Bulk photos uploading to Google maps

[Globedronner]

Usually I upload photos to Google Maps from my computer but today I tried to upload a batch of 70+ photos shot with the smartphone in the downtown of Limburg an der Lahn city (a very well preserved historical downtown near Frankfurt, Germany, definitely worth visiting). To my surprise, although all the photos were geotagged with their corresponding GPS coordinates, when uploading a batch from the smartphone, Google Maps assigned to all only one location. I assume the location of the first loaded photo... This is quite embarassing as being, undoubtely a source of errors, wrong assigned locations and a drawback for the contributor feeling responsible with Google Maps and its accuracy... Please Google try to fix this issue, I think it is not complicated to assign each photo in a bulk upload to its corresponding GPS location..

[PaulPavlinovich]

Hi @Globedronner you need to upload photos to one place at a time. Uploading a large number of photos to one place is generally not useful to the users of Maps and is discouraged. Uploading one or two photos to each place is the preferred approach.

Regards Paul

[Globedronner]

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@PaulPavlinovich wrote:

Hi @Globedronner you need to upload photos to one place at a time. Uploading a large number of photos to one place is generally not useful to the users of Maps and is discouraged. Uploading one or two photos to each place is the preferred approach.

Regards Paul

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Hi Paul,

I think might have a communication problem and my point was not understood as I really meant it.

I said I was trying to upload 70+ of (about 25) different places, not of only one place...This is 2 to 3 photos for a single place , but on a batch upload.

This is possible with Google as on smartphones there is the option to multiple mark photos and upload them on Maps Google Android app.

The problem arises when Google Maps app is unable to correctly assign each photo to the physical location described by GPS info/coordinates sent and belonging to each of the uploaded photos.

Instead, it seems it takes the GPS coordinates of the first photo and ignores the GPS position of the others. Information which is stored on each file/photo and uploaded accordingly.

I still think is easy and useful to fix this issue.Letting it as it is implies having a source of errors and confusion for contributors...

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[ArielleM_]

Hey @Flash! I'm patching you in here since you're the expert on Google Maps. @PaulPavlinovich tagging you again in case you wanted to add anything.

@Globedronner are you uploading to Maps via a spreadsheet? Tell us a little more about your process and we'll do everything we can to help. In the future, be sure to tag (@) a moderator in your response so we're notified when you write back.

Hopefully we can figure out what's going on here :).

[Globedronner]

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@ArielleM_ wrote:

Hey @Flash! I'm patching you in here since you're the expert on Google Maps. @PaulPavlinovich tagging you again in case you wanted to add anything.

@Globedronner are you uploading to Maps via a spreadsheet? Tell us a little more about your process and we'll do everything we can to help. In the future, be sure to tag (@) a moderator in your response so we're notified when you write back.

Hopefully we can figure out what's going on here :).

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@ArielleM_ I was saying that, one day I tried to upload photos on GMaps from my smartphone. Entered Gallery, marked 70 photos and uploaded them on Google Maps. Android 6.0 allows it. These photos were taken in different places, each and every photo having its (different) GPS coordinates (individually geotagged by the camera when shot). To my surprise, I found all the photos on GM assigned to only one physical place (corresponding to the first uploaded photo from the batch). This means there is an inconsistency in GM programe because it is unable to identify the GPS coordinates of the rest of the uploaded photos (find them on properties) and assign them to the proper/corresponding physical location. Nothing about spreadsheets or other ways of uploading..Hope I explained myself and the process.

[Flash]

@ArielleM_, he's using the following feature that appears if you press the "Add your photos to Maps" banner in the Contributions tabs of the Android (and possibly IOS) app.

The feature also will sometimes push a prompt to you to upload you features.

I don't use that feature; I find it highly unreliable.  My biggest problem with it is that it will suggest photos I already uploaded, causing me to upload duplicates.  I'll discover it later, and find one has 10,000 views and it's duplicate has 7,000 views, but I need to delete one to fix the issue.

[Globedronner]

@Flash

@ArielleM_

Flash, you are right, I used that feature and is the first time I did used it and surprised me a lot for the reason I already explained.

Most of the times, this meaning 99.999% of the photos I upload, are uploaded from my computer, as almost all the photos I shot are DSRL camera photos with a much better image quality than best available smartphones on the market. That way I never had problems with wrong locations, duplicates or anything else.

But, on that day, I didn't had my camera with me and discovered the downtown of Limburg city in Germany, a precious medieval city and took some pictures with the smartphone...Kid's toy, but nothing else available for the moment...

And is with these photos uploaded from the smartphone I experienced this wrong location assignment. I don't know who's this feature : "Add your photos to Maps" belong to, don't know if is Google or Android 6.0 invention, but it is evident there is a miscommunication between the two programs, at least one being unable to correctly assign and interprete the GPS coordinates and pictures geotagging.

[Flash]

I have seen no other reports of it misaligning locations, thus I would suspect that if that happened for the first time with a camera you've never used before that it's actually an issue with the camera.

[Globedronner]

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@Flash wrote:

I have seen no other reports of it misaligning locations, thus I would suspect that if that happened for the first time with a camera you've never used before that it's actually an issue with the camera.

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@Flash

@ArielleM_

I never used before the camera to batch transfer photos on GM from different locations.

Anyway, one thing is for sure, as you said and as I experienced it is an unreliable app and perhaps not enough developed or debugged. The smartphone's camera assigned well the different GPS coordinates to each individual photo, this is something I was able to check and recheck later. Problem arised when batch uploaded on GM...

Final lesson: Mr. Windows still works great. For pictures, better use a camera, smartphones are nothing else than smarter (or not so smarter) phones...

[PaulPavlinovich]

Oh ok I understand what you're trying to do now. Yes maps uses only the first one because it wants you to select a place at the start of the process.

It would be possible to reverse geocode based on coordinates and add to multiple places although it wouldn't be accurate. Most (non survey) GPS especially in built up areas are generally accurate between 5 and 50 metres. That would make it tough to accurately pinpoint where the images would go which is why maps asks you to specify the place. This gets even worse with points farmers moving the place marker around.

I imagine what could be a viable workflow would be for Maps to group the images with like coordinates and let you choose a place for each of them. This is how it works with photosphere 360s in the Street View App. This could be an idea worth taking in through your forum @Flash?

Regards Paul