Wikimedia Deutschland, the German chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation, has announced the launch of a new collaborative database project called Wikidata.
According to the press release, the Wikidata database is intended as a central repository for data such as dates, allowing key data or figures to be updated in one place for Wikipedia articles in all languages, along with other Wikimedia websites. Third party websites and apps will also be able to access the data.
The project will be implemented in three phases, with centralised links between articles due in August, Wikidata opening for data submissions in December, and lists and charts being created in Wikipedia based on Wikidata during the final phase.
The new project will be partially funded by donations from Google, as well as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. It marks the first new website launched by the Wikimedia Foundation since 2006.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
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