Theplanetthinks

The Planet Thinks is a web-based visualization tool that displays live edits to Wikipedia articles about places on a 3D globe. It provides a real-time view of edits as they occur, with each pulse on the globe representing an individual edit to a geographically located Wikipedia article. The visualization distinguishes edits by language, using a unique color for each of Wikipedia's approximately 300 language editions, and also indicates whether the edit was made by a signed-in user, an anonymous contributor, or a bot.

The platform works by listening to the public Wikimedia EventStreams feed, capturing every edit to articles that have map coordinates. These edits are then mapped to their corresponding geographic locations and visualized on a realistic globe that shows day and night cycles. Only articles with a location are included, which accounts for about a fifth of Wikipedia; edits to articles without coordinates, such as those about people, ideas, or events, are not shown on the globe but are counted in the header.

The service is delivered via the web, requiring no sign-up and is free to access. It incorporates features such as real-time data streaming, language-based color coding, and differentiation between user types (registered, anonymous, and bot edits). Users can also follow the activity with sound or music for a more cinematic experience.

The Planet Thinks is designed for anyone interested in visualizing the global, collaborative editing activity of Wikipedia, particularly as it relates to geographic locations. Its use of live data and geographic mapping offers insight into the dynamic nature of Wikipedia editing across different languages and regions.