Photograph Date Stamp

[ashtons]

At the moment when you're out in the field using the Field Maps App, you can take a photograph, then submit along with the form.  Unfortunately there's no way of adding a date-stamp to that image to prove when the photo was taken.

We need this so that it represents as proof evidence in cases of  insurance and liability issues.

Thank you

Sean

[dsinha]

Has anyone figured out how to add the location information also as an watermark while using Field Maps?

Thanks!

[PaulLohr]

@dsinha - not directly with Field Maps. There are a couple of workarounds.

1. Take the picture with a third-party camera app that adds a watermark. We use the Timestamp Pro / Free app. It isn't great but works ok. Then create a point in Field Maps, attach the photo that was taken with your third-party camera app to your point. It adds a bit of hassle and time to the field personnel's workflow.

2. If you are storing the photos in a DBMS, use SQL tools to extract the photos, run them through a program such as Robogeo to add the watermark, then put them back into their records. This would be a manual process, although it could be done in batches. Versioning could be tricky unless you use 'move edits to base'. 

3. When building the map in AGOL, setup a custom URL (app linking) link in the pop-up that calls the Survey123 app. It looks like the user has to create a point, enter the attributes, then click on the point, then click on the click on the link. Ideal would be the Survey123 app is called automatically. Feel free to correct me on this. @HannesVogel had a post about working with EXIF data in Survey123 here. Also, look for posts by @DougBrowning about Survey123.

Watermark documentation for Survey123 is here.

Meeting user requirements with ESRI in the mobile environment is a challenge. No single mobile app contains all the needed functionality. Field Maps does things that Survey123 can't. Survey123 does things that Field Maps can't. Web apps do things that neither Field Maps nor Survey123 can do. And vice versa. 

[dsinha]

Thank you @PaulLohr. Adding watermarks using Survey123 looks to be the best option for us.

[alex_friant]

We'd love to see Esri's photo-enabled applications (QuickCapture, FieldMaps, Survey123, etc.) include built-in watermarking capabilities that would let the form and map designers easily add timestamps and custom text (i.e. coordinates, name of app & user ingesting) to photos. This could work beautifully as headers, footers, or overlays, giving teams the flexibility they need for documentation and branding.

Even better, imagine if organizations could create standardized watermark templates at the enterprise level - similar to how organization themes work now. Designers could then simply select from these pre-approved templates, ensuring consistency across projects while saving time on setup. This would streamline workflows and give organizations better control over their visual standards during data collection.

[Jeremy_Z]

I have a bunch of users in several of our states, probably over 500, that need this functionality in Field Maps as well. If it exists in Survey123, it should exist here and be doable.

I'm going to reach out to my contacts at Samsung to talk to them about adding the location data to the watermark as well in the default apps, doesn't help folks NOT using Samsung devices, but it is something.