[Tagging] RFC: remove alphanumeric code visible in infoboxes at OSM Wiki linking to Wikidata

[Matija Nalis]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2022 19:06:48 +0100, Andy Mabbett <andy at pigsonthewing.org.uk> wrote:
> On Sat, 2 Apr 2022 at 18:32, Mateusz Konieczny via Tagging
> > I propose to remove this link from displayed infoboxes as as confusing,
> > unnecessary and not worth using infobox space.
> 
> Your proposal remains flawed for reasons that have been explained to
> you previously and at length.

You should then put a summary (and hopefully a link to original discussions) of those objections to
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Talk:Proposed_features/remove_link_to_Wikidata_from_infoboxes#Rationale_against_removal
so others not aware of those (like myself) can make informed decision.

>> 1) it is primary about complexity and information overload
>> and outright misleading info
>
> A single Wikidata link is not "complex".

I read that as "process of verifying the correctness of linked wikidata item is complex" (i.e. is that OSM wiki page
linking to correct or wrong wikidata item?); and not as "it is technically difficult to print letter "Q" followed by
few numbers".

Also, as I understand it, it is not about *single* Wikidata link, but gazillions of them.

>> If you can give specific example of information that will be
>> lost I would be thankful.

Andy, you seem to have missed this opportunity to provide specific example.
It would go miles to help describe your point of view to others.

> Your claims of "outright misleading info" are based on a
> statistically-insignificant handful of edge cases examples. Would you
> be happy with other projects dropping links to OSM based on a similar
> sample? I'm sure OSM has as many, if not many more.

I don't know about OP, but I have surely been bitten more than once by pages linking to wrong places on OSM map, just
because they used simple match on "name" or some similar silliness and assumed that if it matches it must be the
correct thing. It was often wrong, and I have many times prefered they did not link to OSM at all with such "a helpful
service to user" (i.e. I can copy/paste text to the search box and click on first link myself without any automated help,
thankyouverymuch).

So I at least prefer "no data" to "incorrect data" (as the latter poisons even the correct data, as you cannot trust
that dataset; while former while not helping at least does not mislead you). But I absolutely agree with you that
correct data is much prefered to either of those, so if you can make that happen, I would salute you for your efforts.

> Each of those examples is easily fixable.

Then, by all means, please DO fix them - as noted on:
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/remove_link_to_Wikidata_from_infoboxes#Match_quality
such a fix would remove that point of contestation.


-- 
Opinions above are GNU-copylefted.