GPS Photo Map, Flickr + Google

[cshontz]

Since this past summer (2006), I've been working on a web application that allows you to plot the location of your Flickr photographs on a Google map by uploading a GPX file to the web server and comparing time stamps.

http://ixplor.us/index.php?/introducing_gps_photo_map_alpha_version/

Progress has been slow. I'm not a great programmer - just competent enough to realize a concept such as this, with some help. Within the time that I've been working on this, Sony introduced a device built for the same purpose, and Flickr added geotagging functionality to their site. Although Flickr does not currently read GPX files. (it'd be cool if they did)

Anyway, while my GPS Photo Map is still what I consider to be an early work-in-progress, it does function, and is available for public consumption via my blog, ixplor.us. I thought you guys might find it useful, so please feel free to give it a whirl.

Exploring Bald Eagle State Forest, 8/27/06
http://ixplor.us/map.php?u=cshontz&s=72157594254282782&f=bald_eagle_082706.gpx&c=7190

Exploring DE/NJ Shores, 9/10/06
http://ixplor.us/map.php?u=cshontz&s=72157594280265644&f=de_nj_shores_091006.gpx&c=7200

ExPo WV Camping Trip, 10/06 (this one is slow)
http://ixplor.us/map.php?u=cshontz&s=72157594334335200&f=expo_wv_1006_4.gpx&c=7210

There is much to improve. I want to display more data in the bubbles, such as filename, wpt name (if applicable), and timestamp. I want to create custom markers that differentiate between photographs and waypoints. The Google Map lacks a good bit of detail. I'd like to be able to replace the Google basemap with a topographical basemap - which I'm pretty sure is possible. Waypoints need to be calculated for possible photo placement. Usability needs to be improved.

There are applications that already do this, but my primary interest is in the accessibility and sharing of these maps online - which is what makes this project unique in my opinion.

Please let me know if you have any problems or questions. Enjoy! :jumping:

:beer:

 

[cshontz]

Tonight, I added the ability to view USGS topographical maps in conjunction with one's GPX and Flickr data. I'm very excited about this because I've been wanting a much more detailed view of wilderness areas, and this works like a charm.

 

[Ursidae69]

I don't know why I missed this thread when you first posted. This is very unique, I've not seen anything like it before. Very cool! :yikes:

Do they sell this commercially? I'd like to do stuff like this on some of my trips, but on my own site, not through google.

I guess the downside is that you have to take pretty detailed field notes, like the UTMs for each photo?

 

[cshontz]

Do they sell this commercially? I'd like to do stuff like this on some of my trips, but on my own site, not through google.

You may be interested in RoboGEO. I'm not familiar with the software package, except that it is similar in concept to what I'm working on.

My project differs slightly in that it takes advantage of online services almost exclusively for the purpose of accessibility and sharing. I want it to be a convenient means of telling a story, or describing an adventure, using maps and photographs on the Internet. It depends largely on the Flickr photo sharing service, which is well-suited to the task.

RoboGEO appears to be more of a utility for the purpose of geotagging photographs, with both online and offline functionality. Its probably a very robust piece of software, but I have yet to try it.

I guess the downside is that you have to take pretty detailed field notes, like the UTMs for each photo?

Actually, no. As long as your digital camera applies a timestamp to each of its pictures, all you have to do is upload your photos to Flickr, upload your GPX file containing your track data to my site, and you're done. If the camera time isn't synchronized with the GPS, you can compensate for any discrepancies using my map software.

Thanks for your compliments!

 

[whitethaiger]

Chris, Looks like a great app!

Chuck, there is a utility (OziPhoto Tool) for OziExplorer that does this kind of thing. It uses the timestamps of the pics and track points to find the location at which the pic was taken. One output option generates html you can use on your site.

 

[Dave]

Very cool! I will have dive into this more when I'm "off the clock", but it looks like a fantastic way to do a trip report.

Actually, no. As long as your digital camera applies a timestamp to each of its pictures, all you have to do is upload your photos to Flickr, upload your GPX file containing your track data to my site, and you're done. If the camera time isn't synchronized with the GPS, you can compensate for any discrepancies using my map software.

Have you seen this? EDIT: Of course you've seen, you linked it right there in your first post.

 

[Robthebrit]

Your project is very very cool, I have used robogeo but always wanted it to be online. I am going to go and give yours a try right now! Robogeo will pretty much export to anything but using the data on a private website and not requiring the end user to install applications or sign up to other web sites pretty much ties you to using google maps which unfortunatley does not have a topo view.

I did find one huge problem with robogeo and it is something you might want to avoid if you can. Two weekends ago I took the unimog to calico and ran some trails in the mountains, I have pictures and a GPX file. Last Sunday I tried to geotag the files and it went horribly wrong because of the clocks changing. RoboGeo was using the local PC settings to convert GPS universal time (UTC) to local camera time and of course it did not work because it was an hour off. Robogeo has settings to adjust this but you have to quit the app and rebuild your project everytime you make a change in the preferences.

This brings up an interesting point, what is the best way of handling trips that cross multiple time zones if you want to use software like time? The GPS is going to automatically show local time reagardless of where you are but internally it is using universal time which is not affected by time zones or time changes. Universal time is typically what gets put in the GPX file, the camera is going to use whatever time its given.

My thinking is that its best to not reset the local time on the camera and leave the camera in your home base time zone or set the camera to use universal time. The end goal is to get the camera time to run continuously so a fixed corrected can convert from UTC to camera time, if you do change the local time on the camera you will have overlapping photographs which are really an hour or so apart or you'll have an hour gap. The downside of leaving your camera on a fixed time means the time stamp on your photos is wrong if you depend on it for other reasons.

Anyway I'm babling...

Rob

 

[cshontz]

Your project is very very cool, I have used robogeo but always wanted it to be online. I am going to go and give yours a try right now!

Let me know if you have any questions or problems. I'd be happy to help! Its simple by concept, but still a little user-hostile.

I'm going to start improving usability very soon here. A basic submission will require you to specify Flickr account, upload GPX, and specify your (the camera's) timezone from a drop-down list. Its the timezone drop-down list that is next on the agenda. As it stands, photos are processed as if they were taken in MST/MDT, so if you're in a different timezone, you'd have to specify the proper seconds compensation in the URL. (ie: I'm in EST/EDT, so I always have to add &c=7200 to the url)

Also, I plan to make the Flickr photo-viewing functionality an optional feature, so the software can be used as a simple GPX visualizer. That actually works now, but its not very refined.

After our recent West Virginia trip, I've found that a large number of track points (lets say over 5,000) starts to become too many to display and adversely affects performance based on your system. Also found 400 photos to be a little cumbersome too.

The sweet spot seems to be 2,000 track points and 100 photos where you're still displaying alot of data with adequate map performance. Again, this will depend on your computer since much of the processing is client-side.

I agree with your thoughts on the timezone problem. In my opinion, the easiest thing to do is leave your camera at a fixed time if one plans to make heavy use of this or other photo mapping software.

Your "babbling" is most welcome ... appreciated even, as I am motivated by your enthusiasm. Thanks Rob!

 

[cshontz]

Rob,
Your tracks look great. I love the satellite imagery and the terrain! I hope you don't mind if I post these links. Couldn't find any photos, though.

http://ixplor.us/map.php?f=mogfest-friday.gpx

http://ixplor.us/map.php?f=mogfest-saturday.gpx

Thanks for testing it out!

 

[Robthebrit]

I need to do it again, my photos went awol never to be seen again.

I posted some static shots of these same tracks from google earth to my site: http://unimogs.robanddenise.com/mogfest2006/mogfest2006.html

Rob

 

[cshontz]

Okay, made a change tonight that will hopefully really improve usability. I've added a new URL parameter, "z" for time zone. It should replace the need for the "c", seconds compensation parameter, but "c" still works in case one needs to fine tune photo marker placement.

Now, if you want to generate your own photo map, you have to complete three form fields: 1) Flickr Username, 2) Select Time Zone, and 3) Upload GPX File. Flickr Username is not required if you don't have pictures and you just want to visualize your GPX data. Right now, the Select Time Zone pull-down list only shows EDT through PST (will add the rest later), but the map itself supports over 80 different time zone abbreviations!

Anyway, if your GPS and camera clocks are synchronized, and you submit your data correctly, it should generate a good photo map that displays your photos without requiring any (or much) tweaking.

Use the form in the right column of my blog page to generate your map. I plan to make a dedicated page for the entry form sometime soon.

http://ixplor.us/

I went for a walk at the local park to create some lightweight, controlled data for r&d. It seems to be accurate and its really rather interesting - especially in "satellite" mode. You can check it out here.

http://ixplor.us/map.php?f=maytown_park.gpx&u=cshontz&s=72157594356165802&z=EST

Here's an explanation of the URL:

?f=maytown_park.gpx
This is a reference to the user-submitted GPX file containing track and waypoint data from one's GPS.

&u=cshontz
This is the username for my Flickr account.

&s=72157594356165802
This is an optional parameter that specifies the id of a specific Flickr photoset. This is used to offer some control over which photos are returned.

&z=EST
The time zone in which the photos were taken, according to one's camera. This value is the abbreviation for most timezones. Also supports most UTC offset values (without colon), such as "-0700".

With the exception of the "s" parameter, the URL is created for you after you upload your GPX file using the submission form. After that, you can save it as a bookmark, and tweak it to your heart's content by modifying the URL. I've intentionally made it URL-driven as to eliminate (or at least lessen) the need for user accounts.

Enjoy! :wings:

 

[Robthebrit]

Brilliant!

Please Please tell me how you got Google maps to have the topo button or is it not google?

 

[cshontz]

Please Please tell me how you got Google maps to have the topo button or is it not google?

Its not Google. Its essentially a custom basemap - in this case topographical tiles downloaded on-the-fly from Terraserver.

 

[cshontz]

- Waypoint markers now appear green. Custom waypoint markers with much more detailed waypoint info coming soon.

- Now support for multiple track logs. Previously, multiple track logs appeared as one, and were joined by connecting lines. Now there are breaks in the track where appropriate.