Smartphone camera EXIF data

Craig,

Let me take a stab at it. Easy one first: Change Samsung photo app to change GPS info storage from DMS to Decimal format - there is NO app switch to flip to perform that function that I know of.

Unless you have the camera app source code, changed the correct part in the app, recompile and sideload the altered app (that needs to be signed), you are just out in the cold. You hit a dead end in this path.

Second part: Change GPS info after the fact. My big question is why? Why change from DMS to decimal format? For POI purposes? Are you putting the changed GPS info into the pictures EXIF file in reformatted Decimal format?

I do not know of a app/program or web site that does that on a bulk basis from raw digital photo input. The only way to be 100% sure of proper conversion is manually converting each and every GPS coordinate in each individual pictures EXIF file from that particular EXIF file from DMS to Decimal format and then rewrite the now edited EXIF into the picture and save a copy (if you want) into a separate log/text/spreadsheet file. A boat load of work on your part if you ask me.

If you want, there is a way to download EXIF info, but to another format. XML conversion of EXIF info can be done, but it will include everything in the EXIF file. Then convert the XML file to CVS format (free on-line converter) and then open the CVS file in a spreadsheet with a whole lot of extraneous data included.

That looks like even more work to me, but food to thought. https://www.colorpilot.com/exiffarm_export.html

Good luck

You can do some reading here, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5280479/how-to-save-gps-....

But from what I can gather the standards for XFIF lat/long representation is set in stone, so I doubt that you will able to change the format that the phone uses to do the encoding.

There are photo editors that will do this in bulk for you.

Now, sit back and wait, someone will maybe come along and prove me wrong,

Phranc

Phranc you are 13 years 52 weeks. Wow.

You prompted me to go back and look at some of my cell phone pics with GPS info in the EXIF file. I looked a long time ago with my iPhone 4, but never lately. I looked at my Google Pixel 3a just now. Here is one pictures worth of GPS info from my current Pixel:

GPS information: -
GPSLatitudeRef - N
GPSLatitude - 36 18 24.25 (36.306736)
GPSLongitudeRef - W
GPSLongitude - 115 17 56.54 (115.299039)
GPSAltitudeRef - Sea level
GPSAltitude - 797.35 m
GPSTimeStamp - 17 27 57
GPSImgDirectionRef - Magnetic direction
GPSImgDirection - 144
GPSDateStamp - 2021:04:29

Google included both DMS and Decimal, but you can see the Decimal value would be commented out. It still requires editing to achieve the results you desire. FYI, the photo was taken in N/W Las Vegas, NV.

Thanks for the [bad] news. Good to know.

So why? Yes, if using for custom POIs, it'd avoid a conversion for each photo...and I can be lazy. But also, it's just so much more work typing to enter a DMS compared to a decimal degree, and I won't guarantee this, but I didn't find a way to copy the lat/long from the EXIF so I had to write it on a piece of paper.

This came up today as I hiked in UW Madison's Lakeshore Preserve where I came across a giant fallen tree limb in the trail. From my past experience reporting blocked paths, I learned that they like to receive an image and location so I took a photo, then worked it into an email. At first, I was surprised that the only place I could get the lat/long was from the photo's EXIF. I had expected the smartphone would offer lon/lat info multiple ways. Ha, using Android's Gallery, then its Details, I was given a very basic " Unnamed Road, Madison WI 53705 USA." Going in the Details, Map View, showed the photo and tagged it right to the marked trail except that Map View didn't offer lat/long. That's when I looked at the photo in my PC's Photoshop for EXIF and was sad to see the format used.

In any event, I sent the email, photo and DMS lat/long and received a thank you reply and expect to see the limb gone the next time I'm there.

Ah, I guess Google's phones give that info while my phone and camera app don't offer it. Your results would have pleased me to see when I searched my phone. Oh well.

Tomorrow is my birfday!

Well, actually, Member for
14 years 1 hour

See https://www.br-software.com/extracter.html.

I’ve done something similar with Exiftool but the command line usage was rather complex to get it to work.