Add ability to use multiple GXP files at once

[jch2103]

I'm posting this because I would also find this a useful addition to IMatch mapping capabilities.

Typically I have a set of images imported from my camera taken during a longer time range (e.g. a whole holiday trip). And I copy all my GPS tracklogs (daily files) to a directory (e.g. a directory for all GPX files of the current year). So I want my tool to take a set of images (with EXIF timestamps) and look for the suitable GPX timestamps and coordinates in a whole bunch of files (i.e. a directory). Would this be possible in IMatch (thinking this is rather a feature request)?

[Mario]

Please specify how this is supposed to work.

Should IMatch search the entire disk for GPX files?
Should it look in the same folder as the images?
Should it look in one or more designated folders?
Where should this be implemented? Map Panel? Separate command?
How should the progress indication and feedback (success, failed files, uncertain files) look?

[axel.hennig]

+1

Should look in one (not more) designated folder.

[jch2103]

Please specify how this is supposed to work.

Should IMatch search the entire disk for GPX files?
Should it look in the same folder as the images?
Should it look in one or more designated folders?
Where should this be implemented? Map Panel? Separate command?
How should the progress indication and feedback (success, failed files, uncertain files) look?

I'd be happy if GPS import worked the way it does now (i.e., same dialog, look in one location) but with the added ability to select more than one GPX file at a time. Likewise for the progress indication and feedback.

The OP, @mity!, may have other/additional ideas.

[Aubrey]

Probably means concatenate gpx files, removing header/footer data (I haven't checked what's there)

Would be reasonably simple.
On weeks  trip after loading files  I filter by date and then use gpx file for a particular datr to locate. So I would not require this proposed feature.

Aubrey
-1

[Mees Dekker]

+1

[ubacher]

Should look in one (not more) designated folder.

I put my GPX file in the same folder that the images are in.

I would like this folder to be the default. Others will want to define a fixed folder
of their own and others will select the folder at every use.

Imatch could then use the GPX files the user selects - if more than one.

Mind you - I can see a lot of possible complications having GPX files from different time ranges!!!

-1  because it complicates Imatch just for the simplification of one particular way of keeping GPX files.

[akirot]

+1

Just the possibility to select more than one gpx file manually would be a big advantage.

Sometimes I have several gpx files for e.g. a day (due to technical reasons) and it would be nice if I could work with them in one go.

[Mario]

Please send me sample sets of files / GPX track logs.
I have implemented this as a prototype (additional command to load all track logs in a selected folder), but I need more real test data.

What to send:

1. Small files are fine (300 pixels or so) as long as the GPX data is valid.
You can create these e.g. with the IMatch Batch Processor (export GPX data must be checked in Metadata).
2. The matching GPX files.

Send them to my support email address support email address

[digedag]

Please send me sample sets of files / GPX track logs.

Five JPGs (300 x 199 px) with embedded location data and the associated GPX file are on their way as a ZIP right now.

Bernhard

[Mario]

Thanks. It is important to have files which require multiple GPX files, e.g. taken during a longer trip, maybe over several days.
I can synthesize test data, but real data is always more challenging and often full of surprises.

[digedag]

It is important to have files which require multiple GPX files, e.g. taken during a longer trip, maybe over several days.

I have a trip there for 10 days. From the native ezTour file (*.itm) I could export up to 15 *.GPX tracks.
How many would be good and also how many photos? Only JPGs or NEFs as well?

Bernhard

[Asgard]

+1

Would be very useful for my work flow. (Perhaps in addition to built-in support for viewing GPX track logs, as previously requested in https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=11386.msg81341#msg81341.)

[Mario]

I have a trip there for 10 days. From the native ezTour file (*.itm) I could export up to 15 *.GPX tracks.
How many would be good and also how many photos? Only JPGs or NEFs as well?

Small JPG files are fine. Even if they are all completely blank, I'm only interested in mapping the timestamps / coordinates in the file to the track log.
Many GPX files for a set of files are welcome.

[digedag]

+1

+1

I forgot all about that!

I would also be happy to contribute some screenshots of the GeoSetter UI (or experiences with GeoSetter) - if desired.

Bernhard

[digedag]

Small JPG files are fine. Even if they are all completely blank, I'm only interested in mapping the timestamps / coordinates in the file to the track log.
Many GPX files for a set of files are welcome.

Need a little time for it. Will get back to you when the email is out.

Bernhard

[Mario]

Would be very useful for my work flow. (Perhaps in addition to built-in support for viewing GPX track logs, as previously requested in https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=11386.msg81341#msg81341.)

This is a very long thread and I don't understand what the original question was...
IMatch can load and display GPX track files in the Map Panel.
You can display the file route for all selected files with GPS data.

[Mario]

I would also be happy to contribute some screenshots of the GeoSetter UI (or experiences with GeoSetter) - if desired.

I have used GeoSetter many times. The author of GeoSetter is also an IMatch user.
The audience for GeoSetter and IMatch is quite a bit different, hence the UIs differ for a reason.

[Asgard]

Would be very useful for my work flow. (Perhaps in addition to built-in support for viewing GPX track logs, as previously requested in https://www.photools.com/community/index.php?topic=11386.msg81341#msg81341.)

This is a very long thread and I don't understand what the original question was...
IMatch can load and display GPX track files in the Map Panel.
You can display the file route for all selected files with GPS data.

The gist of that request was to have a quick preview of the GPX track when it is selected in the file window, much like the image quick view panel. So basically it would perform a similar thing as selecting the GPX file to load from the map panel dialog, by simply selecting th GPX file in the file window. Maybe several GPX-tracks could be previewed simultaneously by selecting several GPX files in the file window.

[Mario]

The gist of that request was to have a quick preview of the GPX track when it is selected in the file window, much like the image quick view panel. So basically it would perform a similar thing as selecting the GPX file to load from the map panel dialog, by simply selecting th GPX file in the file window. Maybe several GPX-tracks could be previewed simultaneously by selecting several GPX files in the file window.

IMatch does by default not include GPX track logs in the database.
Usually these are just temporary files, until the GPS coordinates have been imported into the image files. Then the track log is no longer needed (from an IMatch perspective).
I'm sure there is specialized software (free and paid, smartphone apps etc). out there which can load and display track logs for various purposes. I just don't see why this would make sense for a DAM like IMatch.
But it makes no sense to mix other feature requests into this one. Please keep your request separate from this.

[digedag]

Will get back to you when the email is out.

Done.

Bernhard

[jch2103]

I've sent two sets of GPX files and corresponding JPG images to your support address, with a link back to this topic.

Let me know if you have questions or problems with the files.

[Mario]

I've sent two sets of GPX files and corresponding JPG images to your support address, with a link back to this topic.

Let me know if you have questions or problems with the files.

Thanks.

[digedag]

More samples needed? Maybe other time zones than Germany? Would still have Canada, Ireland, Bulgaria to offer ...

Bernhard

[Mario]

More samples needed? Maybe other time zones than Germany? Would still have Canada, Ireland, Bulgaria to offer ...

Bernhard

Thanks for now. I have received 10 sets of files + track logs from all over the world.
This should do for the initial development and testing for this feature. I'll look into this as soon as I have some free time.

[voronwe]

Did not saw this before, but also from me:

+1

[Carlo Didier]

+1

Should look in one (not more) designated folder.

[mastodon]

After a several day trip, I use gpx files (one or more) to add GPS coordinates to the photos. That would make it much faster.

[ColinIM]

+1

I too will often have multiple GPX files on a particular day.

(I see that my posting here has overlapped with another reply ...)

(....)
Should look in one (not more) designated folder.

I would offer my own thoughts about your vote Carlo, to have a single, designated folder from which IMatch would examine multiple GPX files for matching coordinates ....

I would hope that (if this can be implemented at all ...) we could quickly and easily change that designated folder path, because (in my case) I have hundreds of GPX files and I would prefer not to have to assemble them all into just one folder.

For example, I place all my GPX files from each month's photos into a specific 'month-labelled' folder alongside the actual photo-folders, so I rarely have more than about 30 GPX files together in any one folder.

Also, I can imagine that it would be inefficient for IMatch to scan through dozens of GPX files in a single folder each time it sought a time-match for each of our multiply-selected images - even with some clever caching.

(I am just thinking aloud here  These are not criticisms of any sort ....)

And then we must also consider - when we begin a geosetting session in IMatch - that it's a fundamental feature in IMatch for us to gather, or Select into one 'Collection' (the Collection that we want to be 'geosetted'), multiple images from any date and from any folder location ... so in such a case, where oh where should IMatch then look for our presumed-to-be-relevant GPX files?

One possible way to simplify the location of relevant GPX files (excuse the pun) would be to insist that we always placed our GPX files into the same folder(s) as the images to which they relate. But I would definitely not be happy with that idea.  I prefer to avoid non-image related clutter in my image folders.

(In GeoSetter it was always easy (easier) because in GeoSetter (as most of us will know), the images to be geotagged would all reside in the one single folder into which we had browsed - namely the single folder that was GeoSetter's 'current' folder, plus the fact that the Path to the 'GPX-file folder' was easy to modify.)

But IMatch and GeoSetter are distinctly different machines, as Mario has reminded us 

In summary, I will vote +1, hoping that nevertheless, Mario can weave some magic to allow us to designate multiple GPX files to be scanned each time we want to geotag a Collection / Selection of images.

[Mario]

I would hope that (if this can be implemented at all ...) we could quickly and easily change that designated folder path, because (in my case) I have hundreds of GPX files and I would prefer not to have to assemble them all into just one folder.

Like you currently select a GPX file, the new command would allow you to select a folder. May with the default set to the folder containing the focused file and an option to remember the folder (for users with dedicated GPX folders).
This works whether you keep the GPX files in the same folder as the images, in a sub-folder or in a dedicated folder elsewhere.

[ColinIM]

Thumbs up!
Thank you.

[Mario]

This feature has been implemented for the next release.
See #01666 in the https://www.photools.com/release-notes

[jch2103]

Excellent! Thank you for implementing this request.

[digedag]

Thank you - from me as well!

Bernhard