Inclusive Mapping Week 2025; at the inaugural event there were over 400 participants who learned, mapped, and collaborated with OpenStreetMap. A key focus was humanitarian mapping and the encouragement of women’s participation in the geospatial space.

Education

• More than 20 students from a high school in Pesaro (Italy) have mapped their town in OpenStreetMap as part of a school project, making over 30,000 edits within two months. The initiative was proposed by their teacher Galessandroni to promote local mapping through hands-on contribution.

Maps

• The OpenStreetMap Ops Team reported that the standard map layer on openstreetmap.org is now running OSM Carto version 6.0.0 (we reported earlier).
• Daniel Dufour wrote, on his LinkedIn account, about the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority Route 4, a web map created with OpenStreetMap, MapTiler, JavaScript, and maplibre, which traces a route with its stops and buses. The source code is available on GitHub.
• Steven Feldman has published a map gallery on the KnowWhere portal, showcasing a series of experimental mapping projects. Each project includes reflections on what worked, what didn’t, and tips for others creating their own maps.

OSM in action

• Hans on the Bike showed that KLM uses OpenStreetMap data in its onboard displays for in flight map visualisations.
• mackerski described how he used ChatGPT to record GNSS track logs directly from a car browser to map the Dublin Port Tunnel. He worked in collaboration with Guillaume Rischard and the solution was tested on a Tesla model 3 and a Volvo XC90. The experiments show that even without GNSS signals, dead reckoning can produce useful data, and highlighted potential improvements to the OSM track logging workflow.

Open Data

• The New York MTA has released new open datasets on bus routes and stops, which they have combined with speed data to analyse and visualise bus traffic flow in detail.

Software

• The BRouter project, a configurable OSM offline router with elevation awareness, announced an upcoming server migration introducing the new lookups.dat version 11.1, additional pseudo-tags, a modernised library, and improved elevation data. The changes can already be tested on a preview server, with a new app version also planned.
• CoMaps has received a trust score of 9.6 from European & Open Source Alternatives, making it one of the top-rated map alternatives alongside OpenStreetMap.
• Oliver Wipfli reported on the progress of the open-source Mapterhorn project, which provides global terrain data as PMTiles and is now widely used (we reported earlier). The pipeline uses Copernicus GLO30, a global 30 m resolution dataset, as a baseline and refines it with local models. A new grant from the NLnet Foundation (which distributes funding from the EU Commission) will improve the pipeline to include open aerial imagery, as an extended project titled ‘Mapterhorn Imagery’ .
• OpenTrafficMap is a new project with a focus on visualising real-time data from traffic signals and C-ITS-enabled vehicles on top of OpenStreetMap. The current focus is on Graz (Austria), where a higher density of tracked signals and vehicles are already available.
• The OSRM API documentation has been refreshed with a cleaner design that provides easy navigation and covers all six OSRM services: Route, Table, Map Matching, Trip Planning, Nearest, and Tile. OSRM is a high performance routing engine for OpenStreetMap data and one of the most widely used in the world.
• The GNOME Maps project is working on displaying public transport delays using the Transitous and MOTIS APIs. In addition to scheduled times and real-time updates, status indicators will be taken into account. MOTIS is the acronym for the Modular Open Transportation Information System.
• Stadia Maps is offering a public preview of traffic-influenced routing based on OpenStreetMap, integrating real-time and historical traffic data. The feature targets use cases where accurate travel times, such as logistics and ride-hailing, are required.
• The ‘WillCycle GPS Art Generator’ allows users to turn drawings into real-world routes by matching them to roads and paths. It uses BRouter and OpenStreetMap data to generate GPX tracks for creative cycling routes.

Programming

• Cláudio Tereso demonstrated how OpenStreetMap data can be integrated via the Overpass API into Power BI to create interactive maps of wild swimming locations. Photos and additional information are also included.
• Thomas Derflinger has developed a Docker container to run your own local Overpass API instance. This stateless Docker container keeps OSM data on your host file system, while providing all the tools needed for data conversion and querying. It includes a simple shell script to download and ingest OSM data and it also runs on Raspberry Pi 5. The container does not implement updates from OSM. We reported on Roland Olbricht’s Docker container earlier and both Kai Johnson and Wiktor Niesiobędzki have their own versions.
• wielandb’s StreetComplete pull request proposed a new quest to capture the direction in which bicycles may travel on separate pavements and cycleways. The approach considers country-specific rules and visible signage to avoid incorrect data.

Releases

• [1] Ralph Straumann presented Terraink, a web application for creating stylised map posters based on OpenStreetMap data. It offers extensive customisation options for layout, colours, and content, targeting users who want to design unique maps for print or social media.
• Version 3.16 of OpenMapTiles brought improvements to the transportation layer, including better road connections, additional path information, and enhanced styling for roads and railways.
• Version 2026.04.07-8 of CoMaps updated OSM data and fixed several crashes, including issues with routing and edit uploads. It also introduced map style improvements, such as better road and tree visibility, and additional POI information.
• The April update of Organic Maps introduced elevation profiles for hiking and cycling routes, improved address search (especially in the US), and enabled seamless map rendering across the anti-meridian.
• MapComplete announced several new features, such as adding pictures to place reviews, a colour-coded maxspeed theme, and updates to the cycle-infra theme.
• Yohan Boniface has released version 3.7.3 of uMap. This update addressed an issue that occurred when cloning maps, where layer relationships were not copied correctly. In addition, a minor bug in the Docker configuration was fixed, so that nginx is now ready to use right away.
• OSRM version 26.4.0 brought multiple improvements, including enhancements to routing profiles (e.g., better handling of cycleway=* and sidewalk=* tags) plus various stability and build fixes. It also modernised the release process with automated monthly releases and a new versioning scheme.
• Marcus Jaschen reported that Bikerouter’s shortlink and QR code service has been migrated to a new server and that a new web service for generating route preview images has been developed. Both changes prepare for an upcoming feature: a built-in route manager that will allow you to store, organise, and restore planned routes on the server.
• Version 2.0 of Transportflow has been released ►, introducing a ‘radar’ feature that shows areas reachable by public transport within a given time. It is based in part on OpenStreetMap data alongside timetable and real-time information.
• Alexis Lecanu (aka ravenfeld) released version 1.21.0 of the Baba app, introducing automatic screen orientation based on camera sensors. This improves usability when capturing images, e.g., for Panoramax.
• Tiri, an independent developer based in Germany, reported on the OpenStreetMap Community forum that he is building Xopoz, an Android GNSS team tracking app for professional field teams, such as mountain guides, search and rescue volunteers, NGO field operations, and adventure tour operators. The app is built entirely on OpenStreetMap data with zero Google dependency and the geolocations are end-to-end encrypted.

OSM in the media

• The City of Seattle has temporarily removed its official bike map PDF in the wake of new accessibility requirements, according to an article on the Seattle Bike Blog. The article highlighted OpenStreetMap as an alternative, which offers more detailed and up-to-date cycling infrastructure and is continuously improved by the community.

Other “geo” things

• Attila Bátorfy wrote about Dutch ‘cartocubism’, a forgotten attempt to simplify maps from the interwar period.
• The website trainjazz.com uses subway train geolocation data to create a dynamic soundscape, where each train represents a musical note. The result is an ever-changing composition that even adapts to the user’s geolocation. Jake Z commented on kottke.org that there is a 10 year old application similar to this called Conductor, on mta.me, developed by Alexander Chen, where the New York subway system is turned into a string instrument.
• Brilliant Maps has published their ‘Map of Asia Made Up of its National Animals’. A similar map for European countries has also been published. Both maps were created by Ibis_Wolfieand and there is some discussion on Reddit about these maps.
• The article ‘Real Maps for Imaginary Places: a journey into the cartography of literature’, written by Neely Tucker and published on the Library of Congress’ website, highlighted how maps have long played a key role in literature, from Treasure Island to The Lord of the Rings. These maps help readers understand fictional worlds spatially and make the stories more tangible.

Upcoming Events

Country	Where	Venue	What	When
	Milano	Building 4A, Room Fassò – Politecnico di Milano	PoliMappers Maptedì	2026-04-16
	Freiburg im Breisgau	CCCFR, Adlerstr. 12a, Freiburg (Grethergelände)	OSM-Treffen Freiburg/Brsg.	2026-04-16
			OSMF Engineering Working Group meeting	2026-04-17
	Potsdam	Kellermann	Potsdamer Mappertreffen	2026-04-17
		Golem, Avane, Empoli	Mapping Day ad Empoli	2026-04-18
		Dijital Bilgi Derneği	OSM-TR Meet-Up – OSM League Pit-Stop	2026-04-18
			Mapping Resilience Across the Yamuna Basin (UN Mappers & The FOSS Club India)	2026-04-19
	Chennai Corporation		Mapping Party @ Chennai	2026-04-19
	Liège	ULiège-RISE	Understanding the OpenStreetMap ecosystem	2026-04-20
			Missing Maps London: (Online) Mid-Month Mapathon [eng]	2026-04-21
	Lyon	Tubà	Réunion du groupe local de Lyon	2026-04-21
	Derby	The Brunswick, Railway Terrace, Derby	East Midlands pub meet-up	2026-04-21
	City of London	The Globe pub, Moorgate	London pub meet-up	2026-04-21
	Bonn	Dotty’s	199. OSM-Stammtisch Bonn	2026-04-21
	Chemnitz	Kaffeesatz, Chemnitz	OSM-Stammtisch Chemnitz	2026-04-21
		Online	Lüneburger Mappertreffen (online)	2026-04-21
	Richmond	Richmond, VA USA	Capital One TPM Summit Global Mapathon	2026-04-23
	Bratislava	Prírodovedecká fakulta UK Bratislava	Missing Maps mapathon Bratislava #13	2026-04-23
			Presentacion de initiative piloto: Capitulos de ONU Mapas	2026-04-23
	Richmond	Virtual	MapRVA Virtual Map & Yap with LaToya Gray-Sparks, VA DHR	2026-04-23
	Catania	Verso Coffice	Modifichiamo Wiki e OSM insieme!	2026-04-23
			UN Mappers Mappy Hour	2026-04-24
	Rapperswil-Jona	OST RJ See-Gebäude 6, Rapperswil (SG)	18. Mapathon & Mapping Party Rapperswil 2026	2026-04-24
		Pinneberg	Hamburger Mapping-Spaziergang (in Pinneberg)	2026-04-25
	Grad Zagreb	Sveučilište Algebra Bernays, Gradišćanska ulica 24	State of the Map Croatia (DORS/CLUC 2026)	2026-04-25
	Mumbai		OSM Mumbai Mapping Party No.9 (Central Line)	2026-04-25
			B of A – EC AM’s Mapathon -Global Service Month	2026-04-27
			Missing Maps : Mapathon en ligne – CartONG [fr]	2026-04-27
	Brno	Kamenice 753/5, Brno, Kamenice 753/5, Brno	Dubnový Missing Maps mapathon na Ústavu botaniky a zoologie	2026-04-27
	Stadtgebiet Bremen	Online und im Hackerspace Bremen	Bremer Mappertreffen	2026-04-27
	Kiel	Mango’s, Kiel	Kieler Mapper*innentreffen	2026-04-28
	Wien	Schlupfwinkel (Kleine Neugasse 10, 1040 Wien)	78. Wiener OSM-Stammtisch	2026-04-28
	Berlin	Online	OSM-Verkehrswende #74	2026-04-28
	Hannover	Kuriosum	OSM-Stammtisch Hannover	2026-04-29
	Düsseldorf	Online bei https://meet.jit.si/OSM-DUS-2026	Düsseldorfer OpenStreetMap-Treffen (online)	2026-04-29
	Essen	Linuxhotel Essen	FOSSGIS-OSM-Communitytreffen im Linuxhotel	2026-04-30 – 2026-05-03
	Stuttgart	Großraum Stuttgart	MA1PING	2026-05-01
	Augsburg	Augsburger Linux-Infotag 2026	Workshop: JOSM – Java OpenStreetMap Editor – Eine Einführung	2026-05-02
		Sovigliana-Vinci	Mappando si Vinci! – 2 Maggio 2026	2026-05-02 – 2026-06-02
	Braunschweig	Stratum 0	Braunschweiger Mappertreffen im Stratum 0 Hackerspace	2026-05-02
	नई दिल्ली	Jitsi Meet (online)	OSM India – Monthly Online Mapathon	2026-05-02

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 HeiGIT, Mateusz Konieczny, MatthiasMatthias, PierZen, Raquel IVIDES DATA, Strubbl, Andrew Davidson, barefootstache, derFred, jcr83, mcliquid.
We welcome link suggestions for the next issue via this form and look forward to your contributions.

Over the years I have contributed a lot to many projects. My efforts have to have a purpose otherwise I lose my motivation. It has to have utility, it is what I dream about, it is what I strive for.

Would it not be great when we knew what our community dreams about, what they aim to achieve and as importantly how these dreams might grow into a reality or have grown into realities. Would it not be great when the Wikimedia Foundation builds on what is already there and grows our public, our relevance? It could start with a survey.

Thanks,

       GerardM

Wiki Loves Monuments has the pleasure to present the winning photos of the international finale of the contest 2025! The jury completed its work in March 2026, and the winners were announced on April 17 and 18, the International Museum Day.

In 2025 almost 228,000 images have been contributed by about 4,000 photographers in 56 national contests. Up to ten pictures from each of these competitions were nominated to the international finale. For a complete overview of all nominees, winners and runners-up, please take a look at the Winners page on Wikimedia Commons!

A huge thank-you goes out from the international coordination team to the international jury, the national juries and national organizers, and of course to all the photographers that submitted their amazing photos that can now be used on Wikipedia and its sister projects, and everyone that helped make this competition possible!