User:Kreuzschnabel/Geo

Geocoding

When uploading images to Wikimedia Commons, it is a very good idea to add the coordinates of the point the image has been taken from, i.e. the camera position. (Except studio shots where the actual location is of no importance.) Note we do not record the actual position of the subject being photographed but the camera viewpoint. GPS-capable cameras might do this automatically and put the information into the Exif data, but if you don’t own one, you can add the geocoding very easily after uploading the image (or while uploading, putting the Location info into the „Information“ field).

Getting the coordinate data

Google Maps (old style)

1. Open Google Maps (satellite view recommended) on the camera position, zooming in as far as possible.
2. Right-click on the camera position and select "center here". The map will move slightly, centering that position.
3. In the side bar left to the map, click the "link" button (next to the printer’s). A small popup window will appear, offering some link options.
4. Copy&paste the highlighted link starting with "https://maps.google.de/" to any text editor. This link already contains the coordinates you need.
5. Search the link for a parameter starting with "ll=" (not "sll="!). Following this, you’ll find two numbers separated by a comma. Thats the coordinate data you want. For instance, a Google link like "https://maps.google.de/maps?q=london+tower+bridge&hl=de&ll=51.50543,-0.075359&spn=0.012114,0.018303&sll=48.770672,9.008789&sspn=6.568017,9.371338&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A" contains a latitude of 51.50543 (degrees north) and a longitude of -0.075359 (west of Greenwich, thus negative).

Google Maps (new style)

1. Open Google Maps (satellite view recommended) on the camera position, zooming in as far as possible.
2. Right-click on the camera position and select "What’s here?"
3. In the pop-up window on the top left, the coordinates are displayed along with the place’s name (if applicable).
4. Copy the coordinates.

OpenStreetMap

1. Pick the "Share" option on the menu bar to the right.
2. Tick the "Include marker" checkbox. A blue marker appears in the map center.
3. Drag the marker to the correct position. The map will re-center.
4. Click on the "Where am I?" in the search box. Your coordinates will appear.

Geocoding the image

1. If the image is already on Commons, open the image description file and click "Edit". Put the cursor below the {{Information […]}} section.
2. When preparing to upload, place the cursor into the "Information" field of the upload form.
3. Insert a new line and type (or paste) {{Location dec|x|y}} into it.
4. Replace x with your latitude and y with your longitude.
   For instance, the first example given above should read {{Location dec|51.50543|-0.075359}} now.
5. Done!