PhotoLocatr is an iPhone application that records the path you follow as you take photos with your digital camera.
Later, after you upload your photos to Flickr, PhotoLocatr uses the information it recorded to geolocate and tag your photos so they appear on the Flickr map.
PhotoLocatr works with any digital camera that timestamps its photos!
Step 1: Take pictures with your digital camera while Photolocatr is running on your iPhone in "collect points" mode.
Step 2: Upload your photos to Flickr, as you normally do.
Step 3: Switch Photolocatr to "tag mode"--Photolocatr will find your new photos on Flickr and tag them automatically!
Q: How does PhotoLocatr work?
PhotoLocatr works by recording the path you follow as you take pictures with your digital camera (while carrying your iPhone). Each geographic point PhotoLocatr records is stored with a date and time (timestamp). Similarly, each photo you take with your digital camera has a date and time at which it was taken.
Later, after you upload your photos to Flickr, PhotoLocatr uses the information it recorded along with the date and time at which you took each photo, to calculate where you were when you took each photo you previously uploaded. PhotoLocatr sends this location to Flickr, where it is stored along with your photo on Flickr's servers.
Q: What is required to use PhotoLocatr?
You'll need PhotoLocatr (of course), an iPhone, a digital camera that saves the date and time at which you took a photo in its EXIF header, an accurately set clock on your digital camera, and a Flickr account.
Luckily, these requirements are pretty easy to meet: the iPhone sets its clock automatically from the AT&T network, and almost all digital cameras save the date and time at which you take a photo in its EXIF header; the only tricky part is synchronizing the clock on your iPhone and digital camera!
Q: Do I have to have a Flickr account?
Right now, yes. PhotoLocatr uses the Flickr API. Other services may be added in the future.
Q: What level of accuracy can I expect?
PhotoLocatr can geolocate and tag your photos with an accuracy that is limited by the GPS receiver in the iPhone, as well as by the accuracy of the clock on your camera. The closer your camera's clock is to the iPhone, the better results you'll get. If your clocks are set within a few seconds, expect accuracy similar to that of the iPhone GPS receiver—usually within tens of meters.
Q: Help! My iPhone screen sometimes goes black when running PhotoLocatr!?
This is actually a feature; using the same method the iPhone uses to turn off its screen when you're on a call, PhotoLocatr turns off the screen when your iPhone is in your pocket to save battery power. Make sure you aren't touching the iPhone near the earpiece and you should be able to keep the screen on as needed.
Q: How can I improve my geotagging results?
Try the following to improve the accuracy of the geotagging process:
Q: I took a bunch of photos, but now I see my camera's clock was wrong. What now?
No problem, it can be fixed. What you'll need to do is use the Flickr Organizer to edit the timestamp of each photo. Once you drag photos into the Organizer, double click on a photo. Click the "Dates" tab, and edit the "Date Taken" value.
To figure out how much time to shift the date, look at your digital camera's clock and the iPhone clock—shift the photo's "Date Taken" timestamp by the same amount the clocks are currently skewed.
Q: PhotoLocatr is asking for a mini-token. What's that? Where do I get one?
A mini-token is a way to authenticate to Flickr. Get one here, and enter it into PhotoLocatr when prompted (include the dashes!).
Q: I'm having problems—can you help me fix them?
I'll certainly try—I provide support on a best-effort basis, but cannot provide individual support beyond a question or two via E-mail. I can't provide refunds. Sorry.