Linkbase is a work-in-progress Flutter database-management tool that allows users to compare and edit similar entries in databases. You can try it here: https://linkbase-6f8c3.web.app
This project is inspired by Wikidata Wikimedia project lacking significant amounts of music-related data compared to other open source databases like MusicBrainz and Discogs.
The immediate thought solution would be to create a bot the imports data from these databases. However, neither MusicBrainz or Discogs provide sources for their data and Wikidata is a project that aims to have all data sourced. Therefore, creating an interface that allowed users to import data but with references on Wikidata (as a script that modifies the UI) or a seperate app (this) were the only solutions.
A seperate app was the chosen solution because:
- Creating a tool seperate to Wikidata could help create and syncronize data between all 3 databases. Discogs' and Musicbraiz's data is not perfect nor syncronized, so creating an app that can efficiently and effectively do that would improve the databases substantially.
- Users that create new data will not have to duplicate their work across other databases.
- Flutter, the framework used to build this app:
- Is well-known by the maintainer
- Easy to learn and code
- Single-codebase
- Multiplatform, allowing for contributions from anywhere - something none of the databases can reliably do.
- It is expandable beyond the bureaucracy the databases. Custom music-related data constraints wouldn't be possible on Wikidata. Creating a platorm that is functionally and aesthetically efficient and beautiful has little chance for any of these databases, which are all technically "competing".
- Correlating to the name, Linkbase, this app could be used to syncronize data between databases that cover other topics other than music in the future.