(1) Use arrow keys to move around. (2) SCROLL to zoom in and out. (3) LEFT CLICK to fly to a star (no links) (4) RIGHT CLICK to fly to a star with links (5) DOUBLE CLICK to view suggested articles (6) Hover on stars and links to see your destination (7) When crosshairs appear, click-drag to rotate the view (8) Click on the circle at the center of the screen to open up a previously selected article (9) Press SPACE to zoom

SCROLL, pinch, or use +/- to zoom in and out. Here zooming allows you to reach different levels of knowledge: (from top to bottom)3D mode is enabled once you are fully zoomed in, otherwise 2D mode is in effectMany options are available to you in the left side bar:OPEN: Open and read your most recently viewed article.FULLSCREEN: Puts Wikiverse in fullscreen for a more immersive viewing experienceTOP 25: Top articles of the week based on Wikipedia readership dataABOUT: Information about this project and creditsHISTORY: Animation that shows every star you've visitedCONTROLS: Show help and controlsSHARE: Links to share this site on Twitter and facebookHIDE ALL: Hide all User Interface elements

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Concept

Wikipedia is humanity's richest source of public information. It is often viewed as an endless book, accessed mostly through Google searches.

As a kid, I loved hopping from page to page on Wikipedia. With a few curious clicks, I was transported to new worlds I would never have stumbled upon otherwise. The internet has given us access to an abysmal amount of knowledge; while familiar ideas are easy to find, little incentive is given to seek out the new and unexpected. I wanted the world to see Wikipedia through my eyes, to reveal the connective tapestry hidden behind every page.

Construction

This universe was formed thanks to a physics simulation, where tens of millions of links tied 250k articles together. As we stretch and tug at the fabric, knots form and cluster stars into themes/categories. Every editor's contribution took part in crystallizing articles into the resulting map, where proximity equates to related-ness.

Using this custom exploration engine, we are able to explore and investigate each star. Every click transports us across this universe, giving us visual feedback for every choice made. This is not meant as a replacement for Wikipedia, only as an added layer that gratifies curiosity and exploration. It is in my mind a tribute to Wikipedia, and the intricate beauty of collective thought.

Credits

Made by Owen Cornec

Seeking new opportunities starting September 2016, contact: owen dot cornec at gamil.com



Wikiverse is an independent initiative and not affiliated with Wikipedia or the Wikimedia foundation, this project and many others couldn't be made possible without the contribution of countless users, donors and the WMF's drive to deliver all this content to you.

See how you can support Wikipedia here.

3D engine based on THREE.js by Mr. Doob

Full articles brought to you by the Wikipedia API by MediaWiki

Top popular page ranking provided by Andrew G. West

Clustering made with Force Atlas II, Gephi and OpenOrd by S. Martin, W. M. Brown, R. Klavans, and K. Boyack