Version: 2008

Comments on: What's the best Web site for geotagged photos?

Photo-sharing Web sites are getting better at handling pictures based on where they were taken. My top pick is Flickr, with SmugMug and Google's Picasa tied for second.

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New camera feature?
by coopdog_ver2 January 10, 2008 5:33 AM PST
Does anyone include a gps unit in the camera, that way when you took the picture the camera could tag the exact co-ordinates. I guess it would only work if you were outside, but would be a cool feature for people buying a camera for vacations and out door trips.
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Ricoh 500SEW Wifi+GPS
by fogtrain January 10, 2008 8:31 AM PST
The Ricoh 500SE-W Model has optional GPS module that tags EXIF data with GPS data. This can be read and used by sites mentioned in the article.

Wi-fi + Bluetooth + GPS.

Pretty Slick
GPS camera options
by Shankland January 10, 2008 10:16 AM PST
It's getting close to built-in, though only for higher-end cameras right now. A one-off Ricoh had it a couple years back, but most relevant probably are Nikon SLRs--D200 and D300 and D3 for example have ports into which you can plug a GPS. Likewise higher-end Canon SLRs (1Ds Mark III, 1D Mark III, 40D) have add-on wireless accessories into which a GPS unit can be plugged. If you have a few tens of thousands of dollars burning a hole in your pocket, medium-format camera maker Hasselblad is going to offer built-in GPS support sometime soon, too. But for the most part, it's a matter of lugging a separate camera and GPS unit around and marrying the data later on your computer.
by GPSfantatic June 3, 2008 1:00 AM PDT
Here is what you are looking for exactly: A GPS tagging and photo display service called RedZebra Mobile. Find it at REDZEBRAGPS.COM . Quick download onto my N95. Open your camera shutter and GPS finder. After taking the picture, you have the option of sending in the pic by MMS, email, WAP, GPRS etc. Then view your pics in your own online gallery with all the data you could need including the Longitude, Latitude as well as the postcode/zipcode, town or city name, country, and date/time pic was taken. Very cool. The free gallery service is accessed by opening an account online at www.redzebramobile.com but I did it straight off my phone by sending a pic by MMS to pic@redzeb.com . It seems to work with any mobile phone operator, and claims to do so everywhere in the world. Cool service! Also has a map to display all your auto/geo-tagged pics and each pic is displayed after clicking on the pin. Works very well.
gps tagging
by garbagedick January 10, 2008 5:44 AM PST
I prefer picasa for my webalbum needs, but i noticed that it doesnt read the information off of my pictures. i have a gps-enabled phone that tags my pictures if i take them as gps photo, but it doesnt recognize the locations. any ideas?
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Not sure what the trouble is
by Shankland January 10, 2008 10:18 AM PST
I had no trouble uploading GPS-tagged photos to Picasa. Have you tried other sites to see if they pick up the data? With Flickr, you must specifically change a default setting that ignores the geographic data.
Geotagged Photos.
by Digital Dabbler January 10, 2008 6:33 PM PST
I assume that your camera is writing long/lat to the EXIF data. If this is true, you must also set a configuration in Picasa to use EXIF data if found in the photos EXIF metadata. You can do that by going to your Picasa main page, login and click on settings (upper right hand corner), then scroll down to "Content Controls" and check the "use EXIF Location Information" option. Blam, it should work.

- The Digital Dabbler -
http://digitaldabblings.blogspot.com/
Ebeded GPS
by Moizey January 10, 2008 6:27 AM PST
The best solution for this purposes is compact GPS (or GLONAS)
receiver embeded in camera and appending metadata to picture
file. So it would registrate not only coordinates but orientation of
camera too. It eliminate fotoartist from stupid work. Anybody listen
about it? Me not. But how should look at this Agent007-like
feature some authorities, Chinese, for instance?
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GPSImaging.com has millions of images already tagged.
by Manhattan2 January 10, 2008 6:34 AM PST
This technology is powerful and will change the way we travel, shop, explore, make safer roadways, and secure our streets. Check out GPSImaging.com. Access will be granted to the public soon with an all new interface.
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What's the best place 4 geotag users?
by mikalg January 10, 2008 7:17 AM PST
What kind of person Geotags their exploits with this gadget? I have to think to myself: how self important do you have to be to be involved in this?

Do these people even log into geotagged sites to see other people? I imagine more people log into these sites to see their OWN exploits.

I could care less if John Smith was climbing Seneca Rock yesterday. Might as well have been ordering a Big Mack at the corner McDonalds.

Maybe I am missing the point of geotag...but to me it is about the most lame, self-promoting BS, I can think of at the moment.
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Point of View
by edrodgers January 10, 2008 7:38 AM PST
I suppose you may assume that this is all self interest, but I think you are wrong.

I explore with this technology. Google Earth is great for wandering around the planet, but this adds a personal touch to it.

It's interesting to look at what other people are doing. Sure there are people that only care about showing off what they do, but if it wasn't for people that enjoy looking at what these people are doing, the idea wouldn't be so successful.

It's a toy for most people, and they have fun with it. If you don't get it, then don't bother yourself. Just ignore.
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in practicality, flickr is certainly not free
by forwardingAccount January 10, 2008 9:25 AM PST
the flickr "free" account is only good for storing 200 photos (which means its basically useless).

If you want to store more, its going to cost you $25/year.

seems the author of this cnet article was duped into believing flickr was free just like those transferring their photos from the now defunct "yahoo photos" (where there was no image limit).
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Fair point, kinda
by Shankland January 10, 2008 11:16 AM PST
Yes, pro accounts are $25/year at Flickr, and the kind of person who's into photography enough that he or she will be geotagging probably is a good candidate for a pro account.

You aren't exactly limited to 200 photos, though--just limited to seeing the last 200 you uploaded. The older ones are still there, and I'd imagine they show up in a maps search, for example. But yes, they are more inaccessible than not.

Personally, I found the limit to three visible sets (albums) more annoying.

Also bear in mind that some Yahoo-branded DSL customers (AT&T and Verizon if memory serves) get free pro accounts.
Nikon D200 will accept a GPS feed...
by Digital Dabbler January 10, 2008 6:27 PM PST
Albeit from a external source. Long/Lat data is written to the EXIF metadata. I blogged about it here:

http://digitaldabblings.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-gps-has-arrived.html

W/R to the best geotagged sites, Picasa is my winner as I believe it does the best job of detecting EXIF encoded geo location and presenting the photos on a map per photo or per album. Ohhh, and it is free.

- The Digital Dabbler -
http://digitaldabblings.blogspot.com/
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MapWith.Us is the best Geotagged photo site on the web!
by castlerocker1 March 4, 2008 8:22 PM PST
Unlike the other sites, MapWith.Us allows its users to geotag their photos with their cell phones. I have a Sprint Blackberry Pearl 8130 and I can take photos anywhere and have them upload to my own personal map. They appear on my map where they were taken and then I can customize my map with their path tool, add icons, other photos, video, text, etc. Once my map is the way I like it then I can email it to my friends, put it on facebook or other social networking sites or embed it in my own website. My recommendation is to check out MapWith.Us. It is the best undiscovered website around!
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by emjay08 May 21, 2008 7:11 AM PDT
Hi Steven,

In regards to your question what is the best site for geo tagging? I would recommend

www.planeteye.com

It 's user friendly and a great looking site. It really stands out among all the other geotagging sites. It's a perfect destination for travel planning and photo sharing.

matt.
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by flickrroamer November 23, 2009 9:34 PM PST
Is there a website that knows how to intelligently clump images up? Like show big dots where there's lots of images? Sorta like this Respotter iphone app, except I wanna do it on my own photos instead of everyone else's.
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