Sandbox

Introduction

This knowledge base is built using Semantic MediaWiki an open-source extension for the MediaWiki platform, which is the software behind Wikipedia. It extends the standard MediaWiki functionality to allow for more sophisticated data management and querying capabilities.

Semantic MediaWiki adds the ability to define and store structured data within a MediaWiki installation, and to query that data using the Semantic Web standards of RDF and SPARQL. This enables users to create complex data relationships and to perform advanced data analysis within the wiki.

We are using the Semantic MediaWiki to creating a knowledge management system to manage information about how communities around the world are using technology to facilitate civic engagement, share resources and deliver services.

Interface

The Forms extension for MediaWiki is a tool that allows users to create and manage forms for adding, editing, and retrieving structured data within a MediaWiki installation. The Forms extension is built on top of the Semantic MediaWiki extension, which provides the underlying data management and querying capabilities.

With the Forms extension, users can create custom forms with fields for capturing specific data, such as names, addresses, and other information. These forms can be used to create new pages or to edit existing pages within the wiki. The data entered into the forms is automatically stored in the wiki's underlying database and can be queried and displayed using Semantic MediaWiki's powerful querying capabilities.

The Forms extension provides a user-friendly interface for managing forms, making it easy for even non-technical users to create and manage structured data within a wiki. This can be especially useful for organizations that need to capture and manage large amounts of structured data, such as research institutions or corporations.

Preparing to add Content

To prepare to add content to a Semantic Mediawiki with forms, a user should follow these steps:

1. Familiarize yourself with the #See Purpose and #See Structure of the wiki: Before adding content, it's important to understand the purpose and organization of the wiki, including the categories and templates that are used to structure the content.
2. Read the Guidelines for adding content: We provide guidelines for how to add content, including standards for formatting, organization, and tone. These guidelines should be reviewed and understood before adding any content.
3. Familiarize yourself with the #See Forms: Semantic Mediawiki provides forms that make it easy to add and edit structured data, such as infoboxes, tables, and lists. You should familiarize yourself with the available forms and understand how to use them to add content to the wiki.
4. Plan the content': Before actually adding content, you should plan what you want to add and how it will fit into the overall structure of the wiki.
5. Add the content: After familiarizing yourself with the wiki, guidelines, and forms, you can start adding content to the wiki using the forms provided under the Authors title on the left. Each form starts with "Add a".

By following these steps, a user can prepare to add content to a Semantic Mediawiki with forms and ensure that their contributions are accurate, well-organized, and in line with the wiki's guidelines.

Purpose

This knowledge base for municipal technology projects serves as a central repository for information, best practices, and lessons learned from previous projects. Its purpose is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of technology implementation within a municipality by reducing the time and resources spent on repetitive tasks, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing, and reducing the risk of project failures.

One of the main benefits of this knowledge base is that it allows municipal technology teams to access a wealth of information quickly and easily, improving the speed and accuracy of decision-making. This information can include project plans, budgets, schedules, and status reports, as well as information on technical solutions, vendor selection, and project management methodologies. By providing a centralized location for this information, teams can avoid having to reinvent the wheel and can instead focus on improving existing processes and solutions.

Another key benefit of this knowledge base is that it promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing among different departments and teams within and between municipalities. This can help to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals and that best practices are being consistently followed. By sharing information and lessons learned from previous projects, teams can also identify areas for improvement and work together to address these issues.

Finally, this knowledge base helps to reduce the risk of project failures by providing a centralized location for project information, allowing teams to track project progress and identify potential issues before they become major problems. By having access to detailed information on past projects, teams can also make more informed decisions, reducing the risk of costly mistakes.

The purpose of building this knowledge base of municipal technology projects is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of technology implementation within municipalities, promote collaboration and knowledge sharing, and reduce the risk of project failures.

Forms

This community built website represents the work of 551 members in 205 organizations working on 305 projects in 179 municipalities.

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