Looks like Flickr now has a maps feature which allows you to geotag photos (found on DSLRBlog). This brings one of the key Zooomr features to Flickr users.
I’m impressed. The interface for adding tags is very easy to use. It is built into Organizr, so you simply need to find a place on the map, select the photos you want to put on it (in my case, I was able to search my tags to get groups of photos for each location), and then drag the bubble over.
The disappointing thing is that the feature is (unsurprisingly) based on Yahoo! Maps… and the level of detail available is very poor, particularly outside of the US. This might be an impetus for them to improve their coverage to compete with Google. I can’t realistically locate several of the places where I took photos without more detail, or even just more roads visible at close zoom levels in the UK.
On balance, I think I’d prefer this implementation to the Zooomr version, if only it used Google Maps! In the meantime, Zooomr now has some other cool features such as portals, so I guess it will be interesting to see how both services continue to develop.
Here’s my current Flickr map (I haven’t placed all of my photos yet).
I’ve also discovered various helpful Greasemonkey scripts to improve my Flickr experience, through a group called Flickr Hacks. They include a script that changes the homepage, and a number of others.
Update – just discovered via Cote’s blog that Upcoming.org and Flickr have been integrated somewhat, evidently as part of a drive to bring Yahoo! services together. Shame about those maps, though…
Update – Thomas Hawk (of Zooomr fame) likes the Flickr implementation, too…
tags: flickr, tagging, geotagging, zooomr, photography, yahoo, maps, google, greasemonkey, firefox
Apart from Zooomr, another project using Google Maps for geotagging photos is Panoramio. In Panoramio you can also watch the photos in Google Earth KML feed, a much better experience than web based maps.
Eduardo