Geo_Tagging Your Mission Flight Images

[Pumbaa]

I've been playing around with Geo-Tagging my photographs from some CD missions.  I was wondering if anyone else is doing something like that.

I run a portable Garmin GPS that has the time synchronized with my Canon Digital Camera. (My camera does not have an internal GPS) 

As I photograph various sites, of course basic information is tagged to the photo in the EXIF, such as time, date, camera settings.

After downloading all my images, I also download all the GPS data from my Garmin.  I have route data that is updated every 30 seconds (I might change that to more frequently). 

Finally I run a program that synchronizes the time between the GPS and the image then embeds the Lat/ Long from the GPS into the EXIF of the image file at that particular time stamp.

I can then use Google Earth, etc, to overlay images on a satellite/ road map giving me precise image to earth locations.  Also shown is the route that was flown.

Overlaying your route can be effective in ensuring you have covered your grid.  By Geo-Tagging, you can get precise locations/ addresses.

[KyCAP]

GeoTagging can be misleading without the correct data.

For SDIS imagery, for example,there is some elusive "guidance" that needs to go along with the imagery to make it "useful".

For example, just knowing where the image is taken from is a good start and you're leaps ahead of most folks, but to know the direction from that point to the image, elevation AGL and a handful of other pieces of data is the holy grail.

I actually was going to start a thread on trying to "beef up" the "standardization" on the SDIS images.   For example, some agencies want to have the files massaged to the point that they are meaningful filenames rather than the standard garbage of DSCN_0001.xxx.

Also, here's a tool for aerial mission planning that would be nice..
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?item=25328&section=10059

Russ

[Pumbaa]

With photoshop when I download my RAW images, I can also batch rename the images to a meaningful file name.  Also I do have AGL and direction.  Just trying to get that into the EXIF.  The issue with direction is that my camera is pretty much 90 degrees from the front of the plane.  then depending on how I move, it will pan +- 30 degrees. 

DAng that mission planning tool costs a pretty penny!

TO really do the job properly, a camera with built in GPS is the way to go.  I do believe that Canon has a newer high end camera that either has a GPS or can have one inserted.  This way you are working off the orientation of the camera.

[IceNine]

www.robogeo.com

[RiverAux]

Someone actually has encountered a working SDIS satelite recently? 

[IceNine]

We have done this as a wing and made several sales because of it.

Eclipse made a sale a few months ago (I'll let him tell you about that)

And my group made one to the Weather Service by doing exactly what you are saying.  We went out took pictures of stuff that they wanted, used robogeo to sync the pics with the location, and then imported to google earth.

We chose to set up the google earth track so that you could not only see where the pictures were taken, but also see the image that was take there.

We also, tagged the images and printed several of them per page with descriptions and areas of interest we highlighted.

All of this has gotten us a half dozen or so missions after weather incidents, and it is proving to be a most valuable asset.

I don't have experience with any fancy equipment with GPS built in but as close as the hand held unit gets you will almost certainly be close enough for any customer.  A couple tenths of a degree either direction is usually not a big issue.

However as you said the only issue is that it can be difficult to gauge the angles and such the image was taken at

[Pumbaa]

I'm thinking of working with a few more ideas.  If I point the GPS towards the direction of the camera I will then be within a couple of degrees.  A couple of other ideas would be to tether (or use Blue toth) the camera to the computer and perhaps the GPS also,  that way I can do some programming and get things 'live'.

A lot of possibilities.  As of now I am using freeware software to do the trick  Microsoft Pro Photo tools v. 1 and Easy GPS which downloads from my Garmin.  So at the moment I am using a 2 step process, but free.

I would also be interested how you 'advertised' your services for the geo-tagged images.  In NY we are not called out for SAR missions in our area so I would like to see how we could do something like you are.