Wikidata for botanists: benefits of collaborating and sharing Linked Open Data

Area of Science:

• Botany and Biodiversity Informatics
• Linked Open Data
• Collaborative Knowledge Bases

Background:

• Wikidata is a multilingual, open-access knowledge base with extensive botany-related information.
• It connects data from diverse institutions, benefiting the botanical community by revealing entity interactions.
• The platform supports a broad definition of botany, encompassing various taxa and specializations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a botany-focused overview of Wikidata.
• To encourage the botanical community to improve Wikidata's botany-related content.
• To highlight the potential of Wikidata for botanical research and data sharing.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing Wikidata's structure to store and link data on botanists, taxa, collections, publications, and research.
• Leveraging Wikidata's collaborative nature for community-driven data curation.
• Employing tools like Wikidata Query Service, Bionomia, and Scholia for data access and reuse.

Main Results:

• Wikidata hosts diverse botany-related data, including identifiers for researchers and collections.
• The platform facilitates data integration and querying through various digital tools.
• Open collaboration enables the enrichment and linking of botanical information.

Conclusions:

• Active participation by botanists in Wikidata is crucial for enhancing data quality and quantity.
• Improved data sharing and enrichment benefit botanical research, herbaria accessibility, and researcher visibility.
• Engaging with Wikidata promotes FAIR data principles and supports strategic actions in botany.