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I'm looking for a device that can do all of the following:

  • Take picture
  • Save lat-long GPS position + heading (angle to North) of picture [so need tilt-compensated 3D compass], in exif or other format (save tilt as well if possible)
  • Save precision-related GPS (NMEA) fields, as many as possible (at least HDOP, other if possible)
  • If possible: display OSM maps (better if I can put my own tiles)

Ideally HDOP and the like should go into both exif of the pictures and gpx track, but post-processing (gpscorrelate or the like) is OK.

I would need to know this ASAP to buy the device and learn how to use it: it's for an 80-day alpine OSM mapping party, starting early June 2012! See here: http://www.outdoormaps.org http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/ViaAlpina

There are already some data on this long high-distance trail, but they lack accuracy estimates. Heading will make the pictures much more valuable.

Thanks!

Mayeul Kauffmann

(PS: I've seen this question: Device for Logging GPS and Accelerometer Data? but I need heading and HDOP)

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    You might want to add your price range and GPS accuracy desires.
    – Baltok
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 22:01
  • Right. Price range would be between 300 and 800 euros (above 500 especially if there are additional functionalities that could be useful). GPS accuracy of a recreational GPS (10-20m most of the time with clear sky) is OK. I do not mind adding an external antenna (including on the head) if needed.
    – mayeulk
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 22:26
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    Sounds ideal for a smartphone - try GPSEssentials on Android; I cannot confirm that the camera tool saves HDOP and heading in EXIF, but the developer may be responsive.
    – Simbamangu
    Commented Mar 21, 2012 at 11:16
  • I'd love a smarthphone. I could not find a way to ask the developer of GPSEssentials here: play.google.com/store/apps/… There is the "leave review" options and there are more than 40 pages of review, some with questions, but I failed to see any answer from the developer 8-( Then, I will still need to find the device that supports this (android needs to get access to these, which is hardware- and drivers-dependent)
    – mayeulk
    Commented Mar 21, 2012 at 17:50
  • Iphone 4S does a lot of what I need:
    – mayeulk
    Commented Mar 22, 2012 at 23:21

3 Answers 3

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The Casio Exilim EX-H20G has a built in GPS and compass; both of which are saved in EXIF tags. It also has a "hybrid GPS" mode that uses an accelerometer to augment GPS when reception is poor. It does not have any track logging ability.

Its worth doing a search for the model on Flickr and downloading some example raw images. This will let you see exactly what data is stored.

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    Thanks, I did not know you could search by camera: flickr.com/cameras you have to be logged-in to see the exif, then click on "Actions" button. I found a dozen cameras that have GPS and heading support, here: neocamera.com/search_camera.php?by=feature
    – mayeulk
    Commented Mar 22, 2012 at 23:06
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    For those cameras I searched flickr, found only 2: Panasonic DM-zs7 (saves gps, heading not shown in flickr); Sony DSC-hx5V (found 3 pictures with "GPS Img Direction"). Can't save track (dschx5v_handbook.pdf p104GB). flickr DOES NOT show all cameras in list: Sony DSC-TX100V not shown, but this DSC-TX100V image has heading: flickr.com/photos/oceanyamaha/6940034429/meta/in/photostream
    – mayeulk
    Commented Mar 22, 2012 at 23:18
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If smartphones don't have the capabilities you want, you might look into the Garmin Montana or Oregon GPS handhelds (Garmin). They both claim to geotag photos, but I'm not sure how much info they include. You'll probably have to call their technical staff to get an answer.

Another option may be a Trimble Juno. They are an entry-level mapping grade handheld. Price could be fairly high to get all the right software on it ($1000+), but I'm betting it supports more info in geotagged photos. You'll have to contact their technical staff to get more details I think.

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I found these Android apps, would be great if people who have a smartphone could test and report here if all the requirements are filled with their specific smartphone:

OSMtracker (multipurpose, w/ HDOP) https://code.google.com/p/osmtracker-android/

Imageotag - http://imageotag.appspot.com/

Mytracks (saves GPS tracks) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.maps.mytracks

GPSSmid (multipurpose) http://sourceforge.net/projects/gpsmid/files/ Maybe the most powerful of all apps, but needs a JVM (so works on non-android devices too).

OSMtracker, GPSmid & Mytracks are libre & open source. GPSmid & OSMtracker have active open communities.

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