Adding GPS data to the photos

DonaldG · 03-28-2009, 02:58 AM

Is anyone doing this?

My wife & I have been fortunate in as much as that we have been able to travel overseas extensively... I have hundreds of photos that I have taken but cannot remember the exact location where I was at the time.

For some time I have used a small GPS receiver in conjunction with a Pocket PC for SatNav. I decided the adding the GPS coordinates in the EXIF (extra information) area of the image file would solve the problem. It does...and more enjoyment because....

Briefly;
I have a Holux GPSlim236 GPS Rx for the SatNav.
A Holux M-241 GPS Track logger that can note my exact location once every second (adjustable)
A Qstarz Q1000X Travel recorder that does a similar job as the M-241 but has a couple of features that are outstanding

Initial trials recently have proved 100% successful & I now have no excuse of not knowing where the photo was taken.

I would love to hear of anyone else's experience with geostamping photos...

**sobeit** · 03-28-2009, 05:17 AM

you sound like a terrorist who is make advance plans for pinpoint targeting

seriously - that is actually a good idea. I think the iphone has a similar application where it will automatically place the gps info on the photo but it will not work with the first generation phones.

I have so many pictures from over the years that I do not remember where I was because I am one of those who are too lazy to write info on the back. If only I had this type of technology at that time.

DonaldG · 03-28-2009, 04:59 PM

Using GPS, I am very impressed with the accuracy of the placement of the images.

I have quite a few photos on Google Earth, and uploading the last batch with the GPS coordinates embedded in the exif was a doddle. I didn't have to plot any of them into the correct spot, they all were placed automatically in the exact location..

With the right software, it is possible to overlay the GPS track on GE and have a visual representation of the journey. Great fun.

DonaldG · 03-30-2009, 03:41 AM

I am writing an article on Geostamping - the rough draft is here

**dm01** · 03-31-2009, 12:01 AM

My camera is supposed to have this, but it's such a complete PITA I'll probably get a separate unit when I get some money :). I'm contending with the Japanese(?) firmware because apparently this model isn't "International" but they sent it all over the world anyways. They said they are going to send the firmware on a memory card, but I haven't gotten it yet.

Yes, yes, I'll get some snaps up when I get a day two. The file sizes are obscene because I can't do much with the RAW files because half of my processor's been fried or something. My Internet has been unreliable lately also so it may be a while. I can't change to JPEG because I don't know that much Japanese.

DonaldG · 03-31-2009, 03:26 AM

Hi DM

I take it that it is your camera that has the menu in Japanese - That must be a pain. Perhaps you could contact a language college and see if you can find a Japanese speaker and get them to switch it from RAW to JPG until all else is sorted out.

As long as the camera records the date and time, GPS geostamping s/w should be able to synchronise the coordinates accordingly.

On one trip a few days ago to photograph a nearby town, All the photographs were 'spotted' in the wrong location - I couldn't figure it out until I realised that may camera clock was 2.5 minutes fast. One geostamping programme has the ability to 'time shift'. Setting it to -2.5 mins, it corrected all the timestamps and reset the coordinated to the correct place!

This time shift would cope with your camera if it is set to Tokyo time!

03-28-2009, 02:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
DonaldG Manager Home Support, Assistant Manager Articles Team Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 10,164 OS: XPsp2 Laptop & Vista Ultimate Desktop My System Blog Entries: 1	Adding GPS data to the photos Is anyone doing this? My wife & I have been fortunate in as much as that we have been able to travel overseas extensively... I have hundreds of photos that I have taken but cannot remember the exact location where I was at the time. For some time I have used a small GPS receiver in conjunction with a Pocket PC for SatNav. I decided the adding the GPS coordinates in the EXIF (extra information) area of the image file would solve the problem. It does...and more enjoyment because.... Briefly; I have a Holux GPSlim236 GPS Rx for the SatNav. A Holux M-241 GPS Track logger that can note my exact location once every second (adjustable) A Qstarz Q1000X Travel recorder that does a similar job as the M-241 but has a couple of features that are outstanding Initial trials recently have proved 100% successful & I now have no excuse of not knowing where the photo was taken. I would love to hear of anyone else's experience with geostamping photos... __________________ . Lest we forget... "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Submit New Articles Here TSF's Photographer's Corner . Last edited by DonaldG; 03-28-2009 at 03:40 AM.

03-28-2009, 05:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
sobeit TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 7,433 OS: windows/linux	Re: Adding GPS data to the photos you sound like a terrorist who is make advance plans for pinpoint targeting seriously - that is actually a good idea. I think the iphone has a similar application where it will automatically place the gps info on the photo but it will not work with the first generation phones. I have so many pictures from over the years that I do not remember where I was because I am one of those who are too lazy to write info on the back. If only I had this type of technology at that time. __________________ there's been global warming since the ice age

03-28-2009, 04:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
DonaldG Manager Home Support, Assistant Manager Articles Team Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 10,164 OS: XPsp2 Laptop & Vista Ultimate Desktop My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Adding GPS data to the photos Using GPS, I am very impressed with the accuracy of the placement of the images. I have quite a few photos on Google Earth, and uploading the last batch with the GPS coordinates embedded in the exif was a doddle. I didn't have to plot any of them into the correct spot, they all were placed automatically in the exact location.. With the right software, it is possible to overlay the GPS track on GE and have a visual representation of the journey. Great fun. __________________ . Lest we forget... "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Submit New Articles Here TSF's Photographer's Corner .

03-30-2009, 03:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
DonaldG Manager Home Support, Assistant Manager Articles Team Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 10,164 OS: XPsp2 Laptop & Vista Ultimate Desktop My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Adding GPS data to the photos I am writing an article on Geostamping - the rough draft is here __________________ . Lest we forget... "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Submit New Articles Here TSF's Photographer's Corner .

03-31-2009, 12:01 AM	#5 (permalink)
dm01 Moderator: Design Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Richmond, B.C.; Canada Posts: 1,427 OS: Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600] SP3 \| Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope \| Windows 7 BETA My System	Re: Adding GPS data to the photos My camera is supposed to have this, but it's such a complete PITA I'll probably get a separate unit when I get some money :). I'm contending with the Japanese(?) firmware because apparently this model isn't "International" but they sent it all over the world anyways. They said they are going to send the firmware on a memory card, but I haven't gotten it yet. Yes, yes, I'll get some snaps up when I get a day two. The file sizes are obscene because I can't do much with the RAW files because half of my processor's been fried or something. My Internet has been unreliable lately also so it may be a while. I can't change to JPEG because I don't know that much Japanese. __________________ Validate your Markup Validate your CSS Notepad++ Please use [html], [php], and [code] when posting code or markup. I do not help by Private Message or e-mail. If for some reason I have over-looked a reply to a thread that I have previously replied to, then send me a message.

03-31-2009, 03:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
DonaldG Manager Home Support, Assistant Manager Articles Team Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 10,164 OS: XPsp2 Laptop & Vista Ultimate Desktop My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Adding GPS data to the photos Hi DM I take it that it is your camera that has the menu in Japanese - That must be a pain. Perhaps you could contact a language college and see if you can find a Japanese speaker and get them to switch it from RAW to JPG until all else is sorted out. As long as the camera records the date and time, GPS geostamping s/w should be able to synchronise the coordinates accordingly. On one trip a few days ago to photograph a nearby town, All the photographs were 'spotted' in the wrong location - I couldn't figure it out until I realised that may camera clock was 2.5 minutes fast. One geostamping programme has the ability to 'time shift'. Setting it to -2.5 mins, it corrected all the timestamps and reset the coordinated to the correct place! This time shift would cope with your camera if it is set to Tokyo time! __________________ . Lest we forget... "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Submit New Articles Here TSF's Photographer's Corner .