Usuario:SUPUL SINAC/geocoding español

Atajo COM:GEO or COM:GC

On Wikimedia Commons, geocoding is the practice of attaching geographic location information to media. When we geocode media on commons we identify the latitude and longitude from where the media was recorded and attach it to the description page using a template. For jpeg images, geodata can also be stored in the image exif.

Media which is geocoded can be found in Category:Media with locations.

Geocoding media on commons

Geocoding is easy and only takes a couple of steps.

On commons we record the location of the camera as accurately as we can. The locations of subjects should be geocoded on their Wikipedia articles, and the commons description should link to those Wikipedia articles.

Automatic procedure

If your camera has a built-in GPS receiver then your work is already done. User:DschwenBot goes through all new uploads every other day and adds the proper Geocoding Templates from the GPS data stored in your images.

Fully manual procedure

The easiest way to identify the location in urban areas is to use an online mapping site with aerial imaging such as:

hjl_geocoding

http://www.giswiki.org/hjl_geocoding.htm

Three steps to get coordinates:

search your location within the map
click the appropriate button
copy text

Notes

Does not work well with Opera, after pressing the Button switch to User Mode to view and copy the coordinates. (Seems to work all right with the new Opera 9.5/Linux)
Site does not work well with Firefox/Mac.
The JavaScript in your browser must be enabled

Google Maps

Method1

Go to Google Maps with crosshair

Place the cross hair exactly over the place and click on it. Then copy the template Location to Commons (Copy+Paste).

Method2

(Do only once) create a bookmark and enter the following for 'location':
- javascript:void(prompt('',"{{location dec|" + gApplication.getMap().getCenter().lat() + "|" + gApplication.getMap().getCenter().lng() + "}}"));
Open a new browser tab/window and load http://maps.google.com/.
Search for the correct location.
Click on "Satellite" if it helps to find the location more easily, and zoom in.
Click on the exact location the media was recorded to center the map.
Click on your bookmark and you'll get a prompt with the geocode tag to add to the image.

Method3

Open a new browser tab/window and load http://maps.google.com/.
Search for the correct location.
Click "Satellite" and zoom it.
Click on the exact location the media was recorded to center the map.
Click "Link to this page"
Now, either:
- Look in the url for a string like ll=37.51136,-77.602615. The numbers are latitude, longitude; you have identified the location.
- Or, use the Coordinate conversion helper which assists you with the geocoding process. Check the page for instructions on installing and using it.

Google Earth

If you have Google Earth, a tool for geotagging can be installed: Ald-Hjl-Koord-en.kmz. A crosshair will appear in the middle of the Google Earth screen. Place the crosshair exactly over the camera location by moving the view, and click on it. The location template can be copied from the window that opens. (Please deactivate the tool if unused.)

If you have coordinates in a KML file (such as created in Google Earth and exported with "Save As" or "Copy", or aided by Picasa), the kmlconvert tool can be used to convert the coordinates to Commons templates. This method is suitable for geocoding a series of images.

You can also use other means, such as a GPS receiver to determine the location while you are recording the media. This can be especially useful in rural locations without landmarks which can be easily recognized in the aerial images.

See en:Wikipedia:Obtaining geographic coordinates for more information.

Precision

The linear measurement of an angle varies according to Latitude. If we are aiming to a precision of about 7m, then it is appropriate to use decimal degrees with 4 decimal places. This is suitable in most cases.

**Length Equivalent at Selected Latitudes in km**
Latitude	Town	Degree	Minute	Second	Decimal Degree at 4 dp
60	Saint Petersburg	55.65km	0.927km	15.42m	5.56m
51° 28' 38" N	Greenwich	69.29km	1.155km	19.24m	6.93m
45	Bordeaux	78.7km	1.31km	21.86m	7.87m
30	New Orleans	96.39km	1.61km	26.77m	9.63m
0	Quito	111.3km	1.855km	30.92m	11.13m

See en:Geographic coordinate system for more information.

Geodetic system

All coordinates should be referenced to the en:WGS84 datum, the one supported by GPS systems and Google Maps. References taken from printed maps are unlikely to use this datum, and lead to inaccuracies in the order of hundreds of metres. National Grid reference systems use a local datum so will provide the wrong result.

Adding a location template

The use of the following templates is encouraged: * {{tl|Location}} for degree, minute, second coordinates * {{tl|Location dec}} for decimal degree coordinates ** Example for southern hemisphere, decimal: location dec|-7.58|-14.24 '''Do not simply invent your own new templates or copy geocoding templates from other wikis without discussion. Doing so can break the automation that reads and uses the geocoding. Commons geocoding needs are also not the same as those of other projects.''' Note that you should also not create your own wrappers around {{tl|Location}} or {{tl|Location dec}}; this will break the automation as well. Just call one of the templates directly from the image description page. Simply add <nowiki>{{location dec|lat|long}} to the top of the image page, filling in the lat and long from the procedure above.

The result will look something like this: {{location dec|37.51136|-77.602615}}

or add {{location|lat deg|lat min|lat sec|NS|long deg|long min|long sec|EW}} to the top of the image page, filling in the lat and long the result will look something like this: {{location|37|30|40.9|N|77|36|9.41|W}}

Parameters

Wikipedia geocoding often uses parameters after the coordinates to give more information about the location, but some of them are not useful here.

type and scale - Redundant on Commons, as most images are at lowest scale. The defaults are type:landmark and scale:5000. These parameters should be given only if values different from the defaults are desired.
heading - Used to indicate the direction the camera was pointing at. It is given as degree values 0-360 (clockwise with north as 0) or a compass point abbreviation as defined in w:Boxing the compass. (Example: heading:NW)

With Google Earth it's possible to have a full screen size compass overlay to help find the correct heading. Compass_overlay.kml can be added to "My Places" and displayed when necessary.

Use of the information

Clicking on the coordinates on an Image page will lead to a list of various services that can show the location. It is also possible to browse Commons images on a map:

A world map with thumbnails of geocoded images can be found from WikiMiniAtlas on Commons
All geocoded images from Commons plotted in Google Earth with GeoCommons
All geocoded images from Commons plotted in Google Maps

Things to do

Add geocoding to any location related media on Commons. Areas you know personally are easiest, but geocoding images from other areas based on satellite data and other photos is also possible. For help in finding material to work on, choose an interesting category and enter the name in this tool to see a gallery of images that need to be geocoded.
Refine inaccurate geocoding on images that are off the correct camera location, or have been positioned in the exact same place as a number of other images (see list)
Monitor and fix tags on recently geocoded images (gallery).
Find coordinates with unknown headings and try to fix them (see [1]).