Best practices for updating the Istanbul Metro map on Wikipedia
A metro map is a time-sensitive graphic that can be accurate in its topology yet misleading about today’s service. For Istanbul, a careful revision should distinguish the operating rapid-transit network from tram, suburban rail, ferry and planned infrastructure, while capturing station order, interchanges, line identifiers and recent extensions without importing errors from an older diagram.
The strongest updates treat Wikipedia as a transparent publishing project rather than a drawing exercise. Each change is checked against current operator material, converted into editable geospatial and SVG files, reviewed for licence and accessibility requirements, and documented so another editor can reproduce the result months later.
Verify the network before drawing
A dependable update begins by comparing four evidence layers:
| Evidence source | Best contribution | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Istanbul maps and service notices | Line colours, station order and operating patterns | Publication date, temporary closures and extension status |
| Ministry, municipal and project records | Authorised openings and infrastructure changes | Project approval date versus the first passenger-service date |
| OpenStreetMap | Station points, route geometry and interchange locations | Stale tags, recent edits and alignment with official records |
| Existing Wikipedia and Commons files | Stable route relationships and established styling | Every factual claim against a current cited source |
Resolve disagreements before editing. An official network map may lag a newly opened station, a project announcement may describe a future phase rather than passenger service, and OpenStreetMap can contain useful geometry with outdated tags. Record the access date and describe which source proves which fact. Copying the exact graphic design of an official map is also risky: factual line relationships may be used, but the original artwork, branding and icons may remain protected.
Build a traceable geographic base
Use OpenStreetMap or another openly licensed geographic source as the spatial base, then check station points and paths against street-level evidence and official records. Preserve the required Open Database Licence attribution for OpenStreetMap data. Coordinates should match the intended station entrances or platforms; a metro symbol placed at the wrong campus entrance can send riders to the wrong side of a station.
Keep the work in separate, versioned layers for geography, station markers, route strokes, labels, legend and title. Use relative positioning for labels rather than manually nudging every text object, and record the basemap retrieval date. Export a clean SVG without unused editor artefacts, while retaining a source file that can be regenerated when a line bends or a station name changes.
Meet Wikimedia sourcing and licensing rules
Reliable-source rules apply to the underlying facts even when the image is the main object. Cite the operator, ministry, municipality or another authoritative publisher for opening dates, route numbers and service changes, and corroborate significant claims where practical. File descriptions and article captions should make the scope explicit, such as “operational rapid-transit lines shown as of the revision date.”
Do not trace an official map closely or reuse its logos without checking copyright and trademark permissions. An independently drawn SVG based on open data can be released under a compatible Creative Commons licence and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons with clear attribution. Record every data source, licence, author and modification in the file page, and use fonts that render Turkish characters reliably wherever the SVG is displayed.
Design a legible route diagram
Choose the visual form before polishing the styling. A geographic map helps readers place lines against the Bosphorus and the city’s districts, while a schematic network diagram makes branches and interchanges easier to follow. A combined design can work if each station remains tied to its true coordinates and the geographic inset does not compete with the main network.
Give interchanges stronger symbols than ordinary stops, label important termini, and use line identifiers directly rather than relying on colour alone. Check dense areas around central Istanbul at both thumbnail and full size, and use a plain embedded font for consistent rendering. Preserve Turkish characters such as ç, ğ, ı, İ, ö, ş and ü, but follow the English article’s established naming conventions for stations and lines.
Separate operational routes from projects that lack a passenger opening date. Planned sections may appear only if their status and source are visible in the legend, and temporary shutdowns should not be baked into the permanent network as though a closure were structural. A dated note can accompany the graphic when a disruption is too short-lived to justify redrawing the route itself.
Compare Turkish and Australian mapping conventions
Australian readers will often compare Istanbul’s combined metro and tram geography with layered networks closer to home. Transport for NSW publishes Sydney network diagrams and disruption information for services integrated with the Opal system, while Transport for Victoria combines Melbourne’s metro, tram and regional information. Both demonstrate a local expectation that mode, interchange and fare guidance should be easy to separate.
Other Australian markets provide useful checks. Translink covers Brisbane Metro alongside bus and rail connections; Transperth’s Perth material pairs the network with SmartRider guidance; Adelaide’s trams travel free through the city centre; and Canberra’s light rail is presented as a distinct mode. These are not design templates for Istanbul, but they show how local audiences interpret line colours, station symbols and service notes. Use Australian English such as colour and centre in the surrounding article where house style permits, while retaining the Wikipedia article’s established conventions.
Run a focused update checklist
Before publication, run the update through a short editorial and technical review. These checks suit a busy volunteer environment and catch the errors most likely to change how a passenger reads the network.
- Confirm every station, interchange, terminus and route number against dated official sources.
- Reconcile SVG paths with source geometry and remove duplicated or obsolete layers.
- Check labels at thumbnail and full size, including Turkish characters and colour contrast.
- Record licences, attribution, source links, scope and editing history in the file description.
- Ask a second editor to compare the proposed map with both the previous revision and current network information.
After those checks, preview the SVG on desktop and mobile, where small labels and thin route strokes often fail. Test the legend without relying on colour, and make sure the map still communicates its central interchange relationships when reduced to a small image in an article infobox.
Publish and maintain the revision
Upload reusable artwork to Wikimedia Commons when its licence permits, then embed it in the article with informative alternative text and a caption stating what the diagram includes and the date represented. Keep the file description as a source register rather than a bare upload note. A concise edit summary should identify the operational changes and cite the evidence used to make them.
Monitor the article after publication, especially around extension openings, overnight works and service suspensions. Place the article on a watch list if available, revisit it when the operator publishes a material update, and coordinate disputed changes on the talk page instead of repeatedly overwriting one another. The first concrete step is to open the Istanbul Metro map talk page and post the proposed station, route and date changes with source links for peer review.