Yesterday, I mentioned that there had been some changes to both RHIZOME and the incomplete map. They both reside in an area of my site called RESOURCES, which meant I was able to put them in my main menu and make them easier to find! But I'm writing to explain some new additions to RHIZOME which some people may find useful. Most of the changes are to do with how the data are organised, and are technical; but these have implications on what everyone can do with RHIZOME.

First, each person (and each group) has its own URL, which points to a FOAF representation in JSON-LD. This was baked into the design very early on (although I had originally used Turtle). For example, here's Julie Kjaer's data and this is the visualisation of that data. Groups can now be displayed just on their own; so it might make looking at larger groups like Tomorrow's Warriors a bit easier.

The JSON-LD data can be used on other web pages, using a simple GET request and JSON parsing. There is a query endpoint so that web developers can filter results; and the visual representations have the JSON-LD response embedded in the web page.

On the practical side it means I can improve the text-only search; and this should help people look up groups and people. Since groups can be assigned years of formation and disbanding, it means that RHIZOME could potentially be useful for displaying older bands as well as more current ones.

I had a good chat with Kimberley Crofts the other day; she has been using it! Our conversation led to the typographical change; a rounded yet modern font, but still easy to read. I also wrestled with the sizing so that it is more usable on a mobile phone; but I still wouldn't recommend it!

If you're using it, let me know: it would be great to hear how it is being used!