WAYPOINTS! GPS
NEWS - MAY
2008
Big
News on What's New this
month>> Lowrance
Fishfinders, Lowrance Chartplotters, Sonocaddie V300
with Colour screen, more LSD maps on SD cards by MapTech,
SkyBase, and Rocanda. >GPS
UPDATES |
> MSN
DIRECT |
Intro
to Digital Photography-Geotagging Part II
Now,
about Geotagging...
Find
Part I: "ABCs of Digital Photography" - Apr/08>
What is it? A digital photo is geotagged when lat & long coordinates
(location data) are added to the photo's EXIF data fields/
metadata. EXIF means Exchangeable
Image File Format. Every time you snap a photo, the camera records
among other things the camera model, exposure time, the len's focal
length, aperature size, sensor activity, flash used or not, type
of lense and so on.
Here's
an example from Flickr of these properties: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwr/2513009795/meta/
Why
do it? Some geotag for long trips, so
photos can be remembered and catalogued more exactly.
Surveyors and other professionals geotag for the same reason,
that is, data management. Others just want to share what happens
(or what happens to be) at a location with others online,
whether it's oneself, views, trees & rocks, friends,
news, special locales. It's getting easier to use online mapping
technology to view photos in their original geographical context,
which can add a rich dimension to an image.
Where
do it? Photos you just take, but sharing is
different. A few popular photo sharing websites are Flickr (Yahoo
bought Flickr, 2005), Picasa, Shutterfly,
Pixagogo,
DropShots,
Bubbleshare,
Fotki,
Picturetrail.
The photo industry offers a few too. Kodak added photo
sharing to Skype. Google is tinkering with its new Panoramio.
Things
to consider: storage space & feed, uploading/mgmt interface, viewer
experience, file types supported, external link to photo/download
permitted etc., privacy.
How
do it? You need a
GPS data logger. Turn
it on when you're out and about. Figure out how to download the
track log. Convert the track log. It depends on the data logger,
whether you're PC or Mac, and your camera's model. Beeline to
the internet for help, as there are lots of great articles available. Experiment!
It
is fussy at first, but when you see your photos crop up on a
track log, it's impressive.
Articles
re geotagging:
GlobalSat
DG-100
http://justagwailo.com/tag/geotagging
http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=214
General
reference
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/05/how-to-geotag-y.html
http://www.gpsbabel.org/
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/02/04/download-free-microsoft-photo-info-
10-exif-iptc-and-xmp-viewer-and-editor/
http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/exif-reader-software.html
http://tablesaw.livejournal.com/344253.html >
How I Make My Hike Summaries in Google Earth/Maps
ASK
THE STAFF!
We're talking to Karen today.
What
is MSN Direct? http://garmin.msndirect.com
MSN
DIRECT™
is for someone who wants to keep up-to-date with traffic
reports, Send to GPS* (Live Search Maps), gas prices, weather
reports, local events*, stock quotes*, news headlines*
and also movies times. It works via an FM signal on compatible
Garmin navigators, so you are connected when in the car.
MSN
Direct is offered in the nuvi 680, 780, 785T, 880 and StreetPilot
580, or as an optional add-on
receiver (010-00583-00)
in other models. One free year is included. Airport
Delays are coming in Fall 2008, though regional coverage is
yet to be released.
• It
is a fee based subscription service. Here is information
about the price http://www.msndirect.com/NavigationDevicesGarmin780.aspx?tab=ServicePlans
• For
Canadian customers, traffic coverage is not fully
available. Here is the coverage http://www.msndirect.com/NavigationDataAvailability.aspx
• Movie listings & times are available in Calgary
and other major Canadian cities to date. Local events and
gas prices are not available in Calgary to date.
What
Karen will do:
I
will go with the lifetime subscription for the service
when they have traffic reports and
gas prices for Calgary, but not until then. My advice?
Find
the coverage for your area before you buy in. Even if
you ARE in a coverage area in Canada, you may not get every feature
you want. Check it out, then decide. (Maybe
you can easily do without a few features anyway.) It may help
you avoid disappointment after you buy the MSN
receiver.
[Ed.
MicroSoft's Melitta® MSN
Direct coffee maker has a ...Weather
Station.]
*Available
on nuvi 780 and nuvi 880 only (probably nuvi 785T) |
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GPS
SIGHTINGS: pop & celebrity, politics & natural sciences,
life, TECHNO, skies, etc.
May 22
Apple iPhone OS 2.0 beta may support geo-tagged photos. But how?
Find out at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9, GPS or
eGPS? read
more
May
21
Christian Dior latest fashion house to release a mobile phone. ModeLabs
helps out with tech. Swarovski with crystals or diamonds? $5000
with no GPS!
May 13
Team tests GPS guided GBU-49 weapons. Release of
500lb bombs with GPS kits dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). People
need not apply to fly. read
more
-
Info re MQ-9 Reaper Predator B drone
-
Unmanned Systems Roadmap, July 11/07
May 16
Special Ops C4OPS GenNext headset updated with
GPS & tracking. US, NATO and Israeli Special Forces
can find each other. Immersible to 20 meters. read
more
May
16
Lockheed Martin wins $1.4b contract for
GPS III satellites. Boeing
loses again. In
March, Northrop Grumman & EADS land $40b
contract for
aerial refueling tankers. [Update:
May 22.
Boeing Satellite Division announces 750 staff
lay offs.]
*INFO
SOURCES*
•GPS II, GPS III, the modernization, the constellation,
jamming and accuracy: what's the diff? GPS
III info>
•ARTUS:
A second generation Galileo/GPS receiver. ARTUS |
GNSS
'06
MAY
7
GPS guided parachutes drop food etc. Smart bombs AND supplies find
targets in Afghanistan. Atair drops Honda
ATV.
May
2
Fuel cell prototype revealed for handheld GPS. No
AA batteries on this
horizon and
3 times the power.
Apr
29
Grand Theft Auto IV has optional in-car GPS. Sony
PS3 GPS gives unfair advantage to players? (Google creates
Liberty City game map.) read
more
Apr
27
European Union launches GIOVE-B. Second
and final Galileo test satellite is precursor to a fully
operational system in 2013, says EU Transport Commissioner.
read
more
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