Topic on User talk:Yurik/Flow

Hi Yurik,

I'm writing up an update for the Map Improvements 2018 project page that talks about the coming I18n release. One section, on use cases, tries to break down what the advantages and disadvantages of using mapframe with I18n are compared to the current method for basic locator maps of foreign cities. But I'm slightly unclear on just what users are doing now when they do this (how do they make those graphics?). Would you say:

• Is it easier to just add a mapframe map for a foreign city or country compared to what is done now? I.e., can the process be streamlined so that all users have to do is plug in the coordinates, vs. whatever they do now? Or is it pretty streamlined now?

• Besides basic locator maps (e.g., this type of thing), what would you say the use cases are for mapframe or, I guess, maplink, with I18n?

Thanks for your thoughts.

I think there are several things here that shouldn't be conflated:

• i18n of the base map allows users to see the map localized to their needs, and it doesn't matter where they use it - in a <maplink/mapframe>, in a locator map via the <graph> tag, or in a Wikidata Query search results. It benefits them all.
• The <maframe> is orthogonal to the localization efforts of the base map. It allows editors to insert an interactive map into a page, and draw a limited set of things on it. The "static" methods (<graph> tag) has much more flexibility in terms of the actual drawing - any visuals on top of the map. The <mapframe> has interactivity, and ease-of-use - inserting <mapframe> does not require a complex graph template that very few people understand. But mapframe/maplink are much more limited in terms of what they can present.
• Lastly, there are "classical" locator maps - simple SVG-style images with very few shapes/labels, that simply illustrate basic country/region shapes, without any details, without any interactivity, in a single language, and without a good ability to draw things on top of them (there are hacks that allow it, but those are not very stable/portable). This method is the most flexible, but also the most time consuming -- you can draw anything you want - it's an image.