Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Do You Have a GPS-Enabled Camera/Phone?

One of the projects I'm working on right now is a web site which is inspired by the Gawker Stalker. This web app will allow users to upload or email photos, which will then be added to a Google map. In the case where users have GPS data embedded into their photos (like a location-aware iPhone), the images will automatically be thumbnailed and added to the map.

The difference between this site and the Gawker Stalker is that:
  • you'll be able to upload your own photos
  • photos (and sightings without photos) will be mapped in real time (lag will be 1-2 minutes)
  • photos and sightings will be tweeted as they are added to the map
  • you'll be able to map any location which can be mapped by Google maps, so you're not restricted to Manhattan etc
  • if your phone is email-capable, you'll be able to shoot a photo and upload it to the site immediately, giving real time feedback
I'm looking for some beta testers who are willing to help me test out the functionality. We're planning to move to a "live beta" of the site in the next couple of weeks, with a view to going live worldwide later this summer. I'm specifically looking for folks who have camera phones which will embed GPS data into their photos. So, all generations of the iPhone are good. Blackberries may need some tweaking. I'm not too familiar with other phones which may have similar functionality, but if you have one of these phones, please do get in touch with me.

I should add that, for the beta, you won't need to post photos of celebrities in your neighbourhood. This is more about testing the functionality of the site than trying to get any specific content.

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