Steve Tatum presented on using mobile devices and apps to catalog photographs and gather location data while in the field. Some key points:
- Evernote can be used to take notes, photos, and audio recordings on a smart phone that will sync across devices and be available online.
- MyTracks is an open source Android app that can log GPS data while taking photos to later plot their locations on a map. It can import photos and data logs from dedicated GPS devices.
- PhotosInfo Pro is an iPad app that allows adding metadata to photos directly on the iPad by creating XMP sidecar files, which can later be combined with the raw files on a computer using Adobe Bridge. This allows cataloging
Enhancing Education with Mobile Visualization Technologies
1. Steve Tatum
Visual Resources Curator
Art and Architecture Library
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
Enhancing Education Beyond the Classroom Experience via
Visualization Technologies
Traveling Light: Gathering Information and Cataloging Photographs with
Mobile Devices
April 3, 2013
Visual Resources Association Annual Conference, Providence, Rhode Island
3. Evernote
syncs with all devices and the
notes are available online
Notes are saved in the cloud
You need the paid service to access them offline
4. A note can include text, pictures,
and a recording
5. Location of the note is shown on a
map when there is an internet
connection
The phone does not require a connection to record a
location, only to download the map.
15. Tracking links images to the map
It does not write metadata to the images
Tracks with pictures can be exported as KML files and
displayed on Google Earth
16. Select "GeoTag" to write GPS data to the
images instead of tracking them on the map
21. A procedure for the iPad
App: PhotosInfo Pro (iPad only)
Write XMP side cars on the iPad.
Join the side cars with the camera’s raw files at home in
Adobe Bridge
22. Bridge uses XMP side cars to read and write
metadata for raw files
23. Import image files from the camera
• Use the camera connection kit to import images
• The images go to the iPad’s import folders
• The original file names and camera’s metadata are retained
(Import methods that save images to the camera roll change the file names)
24.
25. To add metadata to multiple images, select the metadata
icon in the thumbnail view
33. • XMP files take very little space on the iPad
• After they are exported, the photos can be deleted to make room for more
• The XMP files will be joined with the camera’s raw files in Bridge
40. Embedding the metadata
• Convert the raw images to tif or another format that supports
embedded metadata, such as DNG, TIF, or JPG
• The XMP will be incorporated into the new file.
The side XMP car feature of PhotosInfo Pro was designed to work with Bridge, but works with any processing
program that reads the side cars. Lightroom works. Aperture does not. Test your program to see that it reads the
metadata and retains it in derivatives.
41. All photos and screen shots are by the author
Thanks to Dmitri Toropov and Dirk Stichling, developers of PhotosInfo Pro and myTracks 4 Mac, respectively, for
readily answering questions.
The author has no affiliation with with any of the
products shown
Notas do Editor
Evernote is an example of the many recording and note taking apps available. It is convenient because it stores several media in one location. The ability to share notebooks makes it useful for collaborative work. It is one of the apps that Virginia Tech Educational Technologies recommend for field work for classes. The free service is fine for most purposes. The paid service is necessary if you need to access your notes offline.
Mercury browser for the iPhone is simply one example. Evernote develops related apps and allows access to other developers.
Methods of recording one’s position proliferate. This presentation uses myTracks for iOS, which works easily with a Mac desktop version created by the same developer. The iOS version is free. The desktop version is inexpensive. For collaborative projects, tacks and pictures can, for example, be placed on Google Earth.
Recording tracks uses power. Not a problem for moderate use, but remember to turn it off when not needed or use the short-time track recording, which automatically turns off after a set time.
myTrack can import the tracks
Attach a GPS device to a computer. The common brands made for cars work well. The current.gpx file bundles many tracks into one file. MyTracks, or other desktop apps, separate the bundle into its component tracks.
If the names of the XMP or image files change change at any point in the process, you will not be able to join the XMP with the original camera images.
This illustration shows the folder for the most recent import. You can also organize your photos into separate folders on the iPad before entering metadata.
When you select a single image, it enlarges and a read-only metadata panel open which displays the camera data and any IPTC you have already entered. You can dismiss the panel by tapping the arrows at the lower right of the picture. Horizontal pictures display larger without the panel. In the single image view, you can leaf through the pictures.
IPTC and GPS metadata are organized into tabs on the right. In the single image view, you can leaf through the images instead of closing the editor and reopening it. Close the keyboard to return the the gallery view.Bluetooth keyboard: You can use an external keyboard, but have to turn it off to return to return to the gallery view. Dictation: If your keyboard has a microphone icon, you can dictate the metadata if you have an internet connection.
The column on the right stores your keywords. The cursor in the search box for the keywords. If you type a word that is not in the list, the stored terms disappear.
You can add or edit a location manually using the map. GPS data recorded by a camera will display.
The location fields are automatically entered from the map. They can be edited.
The XMP tab only exports the metadata, not the image. Whichever export method you use, the files export quickly and take up little space in their destination.This presentation exports to the iTunes folder, a storage space on the iPad that syncs with iTunes on a computer.