Flickr Commons 1K Collection - Raw Data Lifeboat
Overview
This is the raw, unprocessed version of the Flickr Commons 1K Collection Data Lifeboat - a self-contained digital preservation archive created by the Flickr Foundation.
🔗 ML-Ready Version: For machine learning applications, see the processed dataset: flickr-commons-1k-collection
What is a Data Lifeboat?
Data Lifeboats are self-contained archives designed to preserve not just images, but the complete social and cultural context that makes them meaningful. Unlike traditional datasets, they include:
- 📁 Complete file structure with original organization
- 🌐 Built-in web viewer for browsing without external tools
- 📊 Rich metadata preserved in JavaScript format
- 🔗 No external dependencies - everything needed is included
- 🏛️ Community context - tags, comments, and social interactions
Collection Details
- Collection ID:
COMMONS_1K_2025 - Created: 2025-01-16 17:03:19.752253
- Curator: the Flickr Foundation
- Total Files: ~2,000
- Archive Size: ~1,725 MB
Purpose
The Flickr Foundation produced this special collection for release in January 2025. It showcases some of the most popular photography across the groundbreaking Flickr Commons program. We hope you enjoy it!
Archive Structure
data/Commons_1K_2025/
├── viewer/ # Built-in web viewer application
│ ├── index.html # Main viewer interface
│ ├── browse.html # Browse photos interface
│ ├── photo.html # Individual photo viewer
│ └── static/ # CSS, JavaScript, and assets
├── metadata/ # All metadata in JavaScript format
│ ├── lifeboat.js # Collection metadata
│ ├── photoIndex.js # Index of all photos
│ ├── tagIndex.js # Tag index and frequencies
│ ├── licenseIndex.js # License information
│ ├── contributorIndex.js # User/institution data
│ ├── albumIndex.js # Album information
│ ├── galleryIndex.js # Gallery data
│ ├── groupIndex.js # Group information
│ └── photos/ # Individual photo metadata
│ ├── [photo_id].js # One file per photo
│ └── ...
├── media/ # All image files
│ ├── originals/ # Full resolution images
│ └── thumbnails/ # Thumbnail versions
└── README.html # Collection documentation
How to Use This Archive
Option 1: Web Viewer (Recommended)
- Download the entire archive
- Open
data/Commons_1K_2025/viewer/index.htmlin any web browser - Browse photos, view metadata, and explore the collection
Option 2: Direct File Access
- Images:
data/Commons_1K_2025/media/originals/anddata/Commons_1K_2025/media/thumbnails/ - Metadata:
data/Commons_1K_2025/metadata/directory contains all structured data - Documentation:
data/Commons_1K_2025/README.htmlfor collection details
Option 3: Programmatic Access
The metadata is stored in JavaScript format but can be easily parsed:
# Using the JavaScriptParser from lifeboat_to_hf
from lifeboat_to_hf import JavaScriptParser
# Load collection metadata
collection_info = JavaScriptParser.parse_js_metadata('data/Commons_1K_2025/metadata/lifeboat.js')
photo_index = JavaScriptParser.parse_js_metadata('data/Commons_1K_2025/metadata/photoIndex.js')
Data Format and Standards
Metadata Format
- JavaScript Objects: Structured data in
.jsfiles - UTF-8 Encoding: All text files use UTF-8
- Consistent Naming: File names follow Flickr conventions
- Cross-References: IDs link photos, tags, comments, and users
Image Format
- Originals: JPEG/PNG in original resolution and format
- Thumbnails: JPEG thumbnails for web viewing
- Naming:
[photo_id]_[secret]_[size].[format]
Licensing
All photos in this collection have open licenses:
- Primary: "No known copyright restrictions" (Commons)
- Others: Various Creative Commons licenses
- See:
metadata/licenseIndex.jsfor complete license information
Preservation Principles
This Data Lifeboat follows digital preservation best practices:
✅ Self-Contained: No external dependencies or API calls
✅ Standards-Based: Uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript - universally supported
✅ Human-Readable: Can be understood without specialized software
✅ Machine-Readable: Structured data for computational analysis
✅ Documented: Comprehensive metadata and documentation included
✅ Portable: Works on any system with a web browser
Research Applications
This raw format is ideal for:
- Digital Preservation Research: Studying self-contained archive formats
- Metadata Analysis: Examining community-generated tags and comments
- Cultural Heritage: Preserving social context of cultural artifacts
- Web Archaeology: Understanding historical web interfaces and formats
- Custom Processing: Building your own analysis tools
Related Resources
Processed Version
For machine learning and computational analysis, use the processed version:
- Dataset:
flickr-commons-1k-collection - Features: Images as HuggingFace Image features, structured metadata
- Ready-to-use: Compatible with
datasetslibrary and ML frameworks
Learn More
Technical Notes
Browser Compatibility
The viewer works in all modern browsers:
- Chrome/Chromium 70+
- Firefox 65+
- Safari 12+
- Edge 79+
File Handling
- Some browsers may restrict local file access for security
- For full functionality, serve files through a local web server:
# Python 3 python -m http.server 8000 # Node.js npx serve .
Citation
@misc{commons_1k_2025_raw},
title = {Flickr Commons 1K Collection - Raw Data Lifeboat},
author = {the Flickr Foundation},
year = {2025},
publisher = {Hugging Face},
url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/[your-username]/[dataset-name]-raw},
note = {Self-contained digital preservation archive}
}
Future Considerations
The photos contained in this collection come to you with no known copyright restrictions. You are welcome to use them as you wish. Please consider giving credit to the cultural institutions who have shared these photos with us.
Preservation Notice: This archive is designed to remain accessible indefinitely. The self-contained format ensures that future researchers can access and understand this collection even if external services or APIs change.
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