Geocoding Photos: Battle of the Gadgets

Trackstick II looks like a product worth investing in for this project.



There seem to be several approaches to geocoding photos maturing on the market. As a purely software solution, RoboGeo, is in version 5. Using GPS gadgets there are two ways of capturing geocoded location data. One approach collects data continuously. The other does so at preset intervals or on command. The former is probably more relevant to video or to trail plotting than to geo-tagging still photos.



For matching photos to location it is necessary to enable timestamping in the camera and - very importantly for accurate placement - make sure that the GPS gadget and camera clocks are synchronized! Following a photo shoot the data collected by both gadget and camera are transferred to a computer and processed. They are written to a file readable by tools like Google Earth (Archane geekiness for extra points: EXIF, KML.)

Several online sources feature, but few critically review, Trackstick II. Here are a few reviews at

• New Davincis.com
• Spy Review Compares it to Trackstick I and III
• Simple Thoughts Compares it to Tracking Key GPS
  

Competitors include:

Sony GPS CS-1 at

• Science Library Pad
  
• Elapin

Globalsat DG-100 GPS at

• Science Library Pad Compares it to Sony GPS-CS1

GPS Slim at

• Rukapedia
• PD4U
• GPS Slim seems to have some compatability issues

Whatever the gadget, eventually the photo geocoding process leads back to data transfer and Google Earth, Google Maps, and other tools like Picassa.

Key product features to consider are:

• Signal reception capacity/Accuracy of data
• Battery life
• Ruggedization
• OS compatability (Windows, Mac)
• Ease of use of supplied data transfer & geocoding software
• Storage capacity

Of these data transfer & usability of supplied geocoding software seem to be the most salient product differentiators for non-urban use (i.e. this project where signals are not blocked by skyscrapers and most products on the market should have sufficient strength.) Unfortunately, no apples-to-apples comparisons of these feature seem to exist online.

Given the incomplete information I am drawn to the Trackstick II or III or the Globalsat DG-100 GPS. With the latter two difficult to find, Trackstick II seems a safe purchase.

Preparations

The first audit will be Saturday August 29 starting with Elkhorn Slough.

With sufficient sleep the night before it will begin with Rick Fournier's 8:30 am birding walk off-site from the slough. The Long Loop and maybe the Five Fingers Loop Trails are on the agenda but not the steep dirt trail of the Short Loop. Kirby Park as kayak access and to test out the nature Conservancy's boardwalk are next followed by documentation of Moss Landing's kayak launch points.

Spanish Bay and Point Lobos trails are also on the day's agenda.

Condors On The Coast

A stunning photography exhibit by Daniel Bianchetta opens this week
at the Big Sur Lodge, in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.


Bianchetta’s work is appreciated by area naturalists as the “quintessential expression of human awe of these incredible giants of the sky,” according to PelicanNetwork. More than 40 of Bianchetta's work grace the interior of the Lodge's Lobby, Fireside Lounge, and Dinning Room. In exquisite flight, reposing in cliffside arbors and feasting on Orca-killed sea lions, are among the many aspects of Condor coastal behavior shown in the photos.

California Condors, an ancient bird, the largest in North America, have excited the world’s wonder of wildlife. Big Sur is the heart of this wondrous bird's remarkable re-introduction to the wild.

Not long ago Condors were on the brink of extinction. In the mid-1980s the last condors were captured in the wild. A breeding program in captivity and the successful re-introduction to the wild program.

“This is the work of an extraordinary artist who has a special connection with the rare species,” observed René Robles, Big Sur Lodge General Manager. “We are excited to celebrate this magnificent effort with Daniel’s breathtaking photography.”

Bianchetta’s home and studio are close to the heart of the condor re-introduction area. He has been photographing over two decades primarily in the color photographic process. His sensitive eye finds him creating deeply moving and emotional images of the Big Sur Coastline,