Enhanced Functions to GPS-Photo Link Software

GeoSpatial Experts has released Version 4.2 of its GPS-Photo Link photo mapping software. The new version includes enhanced capabilities to convert output files to a State Plane Coordinate System or a NAD83 HARN datum. GPS-Photo Link users can now also generate printable reports of their photo-mapping projects.

“The GPS-Photo Link software can now automatically convert latitude/longitude coordinates into any State Plane Coordinate System or High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) datum,” said GeoSpatial Experts CEO Rick Bobbitt.

Developed by GeoSpatial Experts of Thornton, Colo., GPS-Photo Link is a digital photo mapping software package that automatically links digital photographic images with GPS location and other data. It uses the location data to accurately map the photographs in their correct georeferenced locations on a GIS layer or Google Earth map. The software can tap into photographic metadata of GIS-enabled cameras to display the direction and field of view from the point where each photo was taken.

Version 4.2 of the GPS-Photo Link software includes enhanced projection and datum conversion routines for every state in the United States. At the user’s request, the software will make the conversion from latitude/longitude for output and attach the new coordinates to the watermark in each photographic image.

“We added this enhanced capability at the request of our many end users who work in state and local government agencies, which typically save GIS data files in the specific projection and datum of their region,” said Bobbitt.

This automated function will remove a time-consuming conversion step for many users during the processing of their digital photographs in the GIS environment. New digital photographs will be instantly compatible with any GIS image and map layers.

GPS-Photo Link Version 4.2 also offers users the ability to create a custom datum, which is becoming increasingly popular in areas where surveyors need to use a higher accuracy projection system than is currently available. GeoSpatial Experts gives its customers a simple interface where they can develop a conversion calculation to accommodate nearly any custom datum.

For the first time, GPS-Photo Link enables users to generate and print reports of the photo-mapping web pages created by the software. The user can create a printable page in Microsoft Word showing the background map and icon location where the photo was taken. The printed report also displays the photographic image and any metadata or attribute data stored with it.

GeoSpatial Experts offers the photo-mapping software bundled with leading portable GPS receivers and GIS-ready digital cameras such as the Ricoh 500SE, which now accommodates an optional compass-GPS module. The magnetic compass allows the Ricoh 500SE to record the direction the camera was pointing when each photo was taken. GPS-Photo Link accesses this data, converts magnetic north heading to true north and places an arrow at the photo location on the GIS map to show the correct camera orientation. The photo-mapping software can also use camera metadata to determine the zoom setting of the lens and portray the field of view of each photo as a triangle on the map layer.

“The ability to capture the exact vantage point of each photo is critical for many GIS-based photo inventory projects,” said Bobbitt.

To see the full line of photo-mapping solutions and equipment offered by GeoSpatial Experts, visit the new GeoSpatial Experts web site at www.geospatialexperts.com.