Pic Spocket

Here is the first test of the GPS Data logger in use. I brought it with me the other night when rollerblading with Craig, a good friend. We skated the park on the side of the Detroit River, in Windsor, in late evening after daylight was all gone. The result of the tracklog analysis is below. A single way is 4.8 km that we covered in 13 min 40 sec for an average speed of 21.3 km/h - Not bad! We usually skate about 2.5 to 3 times that distance.

 The output below was easily created from the GPS track log. It took less than 2 minutes to generate after the log file was retrieved on the computer.

Windsor River Side: One Way in rollerblades
Click link for larger interactive map

Did you ever looked at an old picture you took, and then wondering in which city you took it? Or what is the name of the building, monument, church (or other point of interest)  in the picture? Everything is so clear when you just come back from a trip. It’s a different story a few years later.

 This is where “Geotagging” pictures can help. In the digital age, a bunch of information can be carried over in each picture file. Several bits of information are already included in the picture file by your digital camera every time you press the shutter. Recorded information typically includes date, time, exposure information (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc), focal length, etc.

Geotagging pictures means that the GPS coordinates are attached to the image file so that location on earth where this picture was taken is also saved. It is also very easy to create interactive maps showing a marker where pictures were taken. That is nice to show the path followed during a Hike for example.

It is my belief that in the next 8-12 years, it will be quite common for digital cameras to have a GPS chipset and to include the latitude and longitude information with each picture taken when a GPS fix is obtained.

In the meantime, a separate piece of hardware is required. This is my last gadget acquisition: a GPS Data Logger. The unit I bought is an AMOD AGL380. This is a small device that you carry with you and that simply records your position at fixed time intervals. The AGL3080 can log coordinates every 1, 5 or 10 seconds. It simply writes a TEXT file in the NMEA format. The nice thing about the AGL3080 is that no drivers are required to retrieve the log to your computer. It simply registers as a USB memory stick device when connected. Therefore it works as well for PC and MAC computers.

AMOD AGL3080 with AAA battery (it needs 3) and pen for size comparison

The idea is that you carry it around when you take pictures. The time of the camera must be synchronized with the GPS time. After your photo outing, the pictures and logs are loaded on your computer and then you use a special program (I have still to pick one) to compare the time stamp on each picture with the GPS log and write the GPS coordinates in each picture file.

This unit is marketed as a “Phototracking” device. Of course, the GPS Data Logger can be used for other things than geotagging pictures. I soon will post an example where I used it during a rollerblade outing to track position, speed and elevation. The information obtained in interesting.

I am heading to France with my camera gear and I am bringing the GPS data logger along with me for its first real test.