The document discusses how to use geotagged photos on Flickr's map feature to gain insights into locations. It provides examples of searching for topics like "WW1 trenches in Ypres, Belgium" to preview historical sites or "cherry blossoms in Kanazawa, Japan" to find spots for seasonal events. By viewing the locations and patterns of geotagged photos for a subject, you can identify settings for pictures or plan potential sites to visit for a photo shoot. The power of linking photos to maps comes from being able to both search for photos of specific topics in an area or browse all photos attached to a location without filtering.

1. Photos on Maps - GEOTAGS
Reading map points frontwards & backwards
Observations of G.P. Witteveen
www.linkedin.com/in/anthroview

2. Ways to use geo-tags and keywords
At flickr.com there is a tab for EXPLORE, within
which is World Map. The following slides show
some ways to use this visual search to:
find patterns in the locations photographed, to
identify settings for specific pictures, and to
preview a potential site visit for a photo shoot.

3. Type “search this map” for subject & locale. Example, Dunkirk WW2: wikipedia
History buffs can gain a preview when planning to visit; or be contented with a virtual visit.

4. “landscape” search term: Yorkshire Dales Nat’l Park, UK. online, map photo link
Discovering the spatial patterns among landscape picture takers for this location mayh help
you determine where to visit when the place is unfamiliar to you.

5. Cherry blossom locations for Kanazawa, Japan: wikipedia, map photo link
Besides past events and places, you can search for photo spots for seasonal events and
subjects, such as the famous views of cherry blossoms in Japan (e.g. Kanazawa).Click the pink
dot to spring the thumbnail view. Use the map’s top right “link” to share this screen view.

6. Map search string: elephants kenya (3881 results)
Find locational patterns for subjects in the wild: animals, plants, geological and oceanic.

7. Map search string: surfing hawaii
For sporting and recreational pursuits seek the places where pictures are frequent.

8. Map search string: sandhill crane michigan (510 results)
Witness annual migrations of birds, fish and other creatures, based on photo plot points.

9. Map search string: jazz kyoto japan
Number & pattern of geo-tagged photos may indicate high or low incidence & addresses.

10. WW 1 trenches in Ypres, Belgium: wikipedia, map photo link
Browsing a map location shows diverse photo subjects. But “search the map” allows you to
narrow the search to your subject, such as this one for WW I. Viewers can be witness to
historical sites of violence (battles), disaster (earthquake & typhoon), or destruction of
people (massacre) or environment (pollution, extraction, spoilage).

11. Memorials in Okinawa, Japan: wikipedia, this map’s photo link
Battle sites of April 1945 don’t display, but searching “memorials” gives approximate areas.

12. Massacre at Babi Yar –near Kiev, Ukraine: wikipedia, map linked photo search
Notes: top right shows magnification slider (the map is almost fully zoomed in). Pink dot with
fringed sunburst is the location of the selected image from the thumbnails listed. Central oval
shows “79 results” for the search term ‘babi yar’ on this map; shifting the view and pressing the
green circle in this box will refresh the geotags to show possibly more or fewer.

13. Geo-tagged photos: reading the maps or reading the photos
In summary ,the power of pictures attached to maps comes from two directions.
A person can type a search word to discover locations where photos appear. Or a
person can begin by browsing the map without filtering to see only the search term
results.
When the location is of primary importance, then viewing all photos connected to
the spot will be valuable. Or when a specific historical event or seasonal activity of a
place is the purpose, then one can arrange the boundaries of the map view and then
go to the box to apply “search the map” and discover the relevant images.
Practical uses of this visual database of geo-tagged photos include virtual tours of
the settings of historical, seasonal, or contemporary life. Or one can plan an actual
visit to a place by noting the pattern of spots where a given subject has been
photographed, whether it be vegan restaurant, buskers, graffiti, or sunsets. Building
a spatial and visual mental map of a place makes the actual visit more familiar; a
simulated déjà vu experience.
Contribute to the universe of geo-tags by putting your own flickr photos to map, too!