Three things worth considering if geotagging images using Nokia 6220 Classic
I guess the vote is still out on the success and viability of Location Based Services (LBS) in general (recent LBS discussions at Forum Oxford here and here - click "Login as guest"), but there is one LBS I firmly believe in: geotagging what you record using your mobile phone.
Seems I am not the only one - just last week Nokia introduced three new GPS-enabled handsets - the N79, N85 and N96 - which means that basically all mid to high end Nokia handsets introduced this year feature GPS. Across all three product lines - XXXX, E and Nseries. Other device manufacturers are on similar paths.
To boot, Nokia also announced a new GPS based service today - LifeviNe. LifeviNe keeps track of what you do where, as in "Chris went from A to B, while listening to track X - at B, Chris snapped photos Y and Z". The LifeviNe application will log events with the LifeviNe online service thus building maps of where users go and what they do on their handsets. Geotagging galore, in other words.
LifeviNe is expected to launch in a few weeks time, but for now, there are plenty of handsets capable of geotagging. I used one - my Nokia 6220 Classic - on a recent vacation where I made extensive use of geotagging. The experience led me to take note of three things worth considering when geotagging.
For those not familiar with how geotagging works, here is a very brief description: If your mobile phone has a GPS receiver, the camera software is probably capable of getting the phone's current location from the GPS receiver and adding it to the image EXIF data (data embedded within the image file). The position data forms a geotag - for an example, take a look at this flickr properties page. Notice the latitude and longitude data.
To me, it makes perfect sense that your mobile phone should record the location (geotag) when you snap a photo or video. If you subsequently upload your photos to an online media sharing service that can pick up the geotags and place the photos on a map, geotagging really becomes a value added. People looking at your photos can see where the photos were taken and also photos other users have taken at, or around, that same location.
However, there are a couple of things to consider when doing all this. There are some technical aspects and you also need to decide what you will reveal to the world.
Privacy matters
I have to admit, I was a bit startled when I first started experimenting with geotagging six months ago. I had a N82 on loan from S60.com and I simply switched on "record location" in the camera software settings and started clicking away. As I subsequently uploaded photos from the N82 to flickr, places like our home; the home of my parents; and my in-laws' summer cottage turned up as massive red dots on the flickr image map.
I had not realized that most of the photos I take, are taken in just a few different locations. It is not that I am a *secret* person - I mean, I put up most of my photos and videos on flickr and Ovi, but still - I was a bit overwhelmed by the fact that every second photo in my flickr photostream pinpointed the exact location of my home. I therefore think you should make a conscious decision about privacy - especially since geotagged photos are likely to concern the privacy of others. If you visit friends or family your photos will show where they live; the people that live there; and what stuff they have.
Maybe I am just being sensitive, but for now geotagging for me is something I switch on when I am traveling and out and about. I do not think it is possible to envision a priori all the ways in which geotagged, digital artifacts, but I am pretty sure they will not all be benevolent.
Connectivity is required
The GPS receiver needs to be real snappy for geotagging to work in practice. If you have to wait 45 or 60 seconds for the receiver to get a fix on satellites, that Kodak moment is long gone.
The only way to achieve really fast connection times - Time-To-First-Fix (TTFF) - is by using Assisted GPS (A-GPS). With A-GPS the phone sends a tiny network request to a server that in turn returns a packet of data that helps the phone determine its position in relation to satellites. These data packets are real small - think 2 to 4 KB - and for A-GPS to work, you phone needs to be able to send and receive them.
With A-GPS geotagging (recording location) on the 6220 Classic works really well (ditto for the N82). Most often the GPS signal has been established by the time the camera software is completely up and running - I rarely have to stand around and wait for the link.
Although roaming has improved significantly over the past few years (e.g. you no longer have to configure network connections manually), 3G/GPRS does not always work in my experience. While traveling in Greece this summer, my phone was often without 3G/GPRS support - meaning A-GPS did not work and thus rendering geotagging unusable in practice. At the precisely the time you would most want it to work: while traveling.
If possible, I suggest to check with your operator what local networks you will be roaming on, before leaving home.
Roaming data tariffs are becoming irrelevant
The data traffic generated by A-GPS costs money and if you are traveling in a foreign country, your phone is roaming on local networks. This probably means data tariffs are higher than the tariffs you are charged at home.
On my vacation this summer, I generated a grand total of 99 KB of data traffic using A-GPS with my 6220 Classic. The total cost of transferring this amount of data was DKK 5.44 (~ 1 $), meaning the price per MB was something like DKK 55 (~ 11 $). 1 $ will not ruin anyone1 and this is from two weeks usage, mind you. When I last traveled - and used A-GPS - abroad in October 2007, I did a similar price check. At that time the price per MB while roaming varied between DKK 370 (73 $) and DKK 450 (90 $!), depending on which local operator I was using.
So between October 2007 and August 2008 roaming data tariffs have been sliced somewhere between 85% and 90% - not too shabby! I think this development will continue - because of the way the telecoms market is developing, and because of pressure from the EU.
Still, it is probably prudent to check roaming tariffs with your operator before leaving home.
To conclude, I think the stage is all set for geotagging and location based services to proliferate over the next six months or so: a whole batch of capable devices are being launched right now - I am sure more will follow in time for the holiday season; the technical and service infrastructure makes is both relatively easy and also worthwhile to use geotagging; and even while roaming, it will not ruin you.
- Ok, so it is still approx. 35 times more expensive than what I pay at home, on my regular plan. [back]
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September 3rd, 2008 at 10:14
Nice piece man. I’m a big fan of Geotags and have been for some time, about 90% of all my pics on Flickr are Geotagged… (the ones that aren’t are mainly taken underground!) …and it’s good to raise awareness around some of the potential pitfalls around this new feature.
Good work.
September 3rd, 2008 at 22:19
Cheers James - glad you liked it. Congrats on Stephen Fry plugging SpinVox + your random encounter with my fellow countrymen in
vegasSan Francisco!September 3rd, 2008 at 23:30
Hi Chris,
Wandered over from my usual home of “Faulty Assembly” :)
I’ve mentioned Geosetter previously (freeware) but I was blown away with a feature the developer pointed out to me last week in response to a question I posed about area wide searching.
In my line of work I often have to refer back, sometimes long after the event, to specific location photos. This means I have to maintain a strict regime of both accurate re-naming and filing away of all my photos. Tedious at the best of times.
Geosetter does away with this. It enables you to input L&L coordinates in a search box and then set thess coordinates against use defined criteria e.g. within 10m etc. Geosetter will then display all photos which fall within the set criteria. Not only do you have a montage view of all such photos but location pins are added to the adjoining map - or at least they should be as presently only one pin is added; a bug I’ve emailed the developer about. I’ve no doubt this will be cleared up as the software is being enhanced on a regular basis.
Net result, I no longer need to file or re-name as I’ll always be able to retrieve by reference to a rough location search translating for me into a major productivity boost. Don’t you just love geotagging.
And did I mention it’s freeware :) I’ll try not to make a habit of it but I was so knocked out by the programme I actually hit the donation button - it’s that good.
Appreciate this does not involve Web 2.0 type stuff a la flickr but for my purposes I don’t want these work photos posted anywhere publicly so it 100% fits the bill.
Lastly and to save me wandering back to my normal place of residence 6220 Classic is being replaced for a 3rd time - yep it’s the key pad again. Noticed the keypad was literally coming away at top left hand corner - first time I’ve ever seen such a thing on a phone. I must be mad but it is such a great phone in every other respect. I’ve bought a silicone skin (don’t like but don’t see I’ve got a choice) in anticipation of the replacement set turning back up any day soon and I’m then going to wrap a crystal case around phone and skin. On this basis I’ll add next to nothing to overall size but guarantee the phone should last at least as long as the equally well wrapped Mummies of Ancient Egypt.
Patrick