Show HN: Compass that points you to a photo's EXIF location

[gohnjanotis]

I've been hiking and foraging for mushrooms and wild foods, so I made this simple utility app for iOS.

It lets you pick a photo you took (or that someone sent you) and then points you in the direction the photo was taken, kind of like a compass, based on the coordinates stored in the photo's EXIF data. It's basically a fast and easy way to mark locations and get back to them.

Originally I tried it in JavaScript, but iOS strips lat and lon info from photos when they're picked with a file input field. You can still find the beginnings of my hacked together JS version here: http://foodsfofree.herokuapp.com/

This is just a side project I built for fun since I hadn't built an iOS app before, so I'm not trying to turn it into a business or something, just wanted to share it!

You can also read more about it here on my blog: http://gohnjanotis.com/photo-find-v1-1-released/

[hashtree]

Very neat idea, reminds me of the Gatherer add-on from WoW (http://www.curse.com/addons/wow/gatherer).

[cpg]

Great little app. I would go a little further -- let the app also take pics (with the GPS on), or simply remember places with tags on the spot. e.g. tag and say "parked car".

I sometimes do not leave the location on, however, I would still like the functionality of the app.

Great job!

[exogen]

Cool! A few years ago I was couch surfing at a stranger's house on the opposite side of the U.S. and found myself unable to find the house again after a late night at the bar. Didn't have the address because we had met on a bike trail and followed him home earlier. Eventually I remembered I had taken a picture of his cat, and sure enough it was geotagged directly on his living room!

[Gys]

Great idea ! Has been on my list for a while as well ;-)

> Originally I tried it in JavaScript, but iOS strips lat and lon info from photos when they're picked with a file input field.

Yes, that is how far I got. Good you went a step further.

I think there are options for expanding: because a photo is easier to share then a location plus it tells a lot about the location itself. Better then some numbers of shortened url.

Combined with compass navigation the user does not need internet (Apple, Google maps) to still be able to navigate to a location.

And why share just one photo ? Share a collection: interesting buildings in a city, or the best places with cakes (based on just the pictures of those cakes :-).

I still think a concept to think about more. Please continue.

[gohnjanotis]

Thanks! That's cool you tried the same thing!

Cool idea about the collections.

Another extension of it I also thought about is a version with some kind of node.js backend that's a little bit like Yo except whenever you and a friend have it open it points you at each other so you can find each other on foot as long as you have a decent internet connection and good GPS accuracy.

[thesimpsons1022]

why don't they need Internet?

[BinaryIdiot]

This is a cool idea. I see it as a great utility for taking newer versions of photos years later or even just remembering where you parked.

Curious though when I installed it I only see kilometers but the screenshot on the website shows imperial units and I don't see any way to change it. Is there a way?

Edit: yeah just found the swipe to change units. I'm all for supporting apps and developers but $2 just to switch units? No thanks. Uninstalled. That's insane.

Edit 2: the biggest issue about the price is perceived value. Making this app cost $.99 or $1.99 itself? Not bad in my opinion. Development isn't free and I probably would have paid that. But when you move to an in-app purchasing model now the perceived value is a free app that is gouging you $2 just to switch from metric to imperial. Maybe the intent was to have as many people try it as possible and to hopefully make a little money from it but the way the in-app purchasing is structured it makes me feel like I'm being taken advantage of.

[gohnjanotis]

There's actually a screen you can swipe to to the left of the main screen where you can change the units, but I wanted to make an economic incentive for people to try SI so it'll cost ya! ;-)

Also, I apologize for the buggyness with that swiping... I should have used a UIPageViewController and will probably go fix it at some point.

You can read more about all this in my blog post, including the decision about distance units.

[GuiA]

Neat! An "open in maps" option would be nice to get directions.

[gohnjanotis]

Yeah! Awesome to hear! I was already thinking about adding that because sometimes some driving or public transit is needed to get within walking range haha

[devonoel]

Awesome idea, very creative. I'd love to see you keep working on this.

Android version when? ;)

[gohnjanotis]

Haha I know, I know... you're not the first to ask about Android!

The reason I tried JavaScript first was to start off cross-platform, but when that failed I developed for the hardware I use.

However, I've been meaning to try out some Android development, so maybe at some point...

[josephscott]

If you are searching for this in the app store, try searching for "Photo Find Ganotis". When I searched for "Photo Find" it matched like 1,500 apps, and gave up looking in those results.

[gohnjanotis]

Oh yeah! That part sucks. I should have done more name research first. I always tell people to search "photo find hiking" (quotes not necessary) because that's easier to spell than my last name and it's the only app that comes up.

[sk5t]

Great idea. I always take a photo when parking at the airport, but recently learned this isn't much help in iOS when Lots D, E, F are adjacent but Lot C is half a mile away in a random direction.

[redwards510]

Not to mention the poor reception you get using GPS in a parking garage!

[seba_dos1]

I remember kinda similar concept implemented years ago for Openmoko and Maemo, but for geocaching - the app showed you just the arrow and the rest was up to you :)

[NovaS1X]

I'm assuming this works with GPS data.

So this would not work with photos taken with a DSLR without a GPS module/attachment.

Am I correct?

[sdrothrock]

It uses the EXIF data, so it would use the location data in the EXIF.

> So this would not work with photos taken with a DSLR without a GPS module/attachment.

Depends. You can also retroactively edit the EXIF data to reflect a location. It should work on those kinds of pictures, even though the original camera didn't have a GPS.

[btbuildem]

Very simple, very cool. Nicely done!

[gohnjanotis]

Thanks! I really appreciate hearing that!

[McNight]

Very nice, downloaded :) It would be cool to have an extension right in the Photos app.

[mrfusion]

The compass isn't updating for me in iphone 6. Or is that one of the premium features?

[gohnjanotis]

Haha not a premium feature! Sometimes there are calibration issues. I meant to add some calibration checks and user feedback about needing to calibrate at some point.

Try rotating your phone around in a circle a bunch and then see if the compass starts moving and correcting itself.

[mrkickling]

Hi! Neat project, but hasn't iOS got a similar function built in already, where you can see all the pictures you took on a map?

[gohnjanotis]

Sure, but have you ever tried navigating to a photo that way?

The map doesn't show your location, and even if it did you would still need some kind of compass arrow, like the Google Maps app for iOS shows, to be able to navigate to it.

Also, this works by pasting a photo from the clipboard instead of just using photos in your library.

[LikeAnElephant]

Great idea, but charging to show in feet? Ridiculous. Uninstalled.

[seba_dos1]

I love the idea of charging to show in imperial units. That's some amazing pro-SI propaganda, we need more stuff like that :)

[gohnjanotis]

OK, sorry you feel that way about SI!