Which Photo Belongs To Which Cache?

[+geoPirat]

Hi from Germany!

 

When I am on a caching tour with many caches a day, I have problems to remember which photo I took belongs to which cache.

 

I am using a casio exilim that names the photos like CIMG4510, CIMG4511 etc. But I do not know how to get this number until I upload the photos on the PC.

 

And of course, my palm with cachemate is my companion, together with a 60CS.

 

Coming home after finding 100 or more caches, things get difficult when I want to upload the photos to the corresponding logs.

 

Is there a solution to my problem? A software solution that works with the time code of the pictures and puts them together with the track log or anything like that?

 

Or just an idea of how to find out that photo name CUMGxxxx just after I took the photo, so I could type in in the log info of cachemate?

 

Thanks in advance and Happy trails from geoPirat

[+Searching_ut]

I use my camera and GPS for hiking much more than I do for caching, and find myself having the same problem in wondering "where exactly was I at when I took this shot? or Which lake was this" I use topofusion from WWW.Topofusion.com to analye my tracks with, and found that the photofusion portion of the program works pretty good for sorting this out for me. It plots your track on an aerial photo or topo map, including waypoints if you tell it to. It will also read the exif data from your photos, and link your photos to the position you were at when during that time. It works pretty good provided you have your cameras clock set right.

 

Of course an easier method would probably be to simply take a notebook and write down the number of the photo you took at a cache along with what you swapped etc. That would be too easy though and not nearly as fun.....

 

edit: I missed the part about you being in Germany. I think Topofusion only works in the USA being as how it downloads the maps from terraserver. There may be similar programs for your area however

Edited March 5, 2005 by Searching_ut

[+GOT GPS?]

Write the cache number or name in the cache log of the logbook from the cache, then take a snapshot of that cache log, and that should help you, and also that shows that you were actually at the cache.

[+jacques0]

I would simply edit the POI (or Waypoint) in the GPS. There should be a text box there for entering info. Either enter the picture no. or else something descriptive.

 

Alternatively, I do a lot of birding and I take a microcassette recorder with me to record notes (or random thoughts). This could also be used.

[+Mopar]

I take a pic of my GPS screen (which has the GC# of the cache and the time) at every cache. I also take a pic of my entry in the logbook. This way after a day with lots of finds I can still look at those 2 pics and the times of the other pictures and figure out what pic goes with what cache.

 

[+geoPirat]

Thanks for all those answers so far.

 

Until now, I like Mopars idea (take photo of GPS) best - what a cute simple idea!

[+HHL]

Thanks for all those answers so far.

 

Until now, I like Mopars idea (take photo of GPS) best - what a cute simple idea!

carsten, you’ve should done that simple solution by your own.

happy hunting from hamburg

[+geoPirat]

carsten, you’ve should done that simple solution by your own.

Hans, you are right!

 

But you should sleep at these late hours, instead of reading the US-Forums like me this night.

[+dkcjkasharp]

I to like MOPAR's idea. (I do this to at times.) But aas you can see, sometimes the glare on the screen makes the pic hard to see. When ever possible, if I can find the name of the cache on the container or the log book I take a pic of it also.

[+TresOkies]

I recall that the purpose of QuakeMaps is to read the EXIF data from your digital photos and match those up with the track log from your GPS. That should allow you to know which photos go with which caches.

[Wandering Palms]

You could go into the menu of the camera and reset the counter to 0 when you're going on a big cache hunt, then in a notebook just log what the photo is of starting with number 1.

[IceKnight (aka VectorJoe)]

When you download the pics to the computer, does it list the time last modified and/or when pic was taken on the windows explorer screen?

 

On my explorer (WINDOWS XP PRO) when set to VIEW-DETAILS, it lists the

NAME

SIZE

TYPE

DATE MODIFIED (including time of day)

DATE PICTURE TAKEN (including time of day)

DIMENSIONS

 

I would think that that was enough information to match the pic to the locale.

[+jacques0]

Or, you can check out the product discussed in this forum:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=92492

[+quakemap]

I guess I am a little late for the party here :-)

Anyway, IceKnight was exacly right about matching the timestamps to coordinates. Your digital camera puts timestamps in EXIF portion of JPEG format, and your GPS track has the coordinates. QuakeMap will match the two - just put GPX file in the same folder as photos and drop it (or the folder) on QuakeMap window.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Many mapping programs allow you to place photowaypoints on the map. Here's another clickable one. Its for OziExplorer. OziPhotoTool

 

Rich Owings

www.MakeYourOwnMaps.com

 

"We were desert mystics, my friends and I, pouring over our maps as

others do their holy books." - Edward Abbey

[+CompuCash]

I use a Sony Camera, and I have the time/date stamp on.

 

When I find a cache, part of the logging process is writing the time in my notebook.

 

All I have to do is match the times and I know what photos go with a cache.

 

cc\

[+CompuCash]

When you download the pics to the computer, does it list the time last modified and/or when pic was taken on the windows explorer screen?

 

On my explorer (WINDOWS XP PRO) when set to VIEW-DETAILS, it lists the

NAME

SIZE

TYPE

DATE MODIFIED (including time of day)

DATE PICTURE TAKEN (including time of day)

DIMENSIONS

 

I would think that that was enough information to match the pic to the locale.

yes but you have to know what time you found a given cache - the time is on the photo (either litterally or in the info) but not the cache. That is why I make time notes in my notebook when I log a cache.

 

cc\

[+Alan2]

gpxsonar on your PPC will timestamp date and time to the second when you create a note for each cache. Then match it to the pciture stamps when you get home.

[WVski]

I have a Canon A75 Digital cam and it has an option on the camera where I can record i think maybe 15 or 20 second sound clips to go along with the pic. Takes up a bit more memory, but now there are over 1 gig flash cards out, so that would be plenty of memory for 100's of pics and sound.

 

Before i got this sound recording camera, When i planed caching trips, I usually take about 10 caches and print out the description page. I have a 3 ring binder i put all my caches in. Put them in order of which ones you want to do first, 2nd, 3rd and so on. then you can coorospond the pages with the camera images.

 

I like the memo mode on the camera though. IT saves a lot of time and hassle.

Most of the newer cams have this mode now.

[+Hi-Tek]

I have a Canon A75 Digital cam and it has an option on the camera where I can record i think maybe 15 or 20 second sound clips to go along with the pic. 

Thanks for pointing this out - I have a Canon A70 and was unaware of this feature. I've checked the manual (when I eventually found it) and it too has a voice memo capability of up to 60 secs.

 

You learn something new everyday - in my case RTFM.

[WVski]

Yeah, mine is 60 secs too, now that i look it up....I knew it was somethin like that....That feature really makes it easy to keep track of pics and where they were taken. I have even used it to record song ideas while out in the woods....Sometimes songs just pop in my head, or ideas for inventions. None of them ever seem as good though once i get home...lol...One time i was drivin home one night and these cars kept bright lighting me....so i started thinkin of a way to auto dim your headlights when other headlights hit them....I built this circuit and everything. The thing actually worked....but then i found out that invention had been around for like 20 years...lol...I thought i was gonna be rich, and geocache for a living...

[+HHL]

sorry, mac only

happy hunting.

[+geobc]

yes but you have to know what time you found a given cache - the time is on the photo (either litterally or in the info) but not the cache. That is why I make time notes in my notebook when I log a cache.

The original poster has a 60C/CS. If he marks each found Geocache as FOUND, it will log time/date of find into the Calendar (I think he has to turn this option on, first).

 

I do this with my 76C just in case I forget to update Cachemate on my Palm. By using that feature, it will also show me the next nearest unfound 'Cache and offer to plot a route to it.

 

GeoBC

[+JeepCachr]

I use RoboGeo. It can add your lat/long data to the exif data stored in the picture and optionally stamp it onto the image.

 

Like this picture from my series of geo-stamped playgrounds.

 

edit:

RoboGeo's Web Page

Edited May 11, 2005 by JeepCachr

[+quakemap]

RoboGeo produces really cool stamp in the picture. Does anybody know if there is any quality loss while stamping? JPEG transformations (read-modify-save) inevitably cause some (almost undetectable) distortion.

 

Anyway, QuakeMap shows pictures on the map (as clickable thumbnails). Picture files are not altered, just geo-referenced on the fly (although time-stamps are on my short list).

 

Here is a snapshot: http://www.quakemap.com/photo.html

[nchmura]

I have been chatting (and testing their software) with these nice people who are writing software that will take your gpx data and picture data and add the geographic data into the photos exif data

 

http://www.grazer.de/grazer_home/index_en.html

 

I don't think they released a version yet, but its pretty neat if you ask me. Maybe not exactly what you are looking to do though.

 

Otherwise, I would recommend quakemap or topofusion though.

[+JeepCachr]

RoboGeo produces really cool stamp in the picture. Does anybody know if there is any quality loss while stamping? JPEG transformations (read-modify-save) inevitably cause some (almost undetectable) distortion.

I am not affiliated with RoboGEO in any way other than be a satisfied registered user of the product.

 

There is an option to set the quality of the JPG compression when you timestamp the photo. I do not know how much quality loss you would experience if you set it to the highest setting. I don't set it that high since I have a 6.3mp camera and I generally use the geostamped photos for web pages I have to compress them anyway.

 

There is also an option to simply write the geo data to the exif data embedded in the file instead of stamping it. I would expect that option to not have to process the photo resulting in any loss of quality.

 

I have never tried quakemap before but now I'm going to have to. The price is very reasonable. I'm already using ExpertGPS (PC) and gpsTuner (PPC) for the mapping of tracks on Terra server maps but the ability to insert pictures and have colored tracks based on speed and altitude are intrigueing.

[+geoPirat]

Thanks to you all, with RoboGEO and quakemap (function are also found in TTQV and Fugawi = plot thumbnail of photo on the track) I now have two fine solutions.

 

Grazer might also be very interesting, depending if you could write the GC.COM waypoint nearest to the tracklocation (located by timestamp of the photo) in the EXIF Header.

 

I'll have to try these out. Thanks again for your input !