Geolocating Photographs Using Visible Time Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many digital cameras and camera phones lack GPS receivers, and even those with GPS may not be able to determine the location of a photograph if the GPS data is obscured or disabled, leading to a lack of location information for captured images.
Innovation Solution
A method for geolocating photographs using a computing device that receives the image and user location history data, identifying time indicators within the image, such as clocks or tickers, to determine the capture time and associate it with the corresponding location from the user's history.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS receiver is used to determine location, then location accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses time indicators (clocks, tickers) visible in photographs as intermediary elements to determine capture time, which then serves as a key to retrieve location data from existing GPS logs. This intermediary approach allows location determination without requiring the camera to have active GPS capability at the moment of capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and utilizes time information that is already captured in the photograph image itself (through visible clocks or tickers), rather than relying on separate GPS hardware. This copying of time data from the image allows the system to match against pre-recorded location histories.
2Use of energy by moving object
If GPS receiver is disabled or obscured, then power consumption is reduced, but location information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by recording GPS location data in advance and storing it in location history logs with timestamps. When a photograph is captured without active GPS, the system retrieves the relevant location information from these pre-recorded logs based on the capture time determined from time indicators in the photograph.
Solution Approach 2:
The photograph itself contains time indicator information (through visible clocks or tickers) that serves the dual purpose of being part of the captured scene and providing the temporal key needed to retrieve location data. The system uses information already present in the photograph to enable location determination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If time indicator detection is used to determine capture time, then GPS dependency is reduced, but image processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts specific time indicator elements (clocks, tickers) from the photograph image using optical character recognition or image analysis. This extraction focuses on specific recognizable patterns rather than analyzing the entire image, making the process more efficient and less complex.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for geolocating photographs is implemented in a computing device. The method includes receiving a photograph captured by a user as data stored on a computer-readable medium, receiving location history data for the user, determining a time at which the photograph was captured based on an object depicted in the photograph, determining a geographic location at which the photograph was captured using the determined time and the location history data.