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Time stamp photo? Field Maps

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05-20-2021 01:26 PM
BugPie
by
Frequent Contributor

We are trying to implement Field Maps (well, we started with collector, but I see it's being depreciated) to assist with photo location mapping.  A requirement is that the photo log must display time stamped photos. We can do everything else needed with the app, just need this time stamp piece. 

20 Replies
Joshua_H
Emerging Contributor

I would like to chime in and ask that this function be expedited to a short-term road map. This is typically a requirement for any standard field inspection photo-log/report. From governmental reports, construction, environmental, etc...

Just about everything in Field Maps is perfect (Although cascading drop-downs are highly needed too instead of having to code conditionals... especially if you have 30+), but Time/Date & Coordinate stamped photos are essential to most field data collectors.

To add to the properties requested, it would help if you could choose from the form features. Ie. if you're on a linear project, and you need to show survey station number to station number. See photo for example.

Cheers!

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DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

There are 3rd party apps that can do this.  Use the app then upload from your saved photos.  We do this in iOS for drawing on photos since the crew likes it better than the 123 drawing tool.  (123 also can do watermarks).

Hope that helps

BugPie
by
Frequent Contributor

@DougBrowning Thank you for your response as well, I appreciate the different views that fellow users have. I will have to research 3rd party apps for iOS and Andriod (mixed env. here), and I'm thinking this solution is going to be too much to support for our 100 users and I'll be better off waiting for this to be implemented or see if S123 will help even though we are doing map driven collection. 

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DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

If it helps we gave up on watermarks at the time of collection.  Sometimes a crew had the wrong location or info and then it burned this wrong info into the photo for all of time as they cannot be removed.  So we went with post processing after QA as mentioned.  Also the watermarks often covered up something we wanted to see in the photo.

If you are creating some type of report you could always display the date info above or below the photo in text.  The info is in the photo all you are doing is displaying it with a watermark.

Hope that helps.

BugPie
by
Frequent Contributor

Yes, that does help a lot Doug. I helps to hear what others have done for a work around, thanks for your time and input. 

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JustinReynolds
Frequent Contributor

Right now we use 3rd party camera apps.  I prefer Solocator.  Theodolite is nice too, but locked to landscape, a bit busy, and iOS only and more expensive.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.solocator&hl=en_US&gl=US

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/theodolite/id339393884

- Justin Reynolds, PE
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OnnoKeller
Emerging Contributor

Too bad this function is not available yet. Having the opportunity to easily add date/time staps using watermarks would help us a lot in the field!

The workarounds mentioned here are not accessible enough for our field workers.

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JanaNowak
New Contributor

Hello everyone, we are also looking for a way to automatically change the file name of the photo to a timestamp. Due to time constraints, we want to use the integrated camera. Using an external app or renaming the file name by hand is also not an option for us.

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LPOSC
by
New Contributor

Has this feature been rolled out yet? We are very interested in seeing this as well.

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