[supertackyman]

first: an overview:

when I went to the Photo Marketing show in Las Vegas last week one of the newer features of cameras is now geocoding.

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A geocoded photograph is a photograph which is associated with a geographical location. A geocoded image can be associated to geographical coordinates such as latitude and longitude or a physical address.

In theory, every part of a picture can be tied to a geographic location, but in the most typical application, only the position of the photographer is associated with the entire digital image. This has implications for search and retrieval. For example, photos of a mountain summit can be taken from different positions miles apart. To find all images of a particular summit in an image database, all photos taken within a reasonable distance must be considered. The point position of the photographer can in some cases include the bearing, the direction the camera was pointing.


Some digital cameras support GPS and record the time and location of the photographer each time a photo is taken. It is important to understand this distinction because, for example, the geo-coordinates of a house which stands as the subject of a photo taken by a photographer standing just in front of it can be of such relative closeness to the geo-coordinates of the photographer that the discrepancy is inconsequential; however, a photo taken of a mountain in a horizon can be a great distance from the photographer's recorded GPS coordinates. In other words, the subject of a geocoded photo is how it appears from the recorded GPS location. The most accurate definition of a photograph's geocode information, the location and time stamp respectively, is the identification of a photographer's position on the planet and the photographer's perspective from that position at the exact time the photo was taken. A photo's relevant GPS data is stored in the photo's EXIF file.


my question to you all is this:
as a photoghapher, does one really want that much information about the shot included?

If I were to find a nice serene photo op someplace in say, Guam, and take a geocoded pic and post it. now not only is my exif info there (shutter speed, aperture settings, etc.) but now the exact location where I stood and faced would be recorded.
how much easier can it be made for someone to duplicate my prize winning shutterbuggery?

sometimes its that secret or obscure viewpoint that makes the shot.

dont get me wrong im not against it, but aside from tourism purposes I really dont see the need.

what do you think?