Automatically Geotag Photos with your GPS

The next time you go for a hike or head outdoors, bring your digital camera and GPS receiver along. Take photos as you travel. When you get back to your computer, ExpertGPS will automatically create a map showing the exact location where each photo was taken. This completely-automatic process, called geotagging, allows you to share photos of your favorite locations with others. The geotagged photos that ExpertGPS creates (by matching the time each photo was taken with the timestamped track data from your GPS receiver) will appear over the maps and aerial photos in ExpertGPS, and can also be shared in Google Earth or on geotagging Web sites like Flickr.com.

Geotagging can Improve your Company's Data Collection

Geotagging isn't just a fun way to see your photos on a map - it can be a valuable productivity tool for anyone collecting data in the field. We've written a white paper entitled Data Collection with a Digital Camera and GPS Receiver that shows how you can rapidly capture and collect data using a low-cost digital camera and GPS receiver.

To geotag your photos, do the following:

1. Confirm that your camera's clock is synchronized to the time displayed on your GPS.
2. Turn on your GPS receiver, wait for a solid lock on 4 or more satellites, and ensure that it continues to maintain good satellite reception while you take photos. You can place your GPS in a jacket pocket or backpack - you will not need it in hand while photographing.
3. Take your photos. There is no need to mark a waypoint or do anything special with your GPS at each photo location, other than confirm that your GPS is recording a continuous tracklog.
4. When you return to your computer, receive the tracklog from your GPS and save it in GPX format.
5. Move the photos from your digital camera to a folder on your computer. ExpertGPS will be writing geotagging information into the photos. Make a back-up copy of your photos before proceeding.
6. On the Photo menu in ExpertGPS, click Add Photos. (Hold Shift to select multiple photos)
7. The photos will be listed in the Photo List on the left side of the screen, and the Geotag Photos dialog will appear.
8. Select the time zone that the photos were taken in. As you make changes in the Geotag Photos dialog, the photo icons on the map will automatically jump to their new geographic locations.
9. Once you are satisfied that the photos are positioned correctly, click OK to finish the geotagging process.