Geotagging

How a geotag is stored

Where	What is stored	Typical source
EXIF GPS tags	GPSLatitude, GPSLongitude, GPSAltitude, with N/S and E/W references, plus GPS time and direction	Phone or camera at capture
XMP	The same coordinates as exif:GPSLatitude and exif:GPSLongitude	Photo editing and cataloguing software
IPTC photo metadata	Place names: sublocation, city, province/state, country and country code, for the location created or the location shown	People, or software that converts coordinates to names
Video containers	A location string in ISO 6709 format in MP4 and MOV files	Phones and action cameras

Coordinates and place names do different jobs. Coordinates are precise and machine-readable but mean nothing to a person searching for "Gothenburg flagship store". Place names are searchable but vague. Converting coordinates into names is called reverse geocoding, and most photo software can do it.

How precise is a geotag?

Coordinates are usually stored as decimal degrees. Each decimal place is ten times more precise:

Decimal places	Example	Precision at the equator
2	57.71, 11.97	About 1.1 km
3	57.708, 11.974	About 110 m
4	57.7089, 11.9746	About 11 m
5	57.70887, 11.97456	About 1.1 m

The number of decimals is not the same as accuracy. A phone outdoors is usually accurate to within about 5 metres; indoors, or just after it was switched on, it may record a position that is hundreds of metres off, or the last position it knew.

How geotagging is done

• At capture. The phone or camera writes its GPS position into each photo. This is the most common case and needs no work.
• From a GPS track. A photographer carries a GPS logger, then software matches each photo's capture time with the track and writes the coordinates. This works only if the camera clock was correct.
• By hand. The photo is placed on a map in cataloguing software, which writes the coordinates. Useful for scans and for cameras without GPS.
• As place names only. The location is written into the IPTC city and country fields without coordinates, which is enough for most marketing searches.

Geotagging in marketing and DAM work

• Retail and real estate. A retail chain finds every photo of one store, and a property developer finds the progress photos of one site, by location instead of by folder.
• Field marketing and events. Photos taken by regional teams or at trade shows are grouped by venue without anyone tagging them.
• Proof of location. A geotagged photo supports a claim that a display was installed in a given shop or that work was done on a given site.

Geotagging and privacy

Under Article 4(1) of the GDPR, location data that can be linked to a person is personal data. A photo taken at an employee's home, at a customer's premises or at a confidential supplier carries that address to anyone who downloads the original. Before files leave the organisation:

• remove GPS data from images published on websites, social media and press pages unless the location is the point;
• check photos sent by employees and freelancers, which often come straight from a phone;
• remember that the geotag records where the camera was, not necessarily what the photo shows.

Geotagging in Freedam

• On upload, Freedam reads the GPS latitude and longitude from the EXIF data of images and checks that they are valid coordinates before storing them. The IPTC city, state and country are also read and kept with the asset's technical metadata.
• The Technical tab of the asset page shows the GPS coordinates and the location, which can be copied with one click. The API returns them with the asset.
• The location field holds place names as text. It is searched by keyword search and can be used in advanced filters.
• Resized downloads leave out the GPS position and keep the rights fields. The original file, and the Original option of a share link, deliver the file as it was uploaded, GPS data included. See the download dialog.
• Access control rules can limit people or groups to resized downloads, so files with sensitive locations never leave the library with their coordinates.

Frequently asked questions

How do I see where a photo was taken?

Open the file's properties or information panel on a computer, or the photo's info view on a phone. If the file has GPS data, the coordinates or a small map are shown.

How do I turn off geotagging?

On a phone, turn off location access for the camera app in the privacy or location settings. On a camera, turn off the GPS or the phone connection that supplies the position. Photos already taken keep their geotags until they are removed.

Does removing EXIF data remove the geotag?

Removing all EXIF data removes the GPS coordinates. Check the XMP and IPTC fields too, since editing software may have copied the coordinates or written place names there.