GPS Map Camera (live geotag stamp and EXIF location on photos)

About the GPS Map Camera (live geotag stamp and EXIF location on photos)

A camera in your browser that stamps every photo at the moment you press the shutter with the location your device reports right then: latitude and longitude, the accuracy in metres, the altitude when the device gives one, a Plus Code worked out on the device, the compass direction the camera faced, and the device date and time with its time zone. The same position and time go into the photo’s Exif GPS and date tags, so map and gallery apps place it correctly.

The location can never be typed or edited, and photos from your gallery cannot be stamped: the stamp shows what this device measured when the photo was taken. Add a short note and your logo, choose a Google Maps or OpenStreetMap link (printed and as a QR code), and save each photo as a JPEG. Nothing is uploaded, there is no daily limit and no watermark of ours, and once the page has loaded it keeps working without a connection.

Common uses

• Site engineers and inspectors documenting progress, defects and measurements on construction sites.
• Field staff of surveys, agriculture, utilities and NGOs who must submit geotagged photos of a site or asset.
• Real-estate agents and valuers recording a property and its surroundings.
• Anyone who wants holiday or hiking photos with a readable location and time on them.

What is recorded, and where it comes from

• Position and accuracy come from the browser’s Geolocation API, asked for the most accurate reading and never a cached one. The device decides how: GPS, Wi-Fi or mobile networks. The accuracy is the radius the device reports; the W3C Geolocation standard describes it at a 95 % confidence level.
• Altitude is printed only when the device reports one. The standard defines it as height above the WGS 84 ellipsoid, which can differ from height above sea level by tens of metres, so treat it as approximate.
• Plus Code is computed on the device with the Open Location Code algorithm: a 10-digit code for a cell of about 14 × 14 m at the equator (narrower from east to west farther from it), which works where there are no street addresses.
• Compass direction is where the back of the phone points, from its orientation sensors (W3C DeviceOrientation). It is relative to magnetic north, as phone sensors measure it (Android position sensors), and can be thrown off by metal, magnets, vehicles and magnetic phone cases; move the phone in a figure 8 to calibrate it. Desktop computers usually have no compass.
• Date and time are the device clock at the shutter, with its UTC offset and time zone name. When the camera starts, the page compares the device clock with this site’s server time once and prints the result, so a wrong clock is visible on the photo.

What the Exif data contains

Each JPEG carries Exif tags as defined in version 2.32 of the Exif standard (CIPA standards): GPSLatitude/GPSLongitude with their N/S and E/W references, GPSHPositioningError (the accuracy), GPSAltitude when reported, GPSImgDirection with reference M (magnetic), the GPS date and time of the fix in UTC, GPSMapDatum WGS-84, DateTimeOriginal with OffsetTimeOriginal and sub-seconds, your note as ImageDescription, and a short machine-readable note (time zone, age of the fix, clock check) in UserComment.

What a GPS stamp proves — and what it does not

The stamp and Exif tags record what the browser reported. They are useful evidence of a routine site visit, but they are not tamper-proof: a browser’s location can be overridden (for example with the developer tools’ sensor settings, or a mock-location app on Android), a device clock can be set wrong, and any photo can be edited afterwards. No app that runs on your own phone can rule that out completely. If you need proof that would stand up to a dispute, combine the photos with other records — a signed report, server-side timestamps or independent witnesses.

Getting an accurate fix

• Switch on the device’s location services and, on Android, the setting that improves location accuracy.
• Go outdoors with a clear view of the sky; tall buildings, trees and roofs reflect or block satellite signals.
• Give it a minute after starting: the first readings are often rough and improve as more satellites are found. Without a network connection the first fix can take longer.
• Keep the page on screen: browsers stop sending locations to pages in the background, and the camera switches off when you leave the page.

Limitations

• Needs a browser with camera and location access over HTTPS. On iPhone and iPad use Safari or another browser with location permission for the site; Chrome on Android, Edge, Samsung Internet, Firefox and desktop browsers work too.
• Chrome, Edge and Samsung Internet on Android and on computers take a photo at the camera’s photo resolution; Safari, Firefox and every browser on iPhone and iPad save the frame of the live video, which is usually smaller than photos from the camera app.
• No map picture is drawn on the photo: it carries a map link and a QR code instead.
• There is no street address: turning coordinates into an address needs an online map service. The Plus Code and the map link identify the place instead.
• Photos of a session are kept only while the page is open (up to 200). Keep “Save each photo as soon as it is taken” on, or save them before closing the page.
• The compass needs a phone or tablet with orientation sensors, and it is relative to magnetic north.

Privacy

Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot. When the camera starts, the page asks this site’s server for the time once, to compare it with the device clock. Nothing about you, your location or your photos is sent.