Help:Contents
From GlobalMotion
GlobalMotion’s goal is to describe all the world’s interesting locations. We can’t do this alone, so we have built a Wiki platform that is optimized for locations and enables anyone to describe places, anywhere in the world.
This page contains answers to frequently asked questions.
What is the idea behind GlobalMotion?
GlobalMotion's mission is to collaboratively describe and aggregate the world's interesting locations. Our vision is that this can best be done by combining the benefits of maps and geo-tagged content with a Wiki platform, to empower a global community of users to collaboratively add content, and edit and improve existing content.
We have chosen the MediaWiki software as GlobalMotion's Wiki platform because it is highly scalable and has powerful editing options. We have also partnered with geographical web services such as Flickr, Panoramio, Google Maps, Geonames.org, GPSVisualizer and EveryTrail.
All pieces of content (articles, photos, map elements) are geotagged with geographical coordinates, to uniquely associate each piece of content with its exact position on earth. This enables powerful ways to discover and read content, for example, all places can be browsed on an interactive map, and all places and photos have links to nearby pieces of content.
Content will be freely available on GlobalMotion's website. GlobalMotion is an advertising supported service.
Screencast
For a quick (3m28s) overview view the screencast below. It shows how you can browse content and add new places on GlobalMotion.
Provided by: DemoGirl.com
How do I add a new place?
Click on “add new place” and follow the 3 steps.
Step 1: Create a map
- Locate the place you want to describe by typing a place in the search box. The search function works with city names, countries, addresses, coordinates, and US Zipcodes. You can also zoom in (left doubleclick on the map where you want to zoom in, or use the slider on the left of the map), zoom out (right doubleclick, or use slider), pan the map (drag with your mouse, or use controls on left of map).
- Once you have located the place you want to describe, draw on the map by using the icons on top of the map. Use a shape to mark the outline of the place, and use markers and lines to add additional elements to your map if you wish. After adding each map element, choose a descriptive name for it, before clicking "OK".
- Drawing on the map is easy once you know how to do it:
- To create a shape or a line, click on the "shape" or "line" icons near the top of the map. Then click once where you want to position the first point, then click where you want to position the second point. A straight line will be automatically drawn between your first two points; keep adding points to create the shape or line you want. To end a shape, click again on its first point, to end a line click again on its last point.
- To add a marker to the map, just click the "marker" icon near the top of the map and then click on the map on the position you wish to locate it.
- To update/delete/rename a shape or line, click on its name on the right-hand side of the map and use the appropriate links that appear on the map; you can reposition each point of your shape or line by dragging it.
Step 2: Add pictures
- Based on the location of your map, GlobalMotion shows you suggested photos from EveryTrail, Panoramio and Flickr. To add photos to your map, just check the photos you wish to include and they will be added to your map.
- You can also upload your own photos or import your photos from your personal Flickr account
- When you add your own photos, locate each of them on the map, by using the "geotag" button
Step 3: Choose a name, add a description, tags, and choose a category
- Once your map is created, and you added photos, in this 3rd and last step you choose a name, add a short description, add some tags (descriptive keywords) and choose a category.
- If we find nearby Wikipedia articles (based on coordinates / geotags) we'll show these here, and you can populate the description box with the Wikipedia text. We'll automatically add a link back to that Wikipedia article.
Where do the pictures come from that can be added to places?
In step 2 of the "add new place" process we query 3rd party sites for photos that are located within the area of your place. The pictures are queried based on "geotags" (GPS coordinates) and come from EveryTrail, Flickr, Panoramio and GlobalMotion's photo database.
GlobalMotion gives credit to the pictures on the Photo detail page of each photo, with links to the photo detail page on the originating site, to the user page on the originiting site and to the main page of the originating site. Photos provided by EveryTrail, Flickr, Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.
How can I upload my own photos?
In addition to selecting suggested geotagged pictures you can also upload and geotag your own photos. Please only upload photos that are your own, and / or you own the copyrights to.
Click on "upload pictures" in step 2 of the "add new place" process. Then follow the steps. Once your photos are uploaded, you can choose a name, description, and geotag your photos (geotagging means positioning your photos on the map) by clicking the "geotag" button next to a photo and then clicking on the map. Repeat this for each photo. When you are done, click continue. This will bring you back to step 2 of the "add new place" process.
Can I import my photos from other photo hosting sites?
Currently you can import your photos from Flickr. Click "import pictures from Flickr" in step 2 of the "add new place" process and follow the steps. We plan to add other photo sharing sites in the future.
What does "geotagging" mean?
GlobalMotion is built on the notion that geotagging creates powerful ways to describe places and show how places relate to each other.
Geotagging means adding geographical coordinates to your digital content, such as photos and text. Geotagging at GlobalMotion is mainly done by pointing and clicking on maps, but GlobalMotion also supports GPS data uploads for automatic geotagging.
At GlobalMotion, all places are geotagged with its center coordinates, and with its "corner coordinates" (minimum, maximum longitude; and minimum, maximum latitude). Additionally, each map element (shape, line or marker) is geotagged. All photos are also geotagged.
Geotagging enables powerful ways to consume and discover content, because places can be browsed on a map, nearby places and photos can be shown, and content can be viewed within its geographical context.
How can I edit content such as adding links, format text, etc
Each page has an "edit" link near the top of the page, and each section has an edit lin, too. When clicked you can edit the contents of the pages. The "Wiki mark-up language" is pretty easy, but there are some things you need to know. Please refer to How to edit a page at Wikipedia.
What is the article and photo rating used for?
We use ratings of articles and photos to bubble up the good content to the top, and to burry bad content. The browse pages are sorted by article rating (and date created) and the featured photos on the homepage are partly selected based on rating, too. Each user can rate an article or photo only once.
Who owns the content on GlobalMotion?
Users own the content they submit to GlobalMotion. Please be aware that other users can change, edit, delete any content because GlobalMotion is a collaborative Wiki site .
Content will be freely available on GlobalMotion's website. GlobalMotion.com is an advertising supported service and GlobalMotion reserves the right to use the content that is collaboratively created by the community for promotional and/or commercial purposes.
Copyrights on photos that are imported from 3rd party sites are specified in the terms of use by its originating sources at Flickr, Panoramio and EveryTrail.
How can I help GlobalMotion?
If you like what we're doing, there are many different ways in which you can help us:
- Add interesting places to GlobalMotion
- Add content to, and edit content of existing places at GlobalMotion
- Help spread the word by adding map widgets to your own site or blog
- Link to GlobalMotion from your own site or blog
- Become involved as a community manager or site administrator. Email to team[at]globalmotion[dot]com
- Help us translate GlobalMotion into other languages. Email to team[at]globalmotion[dot]com
