Geotag Your Photos

[lars]

From Wikipedia: Geotagging, sometimes referred to as Geocoding, is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as websites, RSS feeds, or images and is a form of geospatial metadata. This data usually consists of latitude and longitude coordinates, though it can also include altitude, bearing, and place names.

For the purposes of this thread, I'm referring to adding position data into the EXIF data area of your JPEG and RAW image files. Why would someone want to do this? So you can look at your fourwheeling photos and know where they were taken. This is particularly useful on long trips where all the stops and viewpoints get blurred in your memory.

To do this, you need these three components:

1. Digital camera
2. GPS
3. Geocoding or geotagging software

Any digital camera will do, as long as it outputs JPEG images, or uses a RAW format that the geotagging software can work with. (Nikon and Canon RAW files are the most commonly supported.)

Any GPS will do, as long as you can convert its track log data to .GPX format.

For the software, there are a lot of options, but Geosetter (freeware) is pretty good. You can download it here: http://www.geosetter.de/en/

I don't know if there is a Mac version.

The steps involved in geotagging are fairly simple:

1. Before shooting photos, set your camera's date/time to match the GPS unit's date/time. This is crucial.
2. Have your GPS on and recording a track whenever you're taking photos.
3. When you get home, upload your photo files and your GPS track logs to your computer.
4. Convert your track logs into GPX format.
5. Use Geosetter to read your the GPX track data and add position data to the recently uploaded photos.

How does it work? Basically, the software looks at an image file's date/time stamp and attempts to find a matching entry in the GPX track log. If a match is found, the position data is taken from the log and pasted into the EXIF header in the image file. If it can't find a match, it tries to find a pair of track points whose date/time stamps precede and follow the image's date/time stamp. It then interpolates the position and pastes it into the image file's EXIF header.

Image viewers such as Irfanview can display this info when viewing an image. If you upload the image to photo sites such as Flickr, you can display that photo's position onto an online map. Cool stuff.

...lars

[Bronco Boy]

Interesting. I will give it a shot.

[Neoworm]

Lars. You're such a geek. LOL! Thanks for the tip. Going to download it right after I finish insulting you.

[Enigma]

I sort of did it for a few photos on Google Earth. I'm lacking the GPS for the precise co-ords though.
I can't find or remember the link, but I did have a pic of myself 'cruising down the V-rock at Sunrise posted up there.

edit: found it!

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4463594

[Tmax]

Interesting. I will give it a shot.

that would be awsome for the whipsaw trip.

[lars]

that would be awsome for the whipsaw trip.

Last year's BFG Whipsaw trip made me think about this because I had a lot of difficulty remember where abouts on the trail some of the photos were taken.

BTW, just to remind everyone, now that we're back to standard time, you need to remember to reset your camera's time! But just to be extra safe, it's a good idea to regularly confirm that your camera and GPS are showing the same time.

...lars

[Bronco Boy]

Well, I was all stoked to try this on Sunday. I had already sync's the clocks on my camera and GPS, so when we left I sync'd Indir's camera. This is going to be wicked.

All day I took pics just to mark where we were. I get home, put my pics and Indir's in order of time taken, when I notice a slight problem. I guess I sync'd my camera before daylight savings, so I was an hour behind. Great! Then after photoshopping license plates out, I tried with just Indir's pics, and GeoSetter could only link 6 of 40 pictures to the GPS log. Great! Screw it, I have better things I could be doing with my time.

Good thing for the GPS log and Google Earth.

I guess I will to give it another try.

[lars]

Chris, did you set Geosetter's option which lets it interpolate positions between two logged points?

...lars

[Bronco Boy]

Chris, did you set Geosetter's option which lets it interpolate positions between two logged points?

...lars

I did what?

I kinda gave up on the whole thing. To much work just to see where I was when I know where I was.