I previously reviewed CDFinder, an asset manager that specialises in metadata, and looked at its potential role in the Mac geotagging workflow. The freshly-squeezed version 5.5 brings a few bug fixes, general enhancements, and of particular personal interest improved support for GPS-related functions. This post considers finding geotagged images, integration with other mapping services, integration with other geo-aware applications (via contextual menu modules), copying GPS locations, displaying KMZ files on your Google Map mash-up, and finding nearby images via your website.
Finding geotagged images
One option is to use the new GeoFinder. Click your way around the map, acquire a position from Google Earth, choose from a pre-set location or add a custom location to discover images within a custom radius of your starting point:
Alternatively right-click any geotagged image (automatically badged with the Geotag Icon) for access to other images in your catalogue based on common IPTC header information or EXIF data:
Integration with other mapping services
CDFinder allows you to view the location of the current image using Google Earth or a good number of online mapping services (Flickr, Panoramio, MapQuest, Google Maps, SmugMug, WikiMapia, Woophy, OpenStreetMap, Geody, and Yahoo! Maps). You can also upload directly to Locr (account required):
Integration with other geo-aware applications
A number of Mac applications include contextual menu modules that let you access functionality by right-clicking an image in the Finder, for example. In the following screen capture the GPS-Info CMM and GraphicConverter modules are loaded:
In terms of workflow you might add Automator actions or batch-process geotagged images using GraphicConverter (which notably preserves EXIF-GPS data when re-purposing images for web use).
Grab that location
The GPS location data of a photo can now copied via the contextual menu:
This will copy the image coordinates to the clipboard in the following format:
N 57° 39' 35.89" , W 6° 22' 8.39"
Pasting these coordinates into Google Maps is a quick way of converting coordinates between notation formats:
Displaying KMZ on your Google Map
CDFinder produces KMZ (zipped KML) files containing image metadata and optionally the image at one of three pre-set sizes:
The resulting KMZ files can be e-mailed to friends for viewing in Google Earth (a known bug in v4.3 for Mac may prevent image display), or uploaded to your website and integrated into your Google Map mash-up. For details on using the Geo Mashup plug-in with WordPress, see my implementation guide here. As an example, you might insert the following code block into custom.js (one of the Geo Mashup plug-in files):
var geoXmlGoogleEarthKmz;
geoXmlGoogleEarthKmz = new GGeoXml("http://www.bioneural.net/docs/Lux.kmz");
GeoMashup.map.addOverlay(geoXmlGoogleEarthKmz);As of this writing there is a known issue with the Maps API that prevents the embedded image from displaying. Pending an API fix to avoid the "missing image" problem you can add the following line to your .htaccess file in the root WordPress directory:
Redirect /mapsatt http://maps.google.com/mapsattAll being well you should now see a thumbnail marker with an embedded image and EXIF metadata inside the bubble:
CDFinder will also export the azimuth, tilt, and distance values written by GraphicConverter and some GPS modules available for Nikon cameras.
Here is an example KMZ output file:
Download example (17KB .kmz)
Find nearby images via your website
CDFinder can be launched and its catalogues interrogated from a custom URL embedded within a web page. For example:
cdfinder://find/gps/&lat=58.0341&long=-5.06864&distance=50000mThe User Guide details the options available and, again using Geo Mashup, it's not difficult to automate the URL creation process with a modification of the PHP code I used previously to launch RouteBuddy (see Alternative uses for coordinate values here).
In the following example clicking on the Find link will open CDFinder (if installed) and search your catalogues for images within 50km of the geotagged WordPress post:
<?php if (function_exists('geo_mashup_map')) $coords = GeoMashup::post_coordinates(); if ($coords) { echo '<span class="cdfinder"><a href="cdfinder://find/gps/&lat=' . $coords['lat'] . '&long=' . $coords['lng'] . '&distance=50000m">Find</a> nearby images in CDFinder' . '</span>'; } ?>With appropriate CSS you should see something like this:
If you'd like to try this out look through these posts for a location that might be covered by photos in your CDFinder catalogue.
![[Photo of Bruce McKenzie]](data:image/jpeg;base64,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)
CDFinder is getting pretty impressive. It's a shame that when using the GPS-Info CMM contextual menu to reveal map positions of images, it just centres on a map - no marker - had to say iCab puts a marker there ;)
I noticed when I was mucking around with your Holux and GeoTag that Picasa exported kml files did contain the embedded images.
Under what circumstances do you not see a marker D? I certainly get one on Google Maps using GPS-Info CMM v1.1.
Just to clarify the issue is not that the KMZ doesn't contain the image, but that Google Earth for Mac might not load them. In my testing export of a single image to KMZ worked fine, but export say 3 images to one KMZ file and GE failed to load all of the thumbnails (although the same KMZ would show all 3 thumbnails under Windoze). Can Picasa export multiple images to KMZ at once? If so it would be interesting to see if the export loads all images in GE for Mac...
Downloaded v1.1 to check - no marker in any circumstance - CMM and iCab screen shots below:
The Picasa export contains a number of images, comparative examples:
Picasa
GeoTag
Ah, image stripping - links for screen shots:
CMM
iCab
D. your Picasa export displays fine in GE 4.3 Mac—but if you have a look inside the file you'll see that it's a network KML sucking the thumbnails off the Picasa server using absolute pathnames.
None of the images from your GeoTag-made KML load in GE 4.3 Mac, as it uses relative pathnames to your OS X User folder (and is not a KMZ file either).
Take a look at the CDFinder-made example KMZ file above, DSC_0018.kmz. Change the extension to .zip in the Finder then unzip it, and it expands to a KML file with the image in a sub-directory. That's what you want for sharing images that aren't online (when network KML will do).
Re your screen caps what you see in iCab is what I see in Safari; what gives you the 'CMM' view with no marker? Have you got some script blocker or similar active in the other browser?
Yeh, I rectified the pathways with the GeoTag output to "New Laithes" and Rufus" on my Trails map, but it doesn't do it automatically (obviously) because it's a desktop app.
I have opened the links from the CMM contextual menu in Safari 3.2.1, iCab 4.2.5 and Firefox 3.1b2 - they all give no markers? (OSX 10.5.6 - could it be Intel core 2 duo related?!)
Hmm... when I right-click a geotagged image in the Finder and open my default browser (Safari 3.2.1) via the CMM that does place a marker for Google Maps. I'm using 10.5.6 too, but the older Core Duo as you know—I really don't think that should matter 'tho, because we're talking JavaScript not Java VM.
That's the way I've been trying it - changing default browser and using contextual menu from the finder...
Hi David,
I am using Firefox, and selecting a geotagged photo in CDFinder 5.5, and then selecting in the context menu of CDFinder: Geotag->Google Maps does show a marker.
You can see that in the URL, as that already contains the command to Google Maps to place a marker there.
In my sample here the name in the brackets will cause Google Maps to place a marker there.
The same happens here with the CMM in version 1.1.
What URL do you get? (note that the use of the file name, maybe there is a problem there?)
Yours,
Now this is slightly wierd.
It is working OK now - see here for the same photo as before, located using CMM.
Could it be that although I installed CMM 1.1 before trying it last time, I didn't restart the computer, so CMM wasn't loading? Since this previous test, I've been using Boot Camp and switched over to Windows and back. Works the same for Safari and Firefox.
Note that Google Earth 5.0 for Mac fixes the "missing image" bug.