Geotagging: another promising Homeland Security 2.0 app

USA Today recently did a crisp overview of yet another Web 2.0 app. — geotagging (or geocoding) — that I believe has the potential to become equally important for Homeland Security 2.0 because it can contribute to the kind of real-time, location-based information that can be so important in a fast-changing crisis situation.

Geotagging refers to the ability to attach geographic metadata (usually longitude and latitude) to RSS feeds, photos or other Web content. A very basic example is when you upload a video to YouTube, you’re prompted to enter the latitude and longitude where the video was shot, or, if that doesn’t immediately jump to your mind, to input the name of the location, at which point the coordinates are supplied by Google Earth. That way, you can search videos not only by content, but also by locale.

As the article points out, adding geotags usually requires extra effort today because you have to link GPS data with the image files on a computer. However, it mentions that several new cameras (specifically, high-end models from Ricoh, Nikon, and Canon) either have their own detachable GPS modules or can connect with external ones.

Betcha dollars to Dunkin DonutsTM that as consumers start to see how much fun it can be to create virtual tours, etc., that demand will grow, and the same phenomenon that we’ve seen so many times before of exotic features becoming commonplace will be repeated with built-in geotagging chips.

When that happens, individuals with the proper cameras will be able to provide invaluable real-time, location-based photographic (and, I suspect, video soon after…) information about the bridge collapse they just observed, possible terrorist activity in progress, etc., to authorities.

Geotagging. One more tool that will help the public become full and invaluable partners in preparation and response.

Geotagging Flickr group

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