Mapping Hacks

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Chapter 1, Mapping Your Life

#11 How Far? How Fast? Geo-Enabling Your Spreadsheet

HACK

that workbook, the sheet titled Georeference provides a simple form that lets

you georeference one image at a time. It also demonstrates another

approach to interpolating based on time by calculating the bearing between

the two reference points and then calculating the lat/long at a given distance

from the initial point along that bearing.

Aim and Composition

Now that you know how to get your photos GPS enabled, what are you

going to do? You could use it for scientific purposes like a botanist friend of

mine, or take a photo of your storefront to help customers find your busi-

ness. Real estate, hiking, sailing, driving, and skydiving are all other areas

that geo-imagery would apply to. On the other hand, you might want to get

personal, with a point-of-view camera mounted on your head. Another aim

might be to give “visual” waypoints to a meet-up point for a private party.

With the advent of camera phone technology, geo-images may be adopted

by protest leaders to organize massive flash mobs. Imagine your cell phone

company offering services to show highly rated geo-images near your cur-

rent location, along with directions to the spot. As any photographer knows,

an image can hold a thousand words, and three coordinates: latitude, longi-

tude, and altitude.

Conclusion

Whatever your purpose, georeferenced images