Wikidata

Structured facts for map apps. Wikidata supplies what OpenStreetMap rarely does: item types, population, heritage status, official websites, inception dates, stable QIDs and multilingual labels.

Module	@tablette/module-wikidata
Tools	wikidata_search, wikidata_entity, wikidata_nearby, wikidata_query
Mode	Sketch
Services	https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php, https://query.wikidata.org/sparql
Auth	none
CORS	yes
Writes	none
License	CC0 1.0

Why Wikidata

OpenStreetMap gives geometry and tags. Wikidata gives the facts attached to an entity and a QID that is stable across languages:

Property	Meaning
P31	instance of (type)
P625	coordinates
P1082	population
P1435	heritage designation
P856	official website
P18	image (Commons file name)
P373	Commons category
P279*	subclass of (used by type filters)

The intended loop:

OSM feature (park, museum, city, monument, ...)
        │
        ▼
agent ──► wikidata_* tool ──► Wikidata API / WDQS (read-only)
        │                       compact entities or SPARQL rows
        ▼
agent merges the facts into the feature properties
        ▼
static OSM + Leaflet app: popup with type, population, heritage, link

Two hard rules:

1. Fetch at generation time, not at runtime. The generated app must not call Wikidata or WDQS.
2. Credit the source. Wikidata is CC0 (no legal attribution required), but show Données : Wikidata (CC0) as a courtesy. A P18 image is a Commons file and keeps its own credit and license.

Tools

Tool	Purpose
wikidata_search	Find candidate QIDs by label, with descriptions and aliases
wikidata_entity	Fetch compact entities by QID: labels, descriptions, selected claims and sitelinks
wikidata_nearby	Find items around a coordinate, optionally filtered by P31 / P279*
wikidata_query	Read-only SPARQL; SELECT only, LIMIT required (max 500), no external SERVICE

Entity shape

wikidata_entity returns a compact shape rather than the full claims blob:

{
  "id": "Q647",
  "label": "Rennes",
  "description": "commune in Ille-et-Vilaine, France",
  "claims": {
    "P625": { "latitude": 48.11417, "longitude": -1.68083 },
    "P1082": 209860,
    "P856": "https://metropole.rennes.fr/"
  },
  "sitelinks": { "frwiki": "Rennes" }
}

P18 is not requested by default because the file is Commons-licensed. Ask for it explicitly when an image is wanted.

Joining Wikidata to OSM

Explicit OSM tag

The best path: an OSM feature carries a wikidata tag.

OSM node/way with wikidata=Q942434
        │
        └──► wikidata_entity({ ids: ["Q942434"] })

Coordinate query

When there is no tag, query around the feature's coordinates:

wikidata_nearby({ latitude: 48.114, longitude: -1.67, radius: 800, type: "Q33506" })

Verify the match with coordinates before using a QID.

Name search fallback

wikidata_search is the last resort. A label match can be ambiguous; confirm with the description or coordinates.

Enriched properties

The agent merges facts into GeoJSON properties rather than replacing the OSM attributes:

{
  "name": "Parc du Thabor",
  "wikidata": "Q942434",
  "wikidata_facts": {
    "type": "Q22746",
    "heritage": "Q16739336",
    "website": "...",
    "label": "Parc du Thabor"
  }
}

Example prompts

Enrich a parks map

Add Wikidata facts to the Rennes parks map: the item type and the official
website when available. Use the OSM wikidata tags and show the Wikidata credit.

Expected: wikidata_entity on the park QIDs, P31 and P856 merged into properties, inline data and a visible CC0 credit.

Nearby museums

Find museums within 1 km of the Rennes city centre and add them to the map
with their names and coordinates.

Expected: wikidata_nearby with Q33506 as the type filter, deduplicated rows, coordinates inlined.

Custom SPARQL

List the communes of Ille-et-Vilaine with more than 10,000 inhabitants and
their coordinates.

Expected: wikidata_query with a bounded SELECT, a LIMIT, no external SERVICE.

Guardrail: bulk download

Download every item in Wikidata that is a museum.

Expected: the agent refuses or narrows the request; wikidata_query caps the result at 500 rows.

Guardrails

• wikidata_query allows SELECT only.
• A query without LIMIT is rejected.
• The limit is capped at 500.
• External SERVICE endpoints are rejected.
• P18 is opt-in.
• No runtime call in the generated app.
• Credit Données : Wikidata (CC0); credit Commons per file when using an image.

Licensing

Wikidata is CC0 1.0. No legal attribution is required, but the courtesy credit is part of the module's prompt.

Wikimedia Commons files are not CC0. When an app or report uses a P18 image:

• keep the file page URL;
• keep the artist or uploader credit;
• keep the license and license URL;
• link to the file page, not only to the thumbnail.

Next steps

• Wikimedia — Wikipedia prose and Commons media.
• Map apps — inline the facts correctly.
• Reports — cite Wikidata in a report.