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Flickr Launches Drag and Drop Geotagging 80

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the fun-toys dept.
Thomas Hawk writes "Flickr today launched a mash up of sorts creating a tool in their organizer where users can use Yahoo! maps to geotag their photographs at Flickr. The new feature allows Flickr users the ability to simply drag and drop their photos onto a map, filter their photos by tags in order to geotag, and use interesting search technology to browse photos that have been geotagged on Flickr maps."
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Flickr Launches Drag and Drop Geotagging More

Flickr Launches Drag and Drop Geotagging

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  • I was worried they'd use uninteresting search technology, and that it would have blown the whole thing.

    I'm glad to see they decided to go with the interesting technology instead.

    Good call, Flickr!

  • Uh..... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Sohil ( 981376 ) on Monday August 28, 2006 @09:55PM (#15997574) Homepage
    I personally prefer Zooomr's, It uses Google Maps and is more functional than FlickR (and offers free accounts to bloggers)

  • Visit places you've never been (Score:5, Interesting)

    by w33t ( 978574 ) * on Monday August 28, 2006 @10:01PM (#15997583) Homepage
    I wonder if this geotagging could be combined with this photo tourism [washington.edu] technology? [microsoft.com]

    Furthermore, perhaps these photo tourism 3D reconstructions could then be combined with google earth so you could literally browse the planet.

    Neato.

    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by novus ordo ( 843883 )
      "Furthermore, perhaps these photo tourism 3D reconstructions could then be combined with Microsoft earth so you could literally browse the planet."
      Have you visited the Secret Chair Room located in Steve Ballmer's office? Would you like a virtual tour?
  • And yet, they still do not support subsets (categories). :/
  • Does it count as a mash-up if the technologies are both from the same company?

  • Completely useless (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I can't imagine anyone giving it a positive review... I just spent the past 1/2 hour of my life trying to use the interface. In both N6 and IE6 and it's just... simply.. broken. Frustratingly so! And I simply adore how when I attempt to search on my latitude/longitude coordinates (because other attempts at navigation fail) it send me to some place in England... not even a mistake regarding E/W longitude.

    This could be amazingly useful... if one could just use it.

    • Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by MacJedi ( 173 )
      N6 and IE6 and it's just... simply.. broken.
      Netscape 6? Are you on crack? Ever heard of Firefox [mozilla.com]? Even if you insist on using a Netscape branded browser, why not use version 8 [netscape.com].
    • I wouldn't say it is useless (works fine in Firefox) but there is no detailed map on streetlevel (Hannover, Germany). At some point the map area is gray (and doesn't reload detailed map data).

  • Flickrblog entry (Score:3, Informative)

    by shut_up_man ( 450725 ) on Monday August 28, 2006 @10:37PM (#15997682) Homepage
    There's more nifty info on the Flickrblog: http://blog.flickr.com/flickrblog/2006/08/great_sh ot_wher.html [flickr.com]

    Apparently Safari support is currently broken, but will be fixed shortly.
    • Is flickr's idea of "Safari will work soon" anything like Google's idea of "We'll support Macs soon"? To give google some credit, Google Earth now does work on Macs (and has for several months), but it did take them quite a while.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Snover ( 469130 )
        Chances are it works fine on a current Safari nightly [webkit.org]. The current release version of Safari really sucks in terms of DOM implementation; the nightlies work much, much better.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Goaway ( 82658 )
        Yes, supporting Safari is roughly equivalent in terms of workload to porting a huge application to another OS.

    • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I just used it on Safari without issue. Aside from Yahoo Maps' sluggish performance, it's pretty nifty.

  • smugmug (Score:2, Interesting)

    by khang ( 115702 )
    nothing new, other websites have done this before flickr, such as http://smugmug.com/ [smugmug.com]

    • Re: better URL (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Here is a more specific URL:
      http://maps.smugmug.com/ [smugmug.com]

      It isn't quite drag-and-drop, you have to enter latitude and longitude unless your camera embeds GPS information in the EXIF metadata. But it works well, using Google Maps API. It integrates somewhat with Google Earth, too.

      They have had this feature for several months now, and have already revved it once or twice.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shogun ( 657 )
        You don't have to enter the coordinates, you can just navigate around the world and click where it was taken. Though it still annoyingly defaults to some street in California that you have to zoom out from to find where you want.
    • they also havn't done it as cool as others: http://www.vcarious.com/Explorer/Photos [vcarious.com]
    • Is it just me or does smugmug seem down?
    • The term geotagging is being slightly misused by Flickr in my opinion.

      For some real geomapping (and a great way to waste time), see Wikimapia which lets you tag Google Maps.

      www.wikimapia.org [wikimapia.org]

  • Yahoo Maps is terrible (Score:5, Informative)

    by Tester ( 591 ) <olivier.crete@oc ... .ca minus author> on Monday August 28, 2006 @11:08PM (#15997771) Homepage
    The sad part about this is that Yahoo maps is soo bad.. And the flash-based beta version is even worse, it looks like a cheap rip-off of google maps, but that doesn't work properly. Any Yahooer should be ashamed of it. They can't do AJAX like Google. Shame on Yahoo.

    • Re:Yahoo Maps is terrible (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Wanado ( 908085 ) on Monday August 28, 2006 @11:33PM (#15997849)
      it looks like a cheap rip-off of google maps, but that doesn't work properly
      Agreed. People have been using Google maps and GreaseMonkey for geotagging for more than a year [txfx.net]. Flickr's parent company Yahoo probably got jealous and is making another attempt to be as cool as Google. Too little, too late.

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by garcia ( 6573 )
      The sad part about this is that Yahoo maps is soo bad.. And the flash-based beta version is even worse, it looks like a cheap rip-off of google maps, but that doesn't work properly. Any Yahooer should be ashamed of it. They can't do AJAX like Google. Shame on Yahoo.

      Note: I use Google Maps constantly as part of my job and personal use.

      ask.com's map stuff is *far* superior to Google Maps for the general user. Not only are their maps more up to date (and allow for zooming in further in more areas) but it work
      • as long as you stick to the good old USA.

        Try to type in "Tokyo" into ask and get a "nothing found", or "Japan, Tokyo", nothing there. if you scroll there. Well, there is green and blue ... Looks like Tokyo has not yet started existing.

        The best global map is still google.

        For the best local map, it is all different. There are chizumaru, yahoo japan for example, which are superious in detail and information for maps. But for none japanese users, they are kinda uselss (thought the japan maps from google are als

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Eivind ( 15695 )
        ask.com doesn't even *HAVE* a world-map, so how it can beat Googles is a mystery to me. (they do have a USA-map though)

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by hritcu ( 871613 )
        ask.com is us only. useless for everybody else.
        • They also have a uk street map. However the usabily of their map is lower than that of google and yahoo. I'd like also to point out streetmap.co.uk [streetmap.co.uk] which uses the offical OS [wikipedia.org] maps. It has easily the highest quality (not to mention it looks identical to any OS map you'd buy in a shop) but presumablity is the most up to date and accurate.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Pieroxy ( 222434 )
          ask.com is us only

          Is there anyone else?
      • Ask.com's has no dragging or scrolling, doesn't show local things on the map with pop-up details, doesn't allow you to click to recenter the map, has no satellite photo view, no combined satellite/roadmap view, doesn't fill the available browser window space...uh...how is it better than Google's again?
        • Ask.com's has no dragging or scrolling
          Maybe you should turn on javascript

          doesn't show local things on the map with pop-up details
          It can pinpoint addresses with the popup bubble, but other than that...I agree

          doesn't allow you to click to recenter the map
          Again, maybe you should turn on javascript

          has no satellite photo view
          Not sure how to explain this one, but there is very clearly an "Aerial" link on the map.

          no combined satellite/roadmap view
          I'll agree

          doesn't fill the available browser window space
          Actually, t
          • With Google maps, sometimes the sidebar is there and sometimes it isn't, and when it appears I've never been able to figure out an easy way of making it disappear.

            Perhaps you are confusing different implementations of the API with the 'official' maps page? The sidebar is an option for any mashup a web designer does, and making it disappear on click shouldn't be too difficult, also optional are the controls, markers, default zoom, etc. In addition, a full bleed Google map is pretty easy to make yoursel [leapbeyond.com]
            • Perhaps you are confusing different implementations of the API with the 'official' maps page

              I'm talking about the space to the left of the map, where it shows your search results, directions, etc. I'm almost positive that's what the person I responded to was talking about. As I said, the equivelant on ask.com maps is easy to hide. Google's doesn't appear to be so easy.
          • Hm...I did turn on JavaScript in Firefox, but it didn't enable any of those features. I guess I'll have to try it again. Thanks.

  • The Link (Score:3, Informative)

    by hey ( 83763 ) on Monday August 28, 2006 @11:14PM (#15997792) Journal
    http://www.flickr.com/map/ [flickr.com]

  • Lack of Wow Effect (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Kamiza Ikioi ( 893310 ) on Monday August 28, 2006 @11:43PM (#15997881)
    If they're going for the "Wow Effect", they're a year late. Pictures in maps... I'm sorry, am I supposed to be impressed? Drag and drop, mapped pictures, picture text searches, all great, but none new. I think they did a good job, and its a welcome addition to their site, but I don't think it's going to generate the buzz they think it might. It will, imho, simply keep them competitive with the bigger draws out there, like YouTube.

    If and when they release a code snippet to embed these in your own page (maybe they have, I don't know), then this will certainly be a big hit among users (though still not technically impressive). Imagine all the MySpace users who would flood to their service if they could organize their pictures by location, and even by friend's picture collections, and add it directly to their page.

    As it stands now, though, this is about as exciting as watching your friend buy last year's hot computer gadget after you've already played with it for a year. They've caught up, but they've not moved ahead.
    • Pictures in maps... I'm sorry, am I supposed to be impressed?

      Here's my take on it: I really don't care if other services has had it for a year, since I'm using Flickr. But if it's only news for Flicr-users, I don't know why it's on Slashdot. Maybe because they have such a large userbase, and the others doesn't?

  • Heh (Score:2)

    by JustNiz ( 692889 )
    I claim prior art on 'Drag and Drop Ghetto Tagging'.

  • Nice, but limited (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gullevek ( 174152 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2006 @01:18AM (#15998153) Homepage Journal
    I live in Japan and it is impossible to actually geo tag your pictures, because the smaller zoom ranges are not in the yahoo DB yet. Well, sadly flickr was bought by yahoo, so they cannot use the google maps which are way more detailed way more better.

    What I do not understand is, why yahoo can not use the yahoo japan maps which are highly accurte. Seems I have to wait quite some more time before I can start do any geo tagging.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      you can use the "google maps in flickr" greasemonkey script for geotagging using google maps.

      you can get that here:

      http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/1574 [userscripts.org]

      then auto-convert 'geotags' to the new flickr format.

      • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        inporting geotags to the new-system is done through:

        http://flickr.com/account/geo/import [flickr.com]

        so if google maps is your favourite mapping system you can still use it.

    • In that case, you might want to check out our geotagged photos (using Google Maps) for Japan:

      http://beta.zooomr.com/tagmap?ll=35.79999392988527 ,139.06494140625&z=6 [zooomr.com]

      We're also localized in over 15 languages, so most of those photos have been actually taken by fellow Japanese people. One of Zooomr's main goals is to represent photos universally, so when confronted with the choice to use Google Maps v. Yahoo! Maps, Google Maps was quite clearly the winner hands down.

      -Kristopher (Zooomr Founder)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by JanneM ( 7445 )
        It's a shame google maps are subtly broken for Japan, though. The bought map data and just added it without converting them to the same coordinate system they use for geographical data. Try flipping between street data and satellite images to see it.

      • There is a very neat script made by a guy for flickr. You just click on the link when you are on a single picture and then just go to the location and click done. Very easy.

  • Just used it - looks nifty, but it's DAMN slow, and there is no easy way to un-geotag a batch of your photos (at least not through the map interface - not good if you stuff up).

    The whole world map doesn't look like it has many photos on there from the pink dots, but it lists many more in the 'total photos' - so I think it is a little buggy right now. The photos I Just added didn't come up when I tried to narrow the search through the main page either.

    I think the site is a little too slow right now - I hope

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by dubl-u ( 51156 )
      there is no easy way to un-geotag a batch of your photos

      Drag them off the map and back into the strip at the bottom.
  • If you prefer Google Maps instead of Yahoo Maps, Ajax drag and drop interface to geolocate photos and the possibility of watching the photos in Goole Earth (quite impressive), http://www.panoramio.com/ [panoramio.com] may be an interesting option to you.

    We have been working hard on it. Hope you like it ;)

    Eduardo

  • I did a quick overview of the main features (with screencaps) at Flickr's built-in geocoding - your photos on Yahoo Maps [typepad.com]. In addition to geotags, it will take EXIF geocoded photos, but only if you set a preference and only for new photos uploaded after the pref is set.
  • If this thing gets real widely used, then you could probably construct bullet-time styled video clips:

    1. find a landmark (like Eiffel Tower)
    2. Draw a circle around it on the map and get as many photos near to the shape as possible, preserve them in the same circular order
    3. Now check them, probably many (or some) of them include Eiffel Tower. Discard all others
    4. Add them as individual frames to the clip.

    Since people around large objects probably tend to take a shot or two of these objects, this idea might

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