Grants:PEG/WM CZ/Mediagrant/Documentation of Czech observation towers

Legal name of chapter: Wikimedia Česká republika / Wikimedia Czech Republic
Grant contact name: Milda
Grant contact user-name or e-mail: wikipedista.milda@gmail.com
Grant contact title (position): WM CZ grant coordinator
Project lead name: Danny B.
Project lead user-name or e-mail: Special:EmailUser/Danny B.
Project lead title (position), if any: -

Full project name: Documentation of Czech observation towers
Amount requested (in USD): 7100
Provisional target start date: right after approval
Provisional completion date: after documenting the complete list of objects (varies between 1-3 years - see Measures of success for details), or after spending of the entire grant (this should actually not happen); the matter of course is that the annual reports will be provided

Budget breakdown

item	count	average expenses	sum
travelling	200	25	5000
lodging	50	20	1000
entrance fee	200	3	600
bureaucracy, administrative, cooperation with data providers			500
sum			7100

Notes:

The majority of observation towers from its substance are situated apart from common transport network, thus appropriate expenses - both time and financial - are logically a little bit higher.
If during the way (what is actually expected) there will be also other objects from related grants (Czech Municipalities Photographs, Acquiring scientific and specialized pictures, Vernacular architecture, Folk costumes, traditions and customs in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia) photographed, appropriate expenses will be shared between involved grants.
Possible leftovers after documentation of all objects might be used for documentation of selected small number of objects (particularly typically mountain observation towers) even in other season (resp. in winter). The following possible leftover would be transferred to any of related grants (listed above) or combination of them.
The expenses ratio is orientational and it's possible that in case of saving of resources in one area the leftovers could be transferred to the other one (we typically expect some drifting between travelling and lodging areas).

Project scope

In the Czech Republic, there are about 300 of observation towers. Their count and density puts the Czech Republic - together with only few more countries in central Europe - between rarities in this scope, both in European and even in worldwide scale. A number of observation towers - especially those very historical - are unique by their architecture or placement. Unfortunately, only small number of them is documented on Wikimedia projects, both photographically and factually.

The biggest Czech expert on observation towers, author of couple books about them, kindly decided to help the project; there is negotiation going on with authors of thematic documentary TV series about observation towers as well.

Project goal

The main goal of the project is to document in as detailed way as possible continuously all existing observation towers in the Czech Republic. Financial resources from this grant will be mostly used on coverage of travelling expenses to such objects and entrance fees to them or the complexes they are part of. Furthermore on possible lodging in the place, especially if it will be advantageous than repetitive travelling to such area of the country, so the time could be used rather on the documentation of objects in such area than to worthless sitting in the transport.

Although the project name mentions "Czech observation towers", a small amount of money might be used also to the documentation of observation towers on borders or nearby borders which do not belong to the Czech Republic, but it's worth to document them once the person is already there - however, these object should always be consulted ahead and should be as a complement to any other documented Czech observation tower.

Non-financial requirements

Approving of GPS navigation and Video camera grants would be helpful to have enhanced documentation, but it's not an indivisible part.

Fit to strategy

During the project there will be at first obtained the number of quality photographies of the Czech observation towers, their details, possible accompanying buildings, as well as panoramas or selected views from those observation towers (if available and applicable). There will also be maximally documented factual data about those objects (material, dimensions, # of stairs, opening date, data about possible reconstruction, architect, builder...), which could usually be found on information board nearby or in the nearest municipality or could be measured empirically, and those would be then placed into appropriate (typically currently absent) article on Wikipedia. Project leader, as well as other interested participants, will also cooperate with the expert, particularly on check, correction and adding of the data.

Other benefits

Number of observation towers is falling into disrepair and are in a potential danger of disappearance, thus among other benefits of the project, there is the fact that there will be covered vanishing objects which might cease to exist in following years. The benefit of taking pictures of panoramas / selected views is also obtaining of the number of unusual, very descriptive, but in other ways unfeasible pictures.

Measures of success

The aim of the project is to document all existing Czech observation towers, thus is from the beginning intended as not time limited to one fiscal year. However, as some kind of measurement of success there can be considered the speed of creation of the documentation. According to the bit more difficult reachability of the objects as well as some limitation of suitable conditions (some locations have only few days during the year with quality enough weather) it's possible to consider as a success documentation of one third to one half of the objects during one fiscal year.

At the end of the project, from each object there should exist couple kinds of quality pictures (see Fit to strategy) as well as there will exist an article in Wikipedia for each documented object containing at least basic factual data, ideally also some further things such as history etc.