Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Maps task force

The Maps Department creates and maintains system and route maps for use on road-transportation-related articles. The department is responsible for creating and maintaining a standard appearance for road-related maps. Any state is welcome here.

The department is also tasked with creating Keyhole Markup Language (KML) files for articles. The KML file specifies a set of features (place marks, images, polygons, textual descriptions, etc.) for display in Google Earth, online mapping services, or any other geospatial software. On Wikipedia, these files are used in two places. By converting KML to the GeoJSON format, we are able to create interactive maps for the infobox. The file also draws these lines on the popup WikiMiniAtlas that appears through the -icon in the top right corner of articles once a KML file is created and added using Attached KML.

A tutorial on how to make maps or KML files can be found here.

Participants

 * 1)  - Experience with ArcGIS.
 * 2)  - I've made a few historical maps for Virginia, though right now I'm concentrating on writing articles.
 * 3)  - Mostly maps for Pennsylvania.
 * 4)  - Making Oklahoma maps with Quantum GIS.
 * 5)  - Michigan Maps using Quantum GIS and Inkscape.
 * 6)  - Iowa maps using Quantum GIS, but could go elsewhere.
 * 7)  Stepping up to another level starting with identifying articles needing maps.
 * 8)  - working on backlogs with Quantum GIS.
 * 9)  - I create KML files with Google Earth.
 * 10)  - Able to do KMLs nationwide and currently working on maps in.
 * 11)  - KMLs and maplink maps.
 * 12)  - Experienced ArcMap user. I currently have data for Utah and Maryland but can branch out from there.
 * 13)  - KML files.
 * 14)  - KML files with Google.
 * 15)  - Making California maps using Google My Maps.
 * 16)  - KMLs and maplink maps.
 * 17)  - KMLs via Google Earth Pro
 * 18)  - Making KMLs using Google My Maps and working on KML maps.

To do

 * Identify articles about routes that lack maps
 * Identify articles that need updated maps or maps more specific to a previous time period
 * Identify and categorize existing historical road maps
 * Tag existing maps to state they were created using open-source GIS data. (Important as copyright issues have been raised at image reviews)
 * Identify articles about routes that lack KML

Standards
Try to stick to the following standards when creating maps:

KML files
In addition to maps, road articles can also contain a link to a KML file. KML files provide a series of coordinates that help locate the absolute position of the road in question. KML data can be reused outside of Wikipedia; it can be imported to geographic software, including GIS programs, and overlaid onto mapping services like Google Maps and Bing Maps.

Because KML files can be generated by the same data that is used when making maps, the Maps Task Force is also responsible for maintenance of the KML data that is attached to articles. For a tutorial on how to create KML files, see the /Tutorial.

KML data should be pasted into a subpage of Template:Attached KML that is named identically to the article. For example, the KML of Oklahoma State Highway 82 is located at Template:Attached KML/Oklahoma State Highway 82. The article should then have Attached KML added to the external links section of the article, which provides links to both the raw KML data and also Google Maps and Bing Maps with the KML file overlaid.

GeoJSON
Wikipedia utilizes the Kartographer extension to display interactive maps using OpenStreetMap as a background. We can display map data on these maps by converting KML data to the GeoJSON format using User:Evad37/kmlToJson.js to do the conversion. Converted code can be used locally on pages such as Map data/Wikipedia KML/Oklahoma State Highway 82 or at Commons at Data:Oklahoma State Highway 82.map.

Commons maps
Here is how to create a GeoJSON map on Commons. In the edit notice on any KML page, there is a link to the GeoJSON page here on enwiki and also the corresponding map page at Commons (Map data/Wikipedia KML/Oklahoma State Highway 82 and Data:Oklahoma State Highway 82.map). When you click on the Commons link for the first time, you should be presented with content like this in the edit window. Edit the description, sources (optional), license (just remove  before your option), zoom, and coordinates accordingly. Then copy the GeoJSON code from the KML page (after conversion, of course) or the Map data page like Map data/Wikipedia KML/Oklahoma State Highway 82. Then you can simply paste everything in the data field and overwrite. When you click save, an error will pop up, but that will only clear if you remove of the commented-out lines (those starting with ) in the code.

{   // !!!!! All comments will be automatically deleted on save !!!!!

// Optional "description" field to describe this map "description": {"en": "map description"},

// Optional "sources" field to describe the sources of the map. Can use Wiki Markup "sources": "Copied from Example Map Source",

// Mandatory "license" field. // Recommended license: CC0-1.0. // Please uncomment one of the licenses: // "license": "CC0-1.0", // Creative Commons Zero // "license": "CC-BY-1.0", // Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 // "license": "CC-BY-2.0", // Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 // "license": "CC-BY-2.5", // Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 // "license": "CC-BY-3.0", // Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 // "license": "CC-BY-4.0", // Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 // "license": "CC-BY-4.0+", // Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 or later version // "license": "CC-BY-SA-1.0", // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 // "license": "CC-BY-SA-2.0", // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 // "license": "CC-BY-SA-2.5", // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 // "license": "CC-BY-SA-3.0", // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 // "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0", // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 // "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0+", // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 or later version // "license": "ODbL-1.0", // ODC Open Database License v1.0 // "license": "dl-de-zero-2.0", // Data licence Germany - Zero - Version 2.0 // "license": "dl-de-by-1.0", // Data licence Germany – attribution – Version 1.0 // "license": "dl-de-by-2.0", // Data licence Germany – attribution – version 2.0 // "license": "GeoNutzV", // Geo Data license Germany

"zoom": 3, "latitude": 0, "longitude": 0, "data": {

... GeoJSON ...

} }

Resources

 * National Highway Planning Network Data - contains most major highways in the US
 * TIGER Data Shapefiles - includes essentials such as water bodies and land masses
 * Quantum GIS - freeware software fully capable of producing maps
 * A tutorial on how to make maps can be found here.

State GIS Resources

 * Arkansas' Official GIS Platform — GeoStor 6.0
 * Caltrans GIS Data Library
 * Florida Department of Transportation — GIS Data
 * State of Michigan — GIS Open Data
 * NebraskaMAP — Nebraska Open Data
 * New Jersey
 * New York State GIS Clearinghouse (some data requires login)
 * Alternate data source: Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (no login required)
 * Tennessee Spatial Data Server, Data Collections
 * Texas Natural Resources Information System
 * North Central Texas Council of Governments GIS Data Clearinghouse
 * Vermont Center for Geographic Information - the "VTrans Road centerlines from 1:5000 orthos and GPS" seems to be the best set of data to use and doesn't seem to be copyrighted
 * Virginia Geographic Information Network - site appears to have been taken offline in 2012
 * Washington State Department of Transportation — GeoData Distribution Catalog

Content

 * Category:Road maps of the United States
 * Category:Road maps of Interstate Highways
 * Category:Road maps of U.S. Highways

Maintenance

 * Category:U.S. Roads project articles needing maps
 * Category:U.S. road articles with a map needing attention
 * Category:Wikipedia requested maps
 * Category:U.S. road articles needing KML

Related WikiProjects

 * WikiProject Maps