GeoSpatial Experts — Fed Stimulus Program For GPS-Photo Link

GeoSpatial Experts announces the U.S. government has approved four of its photo-mapping product bundles for direct purchase by federal agencies. The bundles, which include GPS-Photo Link photo-mapping software and GPS-enabled Ricoh 500SE cameras, are available at reduced prices to government agencies through the GSA Schedule.

GPS-Photo Link bundles may be purchased from GeoSpatial Experts via the GSA Advantage website at www.gsaadvantage.gov. The GSA contract number is GS-35F-0350S. The product bundles are identified as GPS-Photo Pro 2504, 2509, 2604 and 2609. These bundles include a civilian version of the Ricoh camera, which may not be used by U.S. military forces in theatre.

Already used by numerous federal and local government agencies, the GeoSpatial Experts’ GPS-Photo Link software correlates digital photographs with the locations where they were taken and then displays the photos on GIS layers or on KML-based maps, such as Google Earth. The photo-mapping software is often used in conjunction with the Ricoh 500SE camera, which automatically geotags digital photos with location coordinates using an attached GPS module. Each of the four GeoSpatial Experts’ product bundles on the GSA Schedule contains the GPS-Photo Link GIS Pro Series software, Ricoh 500SE digital camera with WAAS-enabled SiRF III GPS module, 2 GB SD card, bag and accessories. Bundle variations include an add-on directional Compass and optional WiFi capability.

The Ricoh 500SE camera features include 8.0 mega pixel resolution, Bluetooth, image stabilization, and 3x optical zoom with optional attachments. The camera is ruggedized for harsh conditions. It has dust proof armored glass, rubber casing, large buttons that can be used when wearing gloves, and an easy-to-view 2.5-inch LCD screen. The Ricoh 500SE also has a Memo Function allowing users to collect text memos while in the field as a part of your photo EXIF header information – ten memo fields with 50 sub-categories per field. The WAAS-enabled SiRF III GPS module affixes to the side of the 500SE, providing accuracy of 3-5 meters and fast fix times. The GPS information is written directly into the photo image’s EXIF header. The optional WiFi capability allows the photographer to wirelessly transmit photos from the camera to computer. The SE-3 GPS/Compass module affixes to the side of the 500SE to provide GPS location and direction information. The GPS and direction information can be written directly into the image’s EXIF header. GPS-Photo Link software uses this data to display the direction in which the camera was pointing when the photo was taken.

GPS-Photo Link has been available since 2006 as a stand-alone software product on the GSA Schedule. It has been used extensively by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, FEMA, National Parks Service, Department of Agriculture, Army Corps of Engineers, Forest Service, NASA, USGS, Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management. In addition, the software is widely used among local governments and utilities. As stand-alone software products, GeoSpatial Experts offers GPS-Photo Link in two editions – GPS-Photo Link: GIS Pro for geospatial professionals mapping their photos in a true GIS environment such as ArcGIS, and GPS-Photo Link Express for business users who map photos on a digital or web-based map and generate reports from their photo inventories. GeoSpatial Experts sells the software as stand-alone packages or bundled with digital cameras and GPS receivers.