Thornton, CO., 31 October 2005 – A GIS analyst working on post-Katrina damage assessment in Mississippi found the GeoSpatial Experts GPS-Photo Link software to be a valuable tool in disaster clean-up efforts.
Laura Horton, the GIS volunteer, said that if everyone had had access to the software, the various disaster relief agencies working together could have generated very useful images for ongoing damage assessment and other vital clean-up operations. GeoSpatial Experts GPS-Photo Link software is a digital photo mapping software that automatically links digital photographic images to GPS location data. The software creates web pages in which watermarked photographs are integrated with satellite imagery, street maps, and other GIS-based mapping layers.
Horton, who works as a GIS analyst for the U.S. Coast Guard, joined two teams of GIS volunteers assisting state and federal agencies, such as FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others, in conducting damage assessment during the first few weeks after Hurricane Katrina destroyed large portions of the Gulf Coast. In her role as volunteer, Horton used her handheld GPS and digital camera to record photos of the destruction, and then used GPS-Photo Link software to track the locations of the photos.
“The GPS-Photo Link software could be very helpful in responding to future disasters, as well as finding uses in other areas, such as intelligence and homeland security activities,” said Horton.
GeoSpatial Experts’ GPS-Photo Link software allows the user to take a digital photograph of a feature or area, such as a disaster site, acquire a precise location point with a handheld GPS receiver, and then download this information and have it correlated automatically — enabling each photograph to be watermarked with the date, time, and GPS location where it was taken. The software also allows the user to add notes to the photo file. Finally, the photo locations can be registered on a GIS map, allowing each location to be depicted as an icon on the map. By clicking on the icon, the user can then view the underlying photo.
About GeoSpatial Experts:
Headquartered in Thornton, Colorado, GeoSpatial Experts is the developer of "GPS-Photo Link," a digital photo mapping software that saves time and money by automatically linking digital photographic images to GPS location data in the GIS environment. GPS-Photo Link creates web pages in which the watermarked photographs are integrated with satellite imagery, street maps, and any other GIS-based mapping layer. GeoSpatial Experts is also an official reseller of Ricoh GPS-enabled digital cameras. For more information, visit the firm’s website at www.GeoSpatialExperts.com.