Geograph - photograph every grid square

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General

Open source? Creative Commons? What's that all about? Close

Putting this together requires many people to donate their time or resources, and we wanted to be sure that we created a resource free from commercial exploitation in future. To that end, the site software is available for re-use under the terms of the GNU Public Licence (GPL).

In addition, we require all submitters to adopt a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence on their photographic submissions.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

While our volunteer photographers keep copyright on their photos, they also grant the use of their photographs in return for attribution (take a look at a typical submission for more details).
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/14

In a nutshell, we wanted to build a true community project that won't leave a nasty taste in the mouth by getting sold for shedloads of cash and taken away from the people who contributed. These licence terms ensure that the site and content can never be "taken away" from you. See Freedom - The Geograph Manifesto http://www.geograph.org.uk/help/freedom


(Developer? http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Geograph-for-Developers )

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Who built this marvellous site? Close

Please see the Credits Page for information on all the people who make this site possible.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/help/credits

http://www.geograph.org.uk/team.php

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What makes a good Geograph? Close

The answers given by Barry have been on the site for a long time, and they form the basis of what the site is about. Yet many good Geographs do not fulfil any of those criteria, and two are almost contradictory (at close up and being useful in interpreting a map).

It is important to realise that the site has grown way beyond what was first envisaged, and so the site's definition of Geography is now very wide, incorporating a lot of social history, ecology, geology and other allied subjects. This is encouraged but it means that the definition of a Geograph has become broader.

So a Geograph is any photograph, accurately geoloacted, that depicts the Geography of a square, or any aspect of the Geography of the square, shown in some form of context. A description is useful and encouraged, especially for photographs in which the geography is not obvious, but it is not essential.

Some other photographs are still extremely welcome and contain useful geographical information but may not be classified as Geographs.

Firstly, it was felt that it was very important that every square should be actually visited and not just 'view-bagged' from a distance. So, Geographs must be taken within the square. Nevertheless, certain views can only be seen from outside a square. These cross-grid shots are classified as supplementals.

Secondly, some photographs don't have much context. These are usually details of large objects, but they may just be very small objects or they could be large objects that are not shown completely. Most mods would agree that the smaller the object the more context that is needed to make it a Geograph. These close-ups are classified as supps. The largest objects that tend to be classed as shown in close-up or incompletely are buildings. Most mods believe that to be a Geograph a building photograph should the whole building or some context, although some mods would prefer both.

Thirdly, indoor shots are always made supps. They can add useful information, but indoors, being an entirely human environment, is on the fringe of the site's definition. Only public indoor areas are acceptable.

Finally, aerial shots are always supps. They are often useful, but they approach the subject of Geography in a different way than was originally envisaged.

· contributed by Mike Pennington, Jun 2011 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

Viewing Images

I've seen little thumbs-up symbols around the site, what are they? Close

Simply click them if you like the image and/or description (separate entries in the thumb pop-up for each).

We don't know what use we will make of the data, but note that there are number of things we won't do. We won't disclose who is voting (all anonymous), we won't be using it to produce leaderboards, and we won't be disclosing which images that have few/no votes. The general idea is to simply find great content worth showcasing.

See this page for a bit more information, and the general principles behind voting on Geograph.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/help/voting

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What are those little thumbs to the right of the images about? Close

If you find a picture or its description particularly good or useful, you'll find links to heap praise on either in the thumbs pop-up menu which shows when hovering over the thumb symbol to the right of the main picture. Just click the appropriate link(s).

Contributors can see which of their pictures others found useful at http://www.geograph.org.uk/thumbed.php?type=&who=others .

You can also 'thumb' your own images to keep track of your own favourites. This is counted separately from feedback by others.

While you're at it, you can use the thumb pop-up to throw the image in one or several 'image buckets' - categories which classify the type of image, e.g. whether it is a close-up or a panorama, or if it shows people or landscapes. By doing this, you can help Geograph to narrow down searches and add value for other site users.

· contributed by Rudi Winter, Jun 2011 · Provide an alternative answer!

Photo Contributors

Why must I agree to allow commercial use of my image? Close

Running this site costs money, particularly over time as the storage requirements are quite large. While we are confident we can meet those costs with sponsorship, granting commercial use allows anyone who runs the archive in the distant future to explore other options for generating funds, such as sales of montage posters.

Granting everyone those same rights actually protects the site community from exploitation), but do bear in mind that we only retain a screen-quality version of your image, and that under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence, you must be credited for any use of your image.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/help/freedom

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Can I use someone else's text in my description? Close

It's usually best to paraphrase information from other sources and then add a reference (or hyperlink) to those sources. If you want to quote something verbatim, you need to ask the author for permission to use it and to re-licence it under the Creative Commons licence - which essentially means they not only allow you but the whole world to use their text, provided credit is given. If you have their permission to re-use their text, you should still acknowledge that it's theirs.

It doesn't matter if the text you wish to quote is from a commercial printed work, a website or just a handwritten note the original author wrote just for your information.

(Inspired by a question asked by Jon2 and answered by barryhunter on the forum http://www.geograph.org.uk/discuss/index.php?&action=vthread&forum=18&topic=13068&dontcount=1&page=0#6 .)

· More information on this topic... · contributed by Rudi Winter, Jun 2011 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

I've had a complaint about one of my pictures. What should I do? Close

It probably depends on the nature and tone of the complaint you've received, and on where you've taken the picture from. You've got three options: respond to the complainant, pass it on to Geograph, or ignore it. In any case, remember that there's nothing wrong with taking pictures from places with public access as long as it doesn't infringe someone's privacy in a very specific manner.

If the complaint is a reasonable request, you may wish to discuss the matter with the complainant directly - they may well be happy with your picture and text once they get to know you a little and realise you're a friendly if slightly excentric square bagger rather than a horse-rustling paedophile terrorist.

If the complaint is irate or makes unreasonable claims for privacy, you may prefer not to let the complainant have your email address. If you don't respond, they can always complain to Geograph. Alternatively, you can forward the complaint to support@geograph.org.uk , who will deal with it on your behalf. It helps if you present your side of the story and say whether you've taken the picture from a public space, a Public Right of Way or from private property without statutory access. Please make sure that the email address of the complainant shows in the body of the forwarded message.

On the other hand, if you do want to deal with an irate complaint by replying directly, it is usually a good idea to wait a couple of days to diffuse the heat of the moment.

If the complaint is about the text rather than the image, it is often possible to find a wording which will pacify the complainant without distorting the meaning of your text.

(Based on a question asked on the forum by Roger Jones http://www.geograph.org.uk/discuss/index.php?&action=vthread&forum=14&topic=14020&dontcount=1&page=0#1 and answered by Evelyn Simak.)

· More information on this topic... · contributed by Rudi Winter, Oct 2011 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

Can I find out which of my images have been re-used on other websites? Close

Geograph itself hasn't got any data on re-use of images downloaded from here. It wouldn't even be possible to determine who downloaded it in most cases. Google image search https://www.google.co.uk/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi is quite good at finding copies of an image elsewhere on the web. Just drag and drop the image onto the search bar. But of course there's no guarantee that it'll find all other instances of each photo.

If you find an interesting website re-using your or other Geograph photos, consider posting it on the forum thread http://www.geograph.org.uk/discuss/index.php?&action=vthread&forum=2&topic=3179

(from a support request sent to http://www.geograph.org.uk/contact.php )

· contributed by Rudi Winter, Jun 2012 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

Photo Contributors :: Contributing

My images seem to be rotated when I upload them. How can I avoid that? Close

Some cameras record the orientation of the camera into the exif data, and some software evaluates that exif field if present. Geograph just takes the picture as stored, without bothering with the orientation. That means users whose software auto-rotates will need to rotate their image before uploading. If that is the case, it should be obvious from step 3 of the submission process as that shows the picture as it will show on Geograph.

If Geograph supported auto-rotation, it would lead to unexpected results for people whose software doesn't auto-rotate, so we can't win.

· More information on this topic... · contributed by Rudi Winter, Mar 2012 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

What are shared descriptions, and how can I add them? Close

Shared descriptions are blocks of text that you can apply to a number of images. You can also use shared descriptions written by others.

This may be useful if you have taken a number of photos at one location, and want to write a paragraph about that location. Also if you make a change to the shared description (e.g. correct a typo) it will be updated on all the images it is attached to.

For example I wrote a shared description for a number of images featuring Epping Long Green, which I can re-use if I take any more images of that location. It also enables a viewer to access a page where all images using that description are displayed.

If someone else has already written a helpful description of a feature, you can re-use this. It also allows a way of grouping images from different contributors together. For example Ian Capper had written a description of Coal Tax Posts, which I was able to attach to one of my images: Anyone searching for "Coal Tax Posts" would be able to access a page where images from all contributors who had used that description are displayed.

You can find a detailed article on the topic written by Barry Hunter here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Shared-Descriptions

You can search for shared descriptions already written here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/snippets.php

· More information on this topic... · contributed by Roger Jones, Oct 2011 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

Points and Moderation

Is there a table of how many new points I acquire per month? Close

Yes, there is! And also for many other sorts of time series analysis you may be interested in: http://www.geograph.org.uk/statistics/overtime.php .

You've got the choice of analysing data for Geograph as a whole or just for yourself.

You can download the table in comma-separated value format for further analysis and plotting in external programs.

You can also use Google Fusion Tables http://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?dsrcid=487623 to visualise similar data for Geograph as a whole, with weekly time resolution.

(Inspired by a question asked on the forum http://www.geograph.org.uk/discuss/index.php?&action=vthread&forum=18&topic=13062&dontcount=1&page=0#1 by Anthony V and answered by barryhunter.)

· More information on this topic... · contributed by Rudi Winter, Jun 2011 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

family snap Close

I am guessing this is a question as to the suitability of family snaps. The general rule is the people should be the secondary element of the photo rather than the main feature, and posed shots (it can be worked out in most cases) are more suitable to other photo sites as not related to the area they are in. Having said that a discussion thread has refined this recently, and the general conclusion was if there are local events or occupations which are taken spontaneously then a person featuring as the main subject can be included although without a reasonable amount of background would normally be added as a supplemental. But for straightforward posed family snaps then the only circumstance they would be suitable is if they were a small part of the whole scene, and as with most the older the photo the more flexible the criteria.

· contributed by David Howard, Apr 2012 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

Finding way in the forum

How are contributions scored in the Photo of the Week \ Year competitions? Close

It isn't a matter of scoring, and there are no hard and fast rules, except that the photographs must be taken within the qualifying week, and submitted by midnight on the Tuesday after the end of the qualifying week.

There is a rota of volunteer selectors, who look through all the eligible images, and whittle down to a shortlist of about 50. Individual selectors select according to whatever criteria they decide, and post the short list to the discussion forum.

They also notify the previous week's winner, whose privilege it is to pick the winner the next week.

The weekly winners eventually go forward to a selector who picks the image of the year from among the weekly winners.

Any member can volunteer to pick a week's selection. To volunteer, send a message to the Photo of the Year Co-ordinator.

· contributed by Anne Burgess, Dec 2011 · Edit this answer (Open for editing by anyone) · Provide an alternative answer!

· Old FAQ page in case you still looking for it. But please let us know why so we can update this one!