Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Photos

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KLEMZ
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Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Photos

Unread postby KLEMZ » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:44 am

This spring I have been scouting like a madman, due to our late spring and SHORT window between snow and greenup. My usual system was to carry a clipboard and record waypoints (on my gps) and write tons of notes for later review over an aerial photo. This year I am skipping the paper. Somewhere along the way I figured out that you can take a photo and then "georeference" it over an aerial. At first, I did this with my gps which takes pictures. As it turns out, you do NOT need a fancy gps that takes pictures in order to do this.

I am aware of four ways to place photos over an aerial picture...
-smart phone app that allows photos AND vidoes to be viewed on an aerial. i don't own a smartphone so i cant speak on this.
-The other three ways involve software that will "synchronize" the timestamp info in your gps breadcrumb trail, to the timestamp in a digital camera (any digital camera). The result is a photograph of important deer sign overlayed precisely on an aerial picture.

Any gps can be used. Any digital camera can be used. I use a cheap point and shoot sony. What is required is that you leave the gps run in your pocket the whole time you are scouting. Then, when you take a picture of that big track it will be related back to the time information on the tracklog of the gps.

The three softwares..
-http://www.expertgps.com/
-http://www.topofusion.com/
-http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync/

I personally own both expertgps and topofusion softwares. They are so full of great features for mapping and gps organization that I highly recommend either one. They both make it simple to line up your scouting photos over aerials. Buy one and you wont regret it.

The gpicsync is a freeware. it gets good reviews but I have never used it.

Here is a four minute youtube video i just made to show some of what I'm talking about
http://youtu.be/lleBgJZXVEc


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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:27 am

That is AWESOME KLEMZ!!! It appears that you didn't mark waypoints, but when you synchronized the track and pictures the software created the waypoints for you. Am I understanding that correctly? Can you see multiple pictures from the same spot? In other words, could I stand in the same spot taking pictures in different directions and somehow have them all show up on the map when I hover over the location?

Man this stuff is saweet!! It would save me a ton of time and be A LOT better system. Thanks for sharing that. 8-) 8-) 8-) :dance:
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby Wlog » Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:32 am

What kind of price tag is on the other two software types?
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby KLEMZ » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:49 am

Wlog wrote:What kind of price tag is on the other two software types?


Expertgps $75.... they offer a free trial
http://www.expertgps.com/purchase.asp

Topofusion PRO $70...they offer a free trial also
http://www.topofusion.com/download.php
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby KLEMZ » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:13 am

DEERSLAYER wrote: Can you see multiple pictures from the same spot? In other words, could I stand in the same spot taking pictures in different directions and somehow have them all show up on the map when I hover over the location?

Yes, you can take as many pictures or videos as you want standing in one spot. only the pictures show up as thumbnails, the videos are associated with the pictures only thru picasa. If you take 5 or 6 pictures all in one spot the thumbnails can overlap each other a bit. I actually take a picture or two for detail and to make a waypoint. Then I can take as many videos as I want. You MUST take a picture at each place you make a video otherwise the videos will not be related to the aerial map. The videos are really beneficial.

Another thing. You must your gps locked on to your position at all times you are taking pictures.
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby KLEMZ » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:18 am

DEERSLAYER wrote:It appears that you didn't mark waypoints, but when you synchronized the track and pictures the software created the waypoints for you. Am I understanding that correctly?


Correct, I didn't mark any waypoints with the gps. It basically stays in my pocket the whole time unless I want to check on my location on the aerial. Also, i still mark certain waypoints such as the exact buck beds, kill trees, navigation references etc.
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby 365buckin » Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:01 pm

Thats really cool. Glad to see you dont have to have an outrageous smartphone bill to get quality mapping. Im in to deep now though, cause I'm already addicted to my smartphone. And soley because of the program "backpacker gps trails lite". It does exactly what you are doing except the free model doesnt allow videos. All you can do is waypoints, audio clips, or pictures. Which is really cool because I dont have to write or type anything with the audio feature.
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby Stanley » Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:06 pm

Great information.
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby 365buckin » Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:09 pm

Here is another option on how to do the kind of thing your doing. Dont mean to highjack your thread just wanted to share the other options for the beast members with smartphones. The picture basically tells the same story as your software, except you dont have to sync the times from your camera and gps together, because the smartphone has the gps and camera all in one device. Which one is better????? Not sure. Both do the same, gut yours loads in google earth, which is really helpful.

Image
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby KLEMZ » Thu May 09, 2013 12:28 pm

I have been tweaking my geotagging scouting trip routine. Here is an easy, FREE!, and very helpful method to document every little detail you think is important while scouting. It is simple to take a photo any time you find sign worth noting. It takes no time at all, and you can then switch the camera to video mode an talk to record your ideas. No writing notes in the field, no typing notes when you get home.

google earth aerial with thumbnail photos every place you take a picture. Click on the thumbnail to expand it. Already, this spring, I have reviewed my findings of big tracks etc. at home on the aerial and figured out where i might find the beds... and found them the next scout!
Image

download each scouting mission photo session into picacsa and label it by date. each scout gets its own date, so you can rapidly click from the google earth aerial thumbnails to the more detailed picasa photos and videos. This picasa view is trying to show how you take the photos from your camera and see them on google earth. To do this you first need to geo-reference them which i will show shortly. Once geo-referenced, picasa allows you to open them in google using the "tools" selection on the top of the screen.Highlight every picture then select "export to google earth"

Image

In order to get position data into your photos you can use a free and very simple software called Easy GPS
http://www.easygps.com/
Here is some info about geotagging with easyGPS

Image

You can zoom your screen by pressing "Ctrl +" if you want to see these pictures bigger.
I can give more exact step by step if anyone wants.
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby KLEMZ » Thu May 09, 2013 10:43 pm

365buckin wrote:Here is another option on how to do the kind of thing your doing. Dont mean to highjack your thread just wanted to share the other options for the beast members with smartphones. The picture basically tells the same story as your software, except you dont have to sync the times from your camera and gps together, because the smartphone has the gps and camera all in one device. Which one is better????? Not sure. Both do the same, gut yours loads in google earth, which is really helpful.

Image


365buckin, thanks for the information!
Can you easily transfer and save all that valuable information into your computer?
What kind of battery life do you get when you use your phone for scouting? Is that an issue?
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Fri May 10, 2013 12:45 pm

So your information is uploaded onto the internet (google earth)?
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby KLEMZ » Fri May 10, 2013 2:00 pm

DEERSLAYER wrote:So your information is uploaded onto the internet (google earth)?


No, your info is only overlayed on a google earth aerial on your own computer.
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Fri May 10, 2013 2:09 pm

Excellent. I would still like to see a video tutorial from the time you start your computer after you get home until the file is completed, saved and you're good to shut down. :whistle: :mrgreen:
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Re: Take Your Digital Scouting To The Next level.. Geotag Ph

Unread postby 365buckin » Sat May 11, 2013 5:17 am

KLEMZ wrote:
365buckin wrote:365buckin, thanks for the information!
Can you easily transfer and save all that valuable information into your computer?
What kind of battery life do you get when you use your phone for scouting? Is that an issue?


Yes, the Backpacker GPS Trails Lite ap is synced on my phone with an online account. The account is on TrimbleOutdoors.com. So, when I get home to my computer, I log on to my trimbleoutdoors account and it is all there.

Battery life is not good. I have to make sure my phone is 100% charged before I scout because it is usaully dying by the time I walk back to the truck. If I dont have it 100% charged I will only be able to scout a little. I can get a good 3 hour scout or more out of a full battery.
Be in the woods as often as you can....and as long as you can!


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