QRpedia facts for kids
QRpedia is a web system for mobile devices, like mobile phones. It uses QR codes to show Wikipedia articles to people. The articles are shown in the user's own language.
Contents
Process
A user uses their mobile device to scan a QRpedia QR code. The device decodes the QR code into a web address. The address has the domain name "qrwp.org". The last part of the web address is the title of a Wikipedia article.
The device sends a request for the article to the QRpedia web server. It also transmits the name of the language used by the device.
The QRpedia server then uses Wikipedia's API to find out if there is a version of the specified Wikipedia article in the language used by the device. If there is, it sends back the article in a mobile-friendly format. If there is no translation of the requested article, then the QRpedia server offers a choice of the available languages. It also offers a Google translation.
In this way, a single QRcode can be used to find the same article, in many languages. QRpedia also records usage statistics.
Origins
QRpedia was invented by Roger Bamkin, who is chairman of Wikimedia UK, and Terence Eden,. who is a mobile web consultant. It was unveiled on 9 April 2011 It was unveiled at Derby Museum's Backstage Pass event. The event was part of the GLAM/Derby collaboration between Derby Museum and Art Gallery and Wikipedia. During the collaboration, over 500 Wikipedia articles were also created. The articles were in several languages. The project's name is a made-up word, using the initials "QR" from "QR (Quick Response) code" and "pedia" from "Wikipedia".
The project's source code is has a MIT License. This means that anyone can use it, free.
Uses
QRpedia is used at:
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
- Derby Museum and Art Gallery
- Fundació Joan Miró, including a travelling exhibit shown at The Tate
- The National Archives, United Kingdom
- The National Museum of Computing (UK)
- Sofia Zoo, Bulgaria
- The Welsh town of Monmouth, as part of Wikipedia's MonmouthpediA project.
- The New Art Gallery Walsall
QRpedia is also used in other kinds of places. For example, the Occupy movement uses it on their posters.
Images for kids
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Derby Museum's label for the painting "A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery" features a QRpedia code linking to the Wikipedia article about it which, as of February 2012, was available in 19 languages.
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A label in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis that uses a QRpedia code to direct visitors to the Wikipedia article "Broad Ripple Park Carousel"
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Ceramic plaque with QRpedia code for Shire Hall, as part of the MonmouthpediA project.
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Enamel sign with QRpedia code for Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Záběhlice, Prague, Czech Republic
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A QRpedia plaque in Skopje Zoo, North Macedonia, showing info on a hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) using a mixed approach
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A plaque on its holder. Village of Galičnik, North Macedonia.
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Scaning process in Skopje.
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A QRpedia plaque in Satyagraha House, Johannesburg South Africa
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Before the East window of St Paul's Church, Birmingham
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Mauritanian arch in Odesa, Ukraine, 2014
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Bristol Hotel in Odesa, 2014
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Odessa Art Museum (ex-Potocki Palace) in Odesa
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Information on the bamboo plant in San Sebastian's Ulia park
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See also
In Spanish: QRpedia para niños
