Categorization System
Technical Pages
The wiki is currently operating between on two parallel category systems, and aiming to maintain parity between these two systems. The mediawiki "native categories" function are our original method, and most categories are integrated into a hierarchical categorization scheme with Category:All Categories serving as the highest level grouping, and within that hierarchy Category:Categories used to attribute pages for the purposes of querying and reporting. The use of categories enables the use of Dynamic Page Lists which are a relatively user-friendly query mechanism.
In parallel, for the purpose of switching to form-based editing (see Category Update and Page Editing Forms) we are establishing a Cargo schema. In this system, a form is used to mediate category selection (for a sample see Form:Product). This results in the declaration of Cargo Data stored that is within each page. These data are then retrieved by the extension and organized into Cargo Tables, and those tables can then be queried to generate new outputs, including lists of . In this way, through the use of templates (in our case Page Types) we can support the intuitive production and querying of structured data associated with various page types. Cargo queries are much more powerful and flexible, using SQL query language, but require more user skill.
Consequently to maximize flexibility and function during this transition, even as we establish cargo data structure, we are retaining our native category system, and maintaining parity between the two systems, such that each native category has a corresponding cargo attribute and all page type categories in cargo have a corresponding mediawiki category.
This platform is currently focused on the Salish Sea, however, we recognize that there is a strong bioregional rationale for capturing data from adjacent bioregions such as the Outer Coast and Willamette Valley. For this purpose, we are capturing geographies outside of the Salish Sea in a Category:Bioregion such that the scope of the wiki could be expanded to a larger geography, pending the partnerships necessary to make that path fruitful.
