Wikipedia Entry Drive for Guwahati

Overview

This is a year-long initiative to systematically improve Wikipedia’s coverage of Guwahati through documentation, photography, and research. It sits at the intersection of investigative journalism and community storytelling, addressing the gap between local knowledge and global accessibility.

Hyperlocal information often doesn’t exist in documented form or remains scattered and illegible. Wikipedia represents a unique opportunity: it’s globally accessible, collaboratively maintained, and verifiable. By improving Guwahati’s representation on Wikipedia, we create a permanent, accessible archive of local knowledge while learning systematic documentation methods that can be applied to other community information infrastructure projects.

This work connects directly to hyperlocal data liberation and community storytelling practices, combining neighborhood knowledge with systematic methods to surface and share what matters locally.

Goals

• Document the under-documented: Identify and create or improve Wikipedia articles for prominent but poorly-covered places, people, institutions, and phenomena in Guwahati
• Build visual archives: Collect high-quality, properly licensed photographs for Wikimedia Commons that fill gaps in visual documentation of the city
• Learn from others: Research successful Wikipedia improvement drives in other cities and contexts (Art+Feminism, WikiProject India, Wiki Loves Monuments)
• Create replicable methods: Develop and document systematic approaches to community-driven Wikipedia improvement that others can adapt
• Bridge knowledge gaps: Connect local expertise and lived experience with Wikipedia’s verifiability standards and global reach
• Build community capacity: Share Wikipedia editing and Wikimedia Commons skills with others through workshops and collaborative editing sessions

Methodology

Research Phase

Gap Analysis

• Systematically review existing Guwahati-related Wikipedia articles
• Identify missing articles for significant locations, institutions, and figures
• Document quality issues in existing articles (lack of citations, outdated information, stub status)
• Compare coverage across language editions (English, Assamese, Hindi)
• Use tools like WikiProject India’s lists and category trees to map current coverage

Learning from Similar Initiatives

• Study Art+Feminism edit-a-thon methodologies
• Research WikiProject India’s approaches to improving regional coverage
• Examine Wiki Loves Monuments and similar photo documentation campaigns
• Connect with active Wikipedia editors working on Indian cities
• Document successful strategies for building citations and verifiable sources

Current State Documentation

• Create baseline metrics for Guwahati’s Wikipedia representation
• Track article counts, photo counts, editor activity over time
• Identify which aspects of the city are well-documented vs. neglected

Documentation Phase

Field Documentation

• Plan systematic visits to under-documented locations
• Conduct photo documentation following Wikimedia Commons guidelines:
  • Proper licensing (own work, Creative Commons)
  • High technical quality (resolution, lighting, composition)
  • Useful documentation angles (architecture, street views, details)
• Take detailed notes during visits (historical context, current use, notable features)
• Record GPS coordinates and precise location information

Research and Citation Building

• Visit physical archives and libraries for historical information
• Interview local historians, cultural practitioners, and community members
• Identify and catalog verifiable sources (books, newspapers, academic papers, official records)
• Build bibliographies for priority articles
• Document traditional knowledge while respecting cultural protocols

Data Collection Systems

• Develop templates for consistent field documentation
• Create spreadsheets tracking articles, photos, sources, and progress
• Maintain logs of field visits and research sessions
• Build a database of potential article topics and their status

Publishing Phase

Article Creation and Improvement

• Draft new articles following Wikipedia’s notability and verification standards
• Expand existing stub articles with proper citations and structure
• Improve article quality through adding sections, references, and context
• Ensure neutral point of view and encyclopedic tone
• Translate key articles across language editions where appropriate

Wikimedia Commons Uploads

• Properly categorize and describe all uploaded photographs
• Add detailed captions with location, date, and context
• Create Commons categories for under-represented areas of Guwahati
• Link photos to relevant Wikipedia articles
• Follow Commons licensing and attribution requirements

Community Engagement

• Participate in Wikipedia editor discussions and review processes
• Respond to feedback and article improvement suggestions
• Build relationships with WikiProject India and regional editors
• Share progress and learnings with broader Wikipedia community
• Document the documentation process itself (meta-documentation)

Focus Areas

Historical Landmarks & Buildings

• Colonial-era architecture
• Religious sites and monuments
• Traditional Assamese structures
• Heritage buildings at risk

Neighborhoods & Localities

• Individual ward and locality articles
• Neighborhood histories and characteristics
• Local markets and commercial areas
• Residential developments and settlements

Cultural Institutions

• Theaters and performance venues
• Museums and galleries
• Libraries and archives
• Community centers and cultural organizations
• Educational institutions

Notable Local Figures

• Artists, writers, and performers
• Social activists and community leaders
• Historical figures and freedom fighters
• Contemporary scholars and practitioners
• Traditional knowledge holders

Urban Infrastructure & Public Spaces

• Parks, gardens, and green spaces
• Transportation infrastructure
• Public buildings and government facilities
• Water bodies and natural features within the city
• Markets and public gathering places

Local Ecology & Natural Features

• Urban wildlife and biodiversity
• Hills, wetlands, and water bodies
• Street trees and urban forestry
• Seasonal patterns and climate
• Environmental challenges and changes

Side Quests: Related Tools & Opportunities

This project has surfaced two tool-building opportunities that could become their own projects:

1. Wikipedia History Viewer Tool

A better interface for viewing Wikipedia article histories and understanding editing patterns:

• Improved diff visualization: Make changes between versions clearer and more readable
• Editor information highlighting: Show who made edits, their contribution patterns, edit frequency
• Suspicious activity detection: Identify potential edit wars, vandalism patterns, or coordinated editing
• Timeline visualization: See editing patterns over time, identify periods of heavy activity or neglect
• Community transparency: Help understand how knowledge is constructed and contested on Wikipedia

Potential uses beyond this project:

• Investigative journalism research
• Monitoring government/institutional Wikipedia editing
• Understanding how controversial topics are negotiated
• Educational tool for digital literacy and information verification

Skills: creative-software, security-research (digital transparency)

2. Enhanced NearbyWiki

A better version of nearbywiki.org for discovering Wikipedia articles near your location:

• Improved geographic discovery: Better map interface for finding articles by location
• Coverage gap visualization: Highlight areas with few articles vs. well-documented areas
• Mobile-first field documentation: Optimized for use during field visits and documentation trips
• Integration with documentation workflow: Connect with photo collection and article planning
• Community engagement: Show what’s documented vs. what needs work in specific neighborhoods
• Multi-language support: Display articles across language editions (English, Assamese, Hindi)

Potential uses:

• Planning field documentation trips
• Identifying priority areas for Wikipedia improvement
• Community awareness of local Wikipedia coverage
• Educational walks and documentation events
• Integration with other place-based documentation work

Skills: place-documentation, creative-software

Both tools could evolve into standalone projects as the Wikipedia Entry Drive progresses, serving not just this initiative but broader investigative and documentation work.

Research on Similar Drives

Art+Feminism

• Wikipedia edit-a-thons addressing gender gap in biographical coverage
• Focus on making events accessible and welcoming to new editors
• Emphasis on citation-building and research preparation
• Strong community-building and skill-sharing components

WikiProject India

• Coordinated efforts to improve coverage of Indian topics
• Regional collaboration and language edition coordination
• Lists of needed articles and improvement priorities
• Connection to broader South Asian Wikipedia communities

Wiki Loves Monuments

• Annual photography contest for heritage sites
• Combines documentation with community engagement
• Strong integration between Commons photo uploads and article improvement
• National and international coordination models

City-Specific Documentation Projects

• Examples from other Indian cities’ Wikipedia improvement efforts
• Academic partnerships for citation building and verification
• Government archive collaborations where available
• Cultural institution partnerships for access to collections

Regional Language Projects

• Assamese Wikipedia community and active editors
• Strategies for cross-language article creation and translation
• Balancing English and regional language development
• Traditional knowledge documentation in appropriate languages

Current Status

Project Phase: Seed (initial planning and research)

Operating Locations:

• Library: Research, citation building, planning sessions
• Hackerhouse: Collaborative editing, workshops, tool development

Immediate Next Steps:

1. Conduct comprehensive gap analysis of existing Guwahati Wikipedia articles
2. Research similar Wikipedia improvement drives and document their methodologies
3. Create initial list of priority articles (high-impact, achievable with available resources)
4. Develop field documentation templates and systems
5. Connect with WikiProject India and active editors in the region
6. Plan first field documentation trips
7. Begin research on citation sources (libraries, archives, published materials)

Timeline Considerations

Year-Long Structure with Iterative Cycles

• Monthly targets: Number of articles created/improved, photos uploaded, field visits completed
• Quarterly reviews: Assess methodology, measure impact, adjust strategies, share learnings
• Seasonal considerations: Plan field documentation around weather and seasonal events
• Event-based sprints: Edit-a-thons, photo walks, collaborative research sessions
• Ongoing documentation: Maintain logs, track progress, document challenges and solutions
• Meta-documentation: Record the documentation process itself for sharing with others

Phases Over the Year

• Months 1-3: Research, gap analysis, methodology development, initial article improvements
• Months 4-6: Intensive field documentation, photo collection, first article creation sprint
• Months 7-9: Expand coverage to new topic areas, refine methods, begin community workshops
• Months 10-12: Consolidation, quality improvement, documentation of learnings, planning for continuation

Community Engagement

Knowledge Sharing & Capacity Building

• Host Wikipedia editing workshops at hackerhouse
• Teach Wikimedia Commons photo upload processes
• Share research and citation-building methods
• Create guides and documentation for others to contribute

Collaboration & Partnerships

• Connect with local historians and cultural organizations
• Build relationships with Guwahati’s academic community
• Engage traditional knowledge holders respectfully
• Participate in Indian Wikipedia editor community

Events & Gatherings

• Edit-a-thon events for collaborative article improvement
• Photo walks to document specific areas or themes
• Research sessions at libraries and archives
• Skill-sharing workshops on Wikipedia tools and guidelines

Documentation & Sharing

• Regular updates on progress and learnings
• Share challenges, solutions, and methodology refinements
• Contribute to broader conversations about hyperlocal documentation
• Make processes transparent and reproducible for others

This project operates at the intersection of investigation (making information accessible, exposing what’s obscured) and documentation/storytelling (recording and preserving what exists, building community narratives). It’s about creating permanent, verifiable, globally-accessible records of local knowledge while building skills and methods that strengthen community information infrastructure.