Introduction

To start using GPS-Photo Link, select new project or project manager at the top of the page. Click on the items below to get more information about GPS-Photo Link and GeoSpatial Experts.

Other HELP Resources

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Topics

Reporting Errors or Requesting Features

FAQ Answers

Downloading/Upgrading Issues

I have GPS-Photo Link version 5.0 and want to try version 5.1. Can I download the free trial?

• Yes, but the 5.1 version will overwrite your 5.0 software. Once you download the newer software it will run in trial mode for 15 unique days. If you choose to purchase the software just let us know your current serial number and we will update it to work with 5.1. If you choose not to purchase the upgrade simply uninstall the software and reinstall 5.0. Your license should be active when you start the program again.

What version of GPS-Photo Link should I download?

• If you have never used GPS-Photo Link you should download the most recent version which is always under the Trial tab on our web site.
• If you are upgrading to 5.x, download the Trial version and use the serial number given to you when you purchase the software to activate it. Once you activate your software you will be notified of any future free or paid upgrades available when you launch GPS-Photo Link. To install the upgrade close GPS-Photo Link before continuing so that you do not need to restart your computer before it takes effect.
• If you are re-installing make sure to install the most recent version that you purchased. Use the table below to determine which version you need. If you have the original disk, use it to install and upgrade to the highest free version available.

Once you reinstall you will need to unlock or activate your software. Different versions have different activation codes or methods associated with them. Versions 4.x and higher have serial numbers that were given to you at the time of purchase and may be found on your invoice or in your CD case. Contact us if you are unable to find your activation code. Versions 4.0 and earlier had a different activation system that generated an 8 digit code when the software was installed. If you have reinstalled this version on a different computer you will need to contact our office for a new unlock code. If you have a 4.2.x or earlier version we strongly recommend upgrading as these versions are no longer supported.

Do I need to uninstall my old version before I upgrade to 5.x?

No. Do not uninstall. Because of the new platform, previously processed photos cannot be viewed in the Project Manger. Use the older version of GPS-Photo Link to view photos as usual or use the new version to reprocess those photos so that they can be added to the new Project Manager system.

If I upgrade, does the new version overwrite the older versions?

If you upgrade to 5.x it will not overwrite previous versions. GPS-Photo Link 5.0 is built on a completely different platform. When you install this version any previous versions of GPS-Photo Link will remain.

Do I need to pay for to upgrade my software?

If you have a current maintenance agreement, all upgrades to any version are free. If you are moving from 4.x to 5.0 you will need to contact us for a new serial number.

If you do not have a current maintenance agreement you may upgrade to the highest version for the license you purchased. The following chart provides a guide. Links to these upgrades may be found at www.geospatialexperts.com/downloadupgrade.php

What do I get when I buy an upgrade?

You will receive a serial number for the most recent version of GPS-Photo Link plus a year of additional upgrades and support for free.

How do I know which version I have installed?

• In the 5.x versions of GPS-Photo Link the version number is printed in the semitransparent bar at the top of the window. You can also see the version information by clicking Tools & Activation Manager.

Activation/Registration

My hard drive crashed or I got a new computer and when I re-installed GPS-Photo Link on a new computer it said that all my licenses have been used.

Each GPS-Photo Link license works on one computer at a time. If possible, transfer the license before changing computers. If you cannot access the old computer, contact our office so that we can deactivate the old computer and make your serial number active again.

Transfer A License to Another Computer

How to transfer a license 5.x

You can easily transfer a GPS-Photo Link license from one computer to another via the internet. Click the Help, Activation Manager.

• On the old computer, use the Copy or Email Information button to copy the Serial Number listed. Email that information to the new computer or user.
• On the old computer, click Deactivate button (using either the Internet button if you have internet access or the Non Internet button if you do not).

If you use the Internet option the Deactivate button will immediately check the license back into our server making it available to another computer. Your original computer will no longer be able to use GPS-Photo Link.

If you use the Non Internet option the Deactivate button will also immediately disable your license. However, you must send an email using the copy or email buttons to notify us of the deactivation so that we can make that license available to another user. If you do not have email access you may call us with the information.

• On the new computer follow Activation instructions above. Use the Paste function to paste in the serial number you copied from the first computer or type it in.

NOTE: DO NOT uninstall GPS-photo Link without first Deactivating the software. Otherwise the license will be unavailable when you reinstall it.

Errors that happen when I try to run GPS-Photo Link

• If you encounter a problem with GPS-Photo Link you can tell us about it by clicking on the Tools button at the top of the screen. Scroll down to Contact Us and select Report a Bug or Request an Enhancement. This will generate an email which you can complete and send automatically to our engineers. They will work to quickly resolve the issue and write back to you with a solution. You may also contact our office by emailing help@geospatialexperts.com or calling us at 303-255-2908 between 8:00 - 5:00 MST.
• As changes are made to the software you will be notified that there is a new version ready when you launch GPS-Photo Link. Please keep the version you have current.

If you receive this error when you try to run GPS-Photo Link:

This error occurs for people running MicroSoft Windows XP Home. The error indicates that you do not have the right version of MicroSoft Windows installed. Go to your computer's System Properties page and make sure you have the Windows XP service pack 2 installed. This is a free upgrade from MicroSoft.

Project Management & Output Issues

Where are my projects being saved and how can I change it?

• By default all projects are saved on the C: drive in the GeoSpatial Experts folder. To view this and change where projects are saved click the Tools icon at the top of the screen and select Application Options. Choose File Locations and browse to where you want files to be saved.

I can't find the output from previous projects.

• Version 5.x is written in a completely different programming language on a different platform. For these reasons you cannot view output from previous versions of GPS-Photo Link using the Project Manager. You may use your previous version of GPS-Photo Link to view output or simply use your computer's browser to find and view existing projects. To see these projects in the Project Manager you need to process those photos using a 5.x version of the software. This may be very easy if you have created and saved a template for your work in the Project Manager. Once you have saved your project settings as a Template you can simply import photos and GPS data from previous projects and click Create Output to generate your preset outputs in the new format and have them included in the Project Manager.

How can I import projects processed on other computers?

• If the projects used GPS-Photo Link 5.x to process photos then you can import them into your Project Manager using the Include button and browsing to the projects you wish to include.
• If the projects were done in previous versions of GPS-Photo Link they can not appear in the Project Manager but may be viewed through

No map appears in my Word, Web or PDF output.

• GPS-Photo Link uses the Static Maps selected under the Shared Output Settings tab to determine which maps are downloaded and displayed. If no map appears there are two possible explanations:
1. No map exists for your location in this map source. Choose another map source.
2. No map exists at this resolution for this map source. High resolution maps are rarely available for rural areas. Change the Zoom level to a lower setting until a map appears.

I don't like the output once I see it and want to make changes.

• To make changes to the output you can reopen the project by double clicking on the title in the Project Manager. This returns you to the Wizard portion. Visit the appropriate tabs in the Wizard to make changes you desire (i.e. Edit Attributes, Watermark, Output). Make sure you select all the output you want associated with this project including the one you want changed. Click Create Output and view results in Project Manager.
• Note: Each time you click Create Output, GPS-Photo Link overwrites all previous results. Example: You created Google Earth and PDF output. You like the Google Earth file, but when you viewed the PDF you didn't like the title so you went back in and changed it. Thinking you only needed to change the PDF you selected only PDF output. Next when you view the output there is no longer a Google Earth file. Why? GPS-Photo Link wipes out previous versions of output each time. Solution? Open the project again, select all output you want and click Create Output again.

Importing Photos & GPS Coordinates

My photos are in multiple folders. How can I import them?

• In the Import Photos section begin by choosing photos from one folder and click Import. You may click the Import Photos button again and browse to a different folder to add more photos.
• Note: You may use photos from multiple folders as long as the GPS information is included in the photo (was taken by a GPS enabled camera) or the GPS information is in a single file (track log or way points).If you have multiple photos in multiple folders with different track logs or way points, you will need to process them separately.

My GPS coordinates are not displayed in Lat/Lon. How do I import it into GPS-Photo Link?

• When you use the Geotag Wizard, it will ask you to indicate the coordinate system of the GPS data. GPS-Photo Link will convert it to any other coordinate system using Blue Marble technology.

Some of my photos were geotagged and others were not. How do I geotag the rest using GPS data from a file without overwriting the correct tags? (This may happen if you used 2 cameras: one with a GPS and one without. Coordinates for the second camera were recorded by a separate GPS device.)

• When using the Geotag Wizard you will go through several steps to identify the GPS data that will be used for photos without GPS coordinates. Near the end of the Wizard in the Time Matching Options screen you will be shown a checkbox that says "Do not Geotag photos that already have GPS information". Check this box to leave the photos with GPS information untouched. If you forget, all the photos will be overwritten based on the GPS data in the file with the photos matched to the position with the closest time. If that happens by accident you can reset the attributes of the photos back to how they started by selecting the photos in the thumbnail viewer and clicking the Reset Data button.

What if some of my photos were not geotagged and I have no other GPS data?

• Use the Map Editor in the Attribute Editor tab to add a position for each photo. Highlight the photo(s), Click Add New Location icon and click on the map where you want the position to be. Adjust that position using the Allow Edit icon. If you cannot find the position you want on the map you may use the search feature at the bottom of the screen. This activates the Bing search. Type in a name or address for a place to see the appropriate map.

Editing Attributes or Photos

When I view my photos on the Map Editor, no map appears.

• In some instances the Bing map available for a particular area is not available at higher resolutions. Click the minus arrow in the top left portion of the map to zoom out until a map appears.

I accidentally made changes to attribute data like title, location, etc.

• You may reset attributes back to their original state by selecting the thumbnail image(s) of photos and pressing the Reset Data icon.

I accidentally made changes to a photo in the photo editor.

• You may undo up to 5 of your last actions by clicking the Undo icon or you can reset the photo back to how it looked originally by clicking the Reset Photo icon.

Problems with Google Earth Output

My photos do not appear in Google Earth:

• Make sure you check “Allow placemark balloons to access local files and personal data” In Google Earth, Tools Menu,  Options, then click on the General tab.

Only some photos showing:

• In Google Earth, only some icons are showing, a max of 10 show up, sometimes only 3 out of 50 points? All files/locations are however listed down the side of the screen allowing you to click on these and then zoom to the photo location. This is a “feature” in Google Earth, to only show a time slice (slider at the top of the screen).
• It really should be turned off, then you can see all of the icons. To turn it off, go to the menu “View”, then “Show Time”, select “Never”

Links not working

• The links on thumbnails displayed in Google Earth won't link to original or watermarked photo.
• In the Output Options screen, under the Google tab, make sure “Link to Watermarked” and “Link to Original” picture are selected. Also, the original picture (*.JPG), and watermarked photo (*_tag.JPG), need to be in the same directory as the picture.kml file.

Issues with ESRI ArcGIS Output

What kind of ESRI license do I need to create Shape Files or GeoDatabases?

• You need a licensed version of ArcGIS installed on your system to create Geodatabases.
• GeoDatabase output does not work with ArcGIS 10, but Shape File output does, this is a compatibility problem and will be fixed as soon as we can.
• If you have an ArcView license (or higher), you can create personal and file Geodatabases.
• If you have an ArcEditor or Arc Info license, you can   output to Enterprise Geodatabases (SDE).
• If you have no licensed version of ArcGIS, you can still create Shape Files.

Can someone install just the ArcGIS Toolbar for free so I can send my data to another user and have them use the toolbar to view the photos?

• Yes!! Just have them install the trial version of GPS-Photo Link, and they will get the toolbar for free. They do not have to register the software.

I can't find the toolbar in ArcGIS.

• The toolbar will only work in ArcGIS 9.3 or ArcGIS 10


• Try Right-Clicking over the toolbar area in ArcMap, and select "GPS-Photo Link", to activate the toolbar. If it is not there, try the following :
  
• If you installed or upgraded ArcGIS after installing GPS-Photo Link, uninstall GPS-Photo Link, then re-install it again.


• ESRI .NET Support for ArcGIS must be installed before using the GPS-Photo Link toolbar.

  To check for the ESRI .NET Support Feature for ArcGIS, navigate to the location on your hard drive where you installed ArcGIS Desktop and look for the DotNet folder. For example, go to C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\DotNet. If you do not find the DotNet folder, follow the instructions below for installing the Esri .NET Support Feature for ArcGIS.

  To add the Esri .NET Support Feature, you will need to access ArcGIS either on CD or via your network.

  Go to Start>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs, select ArcGIS Desktop, and click Change.

  When the message window appears, either insert the ArcGIS Desktop CD into your disk drive or browse to the source for ArcGIS Desktop on your network and click OK. When the ArcGIS Setup window appears, select Modify and click Next. Select .NET Support to be installed on local hard drive, click Next, and follow the instructions to install the Esri .NET Support Feature for ArcGIS.



• If the above doesn't work, and you have ArcGIS 9.3.x, try the following
  
  Open a command prompt (i.e. click “Run”, then type in “cmd”).
  
  Change directory by typing this at the c: prompt:
  
  cd \Program Files\GeoSpatial Experts\GPS-Photo Link
  
  Register the extension typing (or copying) the entire line below :
  
  C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Regasm "gps-photo link extension9.dll" /codebase
  
  It should say “Types registered successfully” at the end of the output.
  
  The toolbar should appear in the list in ArcMap now.