Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Geotagging Photographs in Student Fieldwork

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 36; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03098265.2011.647307

1466-1845

Katharine Welsh, Derek France, W. Brian Whalley, Julian R. Park,

Geographic Information Systems Studies

Abstract This resource paper provides guidance for staff and students on the potential educational benefits, limitations and applications of geotagging photographs. It also offers practical advice for geotagging photographs in a range of fieldwork settings and reviews three free smartphone applications (apps) for geotagging photographs (Flickr, Evernote and Panoramio). Geotagged photographs have the potential to encourage post-fieldwork student reflection on a landscape. A short case study of first-year undergraduates who geotagged photographs as a method of data collection is outlined. This resource paper also briefly discusses the use of student-owned devices in fieldwork which may reduce pressure on departmental budgets. Keywords: GeotagsmartphonetechnologyfieldworklearningWeb 2.0 Acknowledgements The authors would like to extend their thanks to the group of undergraduate students who trialled this method for their time, willingness and interest in the project. Notes 1 Evernote (http://www.evernote.com/); Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/); Panoramio (http://www.panoramio.com/). 2 Batch processing—applying rules (e.g. geotag) to multiple items in an automated matter. App selection will largely depend upon the data analysis that is required by the user and the nature of the research being undertaken. 3 An iPhone costs in the region of £450–£600 for the handset and requires either a contract (upwards of £30 per month) or a Pay-as-you-go tariff which includes 3G access (for data roaming when a free Wi-Fi signal is not available) and for data download charges (‘downloading’ encompasses viewing web pages, listening to audio files via the web). For departmental purchases, a Pay-as-you-go-tariff is perhaps more suitable due to the occasional nature of fieldwork. If fieldwork took place on a regular basis, e.g. weekly, a monthly contract may be more suitable but this would be a decision for each practitioner and department to make based on their own fieldwork needs. 4 An appraisal of the coverage of the 3G network in the UK is available at http://www.compare3gmobilebroadband.co.uk/3g-coverage-uk.htm (accessed September 2011).