Author Archive for Zz85

My Google Maps, Geotagged Picasa Photos, GPS Tracks Mashup

Published
by
Zz85
on June 25, 2008
in Photos and Technology
. 0 Comments

Hi Google fans, mashup hackers, GPS geeks, geotaggers lovers, or anyone who has time on hand.
Here’s my simple howto for mashing up google maps, geotagged photos on picasa web albums, and gps tracks.

note: below is a screenshot. scroll to the bottom of this post for the interactive map
Google Maps, Geotagged Picasa Album, GPS tracks mashed up

motivation: As mentioned in my previous post, syncing GPS tracks is a very convenient way for geotagging photos. Our friendly giant, Google already has some fantastic services for photos, geotagging, maps but apparently we do not see support for GPS tracks.

summary: This online mashup requires mainly a web browser with a little manual work.

steps:
——
1. Upload geotagged photos to Picasa web albums & download KML (google earth) format
2. Convert gps tracks to KML format
3. Merge GPS tracks and Photos KML
4. Upload merged KML to google pages
5. Request google maps to open KML
——

pre-requisites:
You must have a google account. This is for uploading to picasa web albums and google pages.
You also know how to geotag photos by syncing GPS tracks. This has been mentioned briefly in my previous post.

Step 1.
After geotags have been saved to the photos EXIF, you see a little compass icon on photos in picasa web albums. Select the photos you want and upload them to a web album. After uploading, go to the web albums and click “View Map”. Save the “View in Google Earth” link which is a KML format.

Step 2.
Convert your GPS tracks (GPX, NMEA etc) to KML format. You could use the free powerful GPSBabel or convert it online at GPS Visualizer.

Step 3.
Open your favorite notepad/text/xml editor/ide and copy the kml data into the photos kml If you find it tricky merging the KML files by hand, try using this utility called KML Merge

Hint: If you would like to edit a little KML, you could customise what to display and perhap place tracks information (speeds, time, altitudes) in the little bubbles when clicked on.

Step 4.
We have to store the GPS tracks somewhere anyway, so the free and good way is to upload to googlepages. Under the right section there’s box call uploaded stuff. Click upload files, and select the KML file to be uploaded. Copy the url of the upload file.

Step 5.
Visit Google Maps. In the search box, paste the url where your KML is hosted. Tata, you get GPS tracks, geotagged photos on the interactive map! Click on share this map to email or embed this mashup on your blogs.

the trick: if you haven’t notice, this mashup is built mainly on the fact google maps is able to layer the google earth format (KML) onto google maps online.
To send a linked url map to your friends, append a url encoded kml url to google maps.
eg: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http%3A//joshuakoo.googlepages.com/HendersonPicasaPhotos.kml

Here’s the result:

View　Larger Map

conclusion: this is a really simple, rough mashup for google maps, photos, gps tracks but it shows some possibilities of what it can be done. i would also like to point out that everytrail has a fantastic services for gps tracks which supports google maps, and photos geotagging. Unfortunately, its photos uploading is pretty rudimentary but one would still use if everytrail if there’s no preferences for picasa web albums.

Geotagging Photos - 3 Simple Methods

Published
by
Zz85
on June 21, 2008
in Interesting Stuff, Photos and Technology
. 2 Comments

What’s Geotagging?
Geotag. “Geo” + “Tags”. Tagging with geographical information or GPS coordinates.

The meaning is so simple, there isn’t a need to look up its meaning. Geotagging is one of the interesting stuff that makes me think about it, its brings more fun after having a GPS receiver, and the possibilities is really up to one’s creativity.

Lets take for example if write a traveller’s blog, you could look for posts categorised by time, by categories and by subject tags. Imagine having each post is tagged with its location, not only you know the location reading a post, you could easily navigate and search for posts by location and visually on a map. (Geojoey’s a free blog service for geotagged enabled blogs.)

Basically anything you wish to keep geographical information or data to be organise by location could be “geotag”, secret places (search geocaching), treasures, objects, animals, friends etc. It will be cool to have microblogging/status updates services support geotagging. Twitter tackles “what are you doing” but perhaps geotagging answers “where are you”.

Why Geotag Photos?
There’s should be some good reason why Google’s and Yahoo’s services supports this other than competition. When organising photos, you group them by usually by time, albums, folders etc. As the photos collection grow quickly, we need more to search and locate and there’s where descriptions, keywords tags comes into place. Perhaps with sophisticated software, we could find them by colours, mood, faces (I hope).

With the addition geotags, we know easily and exactly where a photo is taken, we could easily find photos taken in or around an area, we could layout photos over the world map and visualise where we had been before. (See SuperGeoTagged for flickr photos on google earth/maps)

3 Methods.
Likely, you need to know only 1. Make a choice.

Method 1: Automated Package.
You take a photo with your camera, and the location gets tagged to the photo automatically. Sounds simple but how? This usually requires some equipment. Either your camera has built in GPS, or you attach it to a GPS addon which is usually costly. A more practical situation is using mobile phones (and software) which takes advantage of its built in (or connected) GPS and camera. (Here’s a product for nikon cameras. Zurfer is a mobile software/service for automating and uploading geotagged photos from cameras phones)

Method 2: Map Assisted Geotagging
A little manual work but nevertheless the most affordable method. Select photos, then pinpoint it on the map on the computer to tag them. Since yahoo, google and microsoft already have their own map services, they already have services and software which allows users to do so easily. At the same time, there are software and online services and tutorials for providing such geotagging mashups. (examples: flickr, locr)

Method 3: Syncing GPS Logs
With a little work, this provides the most flexibility at affordable costs. Have a device to record GPS logs while you shoot away on a separate camera. Since GPS has multiple purposes, it would be a waste just to use it for tagging photos. With a GPS receiver, you could use it for navigation, finding directions, displaying routes and travel statistics, and while doing all these, record your tracks. With these track logs, a software would be able to extract the geographical data and tag locations to photos taken based on time contained in photographs.

My Choice.
Method 3. Since I already own a cheap bluetooth GPS receiver, I run the cool free trekbuddy on my mobile phones which tells me my location, speed, distance at the same time recording my travel tracks. The logs transferred to the computer would be synced with the photos, and coordinates are written to the photos’ EXIF and automatically displayed on maps with comptible services. The freeware I used is Geosetter, which is very good and powerful.

Photos on a boat

The benefits of a GPS Log can been seen here using Geosetter. Not only it shows you the path you took, it can shows you at exactly which spot you took the photos. On the boat, while Trekbuddy was tracklogging, its CMS can provide accurate ETA if you set target waypoint at the jetty. Click here for another screenshot.

More Examples.
Google supports geotagging in various services/products. Both Panoramio their community photo site, Google Maps (enable show photos under More) can view tagged photos, and Google Earth, Google Web Albums supports tagging. Microsoft’s softwares Virtual Earth and ProPhoto supports geotagging.
For method 3, you could purchase a gps data logger, but if you have already own a gps mobile phone, all the more its similar. A simple, free software like GPS Track could do the gps logging easily for you. Trekbuddy also provides inbuilt geotag for camera phones when u record a waypoint. (Method 1) Other free GPS software for mobile phones of interest are VlkGps and Mobile Trail Explorer.

More Links and Resources
Google’s Picasa Web Album - allows geotagging of albums
Yahoo’s Flickr - their organz feature allow you to geotag photos
Google’s Panaramio- service mainly to upload and specify coordinates. Photos on this service are shown in Google earth
Locr - A photo sharing site mainly with geotagging capabilities and location sharing (using maps by google, yahoo, microsoft)
Zooomr - another photo sharing community with Geotagging support.
Everytrail - For recording of tracks mainly but supports syncing for photos uploaded
Trekbuddy - Free powerful GPS j2me software for mobile phones
Geocoded Photo A similar article on wikipedia.

Mr Lam Ah Kow

Published
by
Zz85
on June 17, 2008
in Beliefs and Church
. 0 Comments

Mr Lam passed away last Tuesday morning at the age of 90. Our hearts throbbed when we heard the news. He loved us and the people from the church and we in turn loved him. His wake held over only that night was the shortest and funeral I’ve attended. The simpleness reflect upon his life and faith he had.

Ah Cek and Ah Cim

His name “Ah Kow” means no.9, likely referring to his position among his siblings, but we addressed him “Ah Cek”. He was a construction worker until he lost his sight and his wife took care of him thereafter. Despite the lost of sight, he senses were amazing sharp. He knew the monetary value of notes by touching them, and was always happy and generous to give out “ang pows”. When we used to take the bus back together, he always knew when the bus arrived home without anyone tell him. “Kam Sia Zhu” (感谢主, or “Thank God”), the phrase he never failed to say in Hokkien as he prepares his walking stick as the bus makes turns in the carpark to his block.

Always excited when we visited him at his home, he asks and talks events which happen recently and the people who visited him. Never do we hear him grumble or complain. Each time, he would reside the bible verses he memorised, sing the favorite hymns in dialects (十字架，主我赐平安 etc) and pray.

Mr Lam sense of time is very good. Even with my sight to see day and night, calendars and time, often I am ashamed that he could tell and remember dates and time better than I. Not too long ago, Mr Lam fell sick, stayed in a hospital before staying at a home. About 2 weeks back the last time I met him, we visited him at the home. Not being able to see, hard of hearing, without the appetite to eat, I thought that was a difficult time for him but alas, not a sign of complain or murmuring he shows us.

Instead he sings, gives praise and shared his testimony with Hokkien mixed with some other dialects. 91 years old he says he was (thats quite accurate). And he shared how he was saved when Rev Ang reached out to him in the 80s. While he was speaking, I noticed tears flowing from his closed eyes. I thought he was perhaps in pain and because we just woke him up from his sleep. But I now know his tears were of hope, and somehow he knew he was going his meet his Redeemer soon.

Burial Service

There may be many reasons why we loved him, but the faith he had was why we have to look up to him.

p.s. This is the 3rd elderly men I know passed away in the past 7 months. I wrote this post earlier in my book. After numerous procrastination I decided to post it online.

Eventful Weeks

Published
by
Zz85
on March 6, 2008
in School, Thoughts and Updates
. 0 Comments

The past weeks (not over a month) have been pretty eventful (writer’s side-thought: eventful sounds more positive than busy?).

(usual projects, schooling, concerts, performing and weddings… yadayadayada…)

So to shorten, the more important events (to me) are:

  • NOC interview
  • New facebook application: Boombasheep
  • NUSSO Concert: Flame of the Night
  • NUSSO Elections
  • Piano Exams

NOC interview
I’m grateful to be able to attend the 2nd interview. Questions asked were similar to the 1st, but I felt my responses were better during the 1st interview. Still, the interview teaches me lessons and gives me experiences, and the least I tried was to show my determination. Lesson from my dad remains- pray, try my best and expect the least.

Boombasheep
Screenshot
Boombasheep
is the name of the latest facebook application I developed together with Lester Chan, and my Zi han, my OG-mate. The objective of the game is simple and in fact brainless: a bomb is created with a time to explode, and so the parcel gets pass around. The idea came from Chua when we were sharing ideas, then I decided it was feasible. Although it was meant for my 3rd assignment, my personal objectives deviate from the assignment’s, but I believe our team were largely satisfied with the outcome.

Flame in the Night
Mr Lim and Me
Photo with our conductor, Mr Lim
Before this concert was NAF Opening concert, but this concert had the orchestra and committee preparing at least half a year ago. Although some might expected better, it was still a great experience for everyone and myself at YST’s concert hall and comments have been positive. The concert was also reviewed on The Straits Times. A pleasant surprise was I personally didn’t really expect my siblings and friends made out over 10% of the hall’s capacity (thanks for coming!). Photos here.

Elections
I got voted for Welfare Secretary post. Its my wish that I’ll be able to contribute as in the best of my capacity for the best of everyone.

Piano Exams
Something that I wanted to be over and done with since last year, and today’s the day. I feel indebted to many- first to the many friends who often encourage me. Auntie Fong who first persuaded me to take on, and buying the exam book for me, Uncle Yeow Whye, Auntie Alison who sponsored the exams, and recommended my teacher to me, my teacher Ms Winnie for her care and patience in these few quick and brief months, my parents for sponsoring the lessons fees, and my mom especially for encouraging me so much beyonds words and actions. The first piano exam in my life, things feel far from ideal, what only was familiar is the courage had to gut down failures when it comes again: hence preparing the worst is my unwritten plague to try again until success. (However, Auntie Alison cheerful declared my exams pass over the phone :p)

Closing
These are the times, stressful, challenging and trying. I ever thought if I would lose my sanity. Thanks be to God whose grace is sufficient for me. Battles continue with mid-term exams and assignments for the next 4 consecutive days. While the future and the many outcomes lies unknown, trust and hope needs to be learn.

Facebook Musical Wall Application

Published
by
Zz85
on February 9, 2008
in Ideas, Interesting Stuff, School and Technology
. 0 Comments

In less than a week, together with my teammates released a wall-like facebook application for our 2nd assignment.

My Facebook Music Application

The difference? Instead of the usual messages and links, videos & photo attachments, users get to record or create their music by clicking on a virtual 3d piano before sending to their friends.

Application Description Link: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=9575698857
Application Link: http://apps.facebook.com/musicalwall/

Main Page

Previous Next Close
Main Page
Piano Studio
Previous Next Close
Piano Studio
My Music
Previous Next Close
My Music
My Wall
Previous Next Close
My Wall
Gallery
Previous Next Close
Gallery

Current features include:
+Playing on a virtual piano
+Playback and save the music played
+Send it to a friend’s wall
+Share the music with other users
+Download music as a midi file
+Convert to RTTTL ringtone format
+View and playback music on your own wall

Not forgetting my capable teammates. “)
Teammates

And for those interested: Here’s a link to the javascript version of the flash piano I experimented with.

Piano

Happy Lunar New Year!