MonmouthpediA is a project that uses Wikipedia to provide information about notable people, places, artifacts, and other topics related to Monmouth, Wales in as many languages as possible. It places QR codes throughout the town that link to the Wikipedia articles. The goal is to help people learn about and appreciate the context of the local area. Over 1,000 QR codes have been placed in Monmouth and 550 articles were available in over 30 languages in 2012. The project increased tourism by garnering international media coverage and providing free WiFi infrastructure for visitors.

1. Attribution: John Cummings Wikimedia Commons

2. http://content.yudu.com/A1vk2u/WyeGuide2012/resources/7.htm

3. http://www.raglanundersiege1646.co.uk

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/MonmouthpediA

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrblN3f5sx0

6. MonmouthpediA is a World first project which attempted
to use Wikipedia (the People’s Encyclopedia) to cover
every notable place, person, artefact, plant, animal and
other things in Monmouth in as many languages as
possible.
Devised by John Cummings and supported by Wiki Media
UK, Monmouthshire County Council and local and global
content creating contributors.
Philosophical underpinning - Knowledge gives us context
and it allows us to appreciate our surroundings more.
The Council for British Archaeology designated
Monmouth as the seventh best town for archaeology in
Britain.
MonmouthpediA uses QRpedia codes, a type of bar code
a smartphone can read through its camera (using one of
the many free QR readers available) that takes you to a
Wikipedia article in your language.

7. http://qrpedia.org
QRpedia is the first language detecting QR code that can connect community
curated notable digital content around the world to Wikipedia.
Developed by Roger Bamkin and Terence Eden in 2011 & originally deployed in a
curatorial context in Museums across the world.
People scan a QR code and are taken directly to a mobile friendly Wikipedia page
written in the user’s preferred language.

8. QR codes are extremely useful, as physical signs have no
way of displaying the same amount of information and in
a potentially huge number of languages.
Over 1000 QRpedia codes have been deployed around the
Monmouth to date:
• Ceramic plaques for places exposed to the elements
for articles specific to Monmouth.
• Labels for use inside buildings, e.g. for objects in
museums.
• Glass stickers in the windows of shops to give
information on their professions .
Articles have coordinates (geotags) to also allow a virtual
tour of the town using Wikipedia's mobile apps (or the
Wikipedia layer on Google Streetview) and are available in
augmented reality software including Layar.

9. In May 2012: 550 of the articles generated for
the MonmouthpediA experience were available
in over 30 different languages.
Currently there is no Mobile OS to deliver Welsh
articles.

10. Over 1500 new images relating to Monmouth shared for
creative commons use in Wiki Media Commons over a 5
month period.

11. Opportunities for Growing Tourism
Increased PR: Launch media led to 277 stories across 36
countries, including Wall Street Journal, New York Times,
Times of India, Iran Today……
Opportunity to update & change perceptions.
New infrastructure – free to use town-wide wifi.
Development of enhanced and compelling digital visitor
experience.
Opportunity to engage the community in the
development of product & marketing.
Evaluation & improvement – monitoring of value &
volume / visitor behaviour, visit motivation and
satisfaction.

12. Attribution: John Cummings Wikimedia Commons