
After discovering the iPhone automatically adds GPS EXIF tags to it's photos, I decided to try it out. I documented Lake Travis' historically low levels last week. I took photos with my Canon, but also snapped one photo with the iPhone from each photo location to document it via GPS.
I learned 2 things. First, iPhone is accurate only part of the time. I did not find any rhyme or reason to it's accuracy or lack thereof.
Next, I was dismayed to discover that GPS tags are still apparently for the adventurous. I assumed I would be able to simply drag the photos onto Google Earth and viola - mapped photo route !!
Not so. In fact, not NEAR so. Google makes a helper app, that calls another helper app (Unix command-line !! Yes it really was !!), which makes a file, which reads the GPS receiver file, which generates the KML file, which Google Earth can *finally* use.
I didn't have the stamina for all that.
I then learned iPhoto '09 has mapping built in. How convenient !! However, the inaccuracy of iPhone's GPS tags, coupled with iPhoto's inability to see modified EXIF info (only read upon initial import) still makes the process far more complex than it should be.
I'll continue and hopefully end up with some great overlay shots of the lake as it reaches what will doubtlessly be a new historic low, as well as the journey to fill back up.
Dave Maguire said he had seen the lake rise 24 feet in as many hours. I have personally seen the lake's highest ever level (Dec 1991), but don't remember that.