Geo-Tagging Digital Images

• US 20160358363A1
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bhatt, Nikhil
• Application Number:
  US15/243,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358363A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/56 having vectorial format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, are described for automatically and/or interactively editing image metadata. In one aspect, the methods include the actions of obtaining two from among three items of geo-metadata associated with an image. The three items of geo-metadata include an acquisition geo-location for the image, an acquisition geo-orientation for the image and a geo-location of a subject depicted in the image. The methods further include the actions of representing on a map the two obtained items of geo-metadata associated with the image, and determining candidates for the third item of geo-metadata based on the representations of the two obtained items of geo-metadata. In addition, the methods can also include the actions of determining the third item of geo-metadata associated with the image from among the generated candidates.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processes executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

obtaining, from geo-metadata associated with an image, an acquisition geo-location for the image and, an acquisition geo-orientation for the image;

representing on a map the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation;

identifying one or more objects based, at least in part, on the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation, wherein the one or more objects represent one or more candidates of a subject depicted in the image;

identifying, a primary candidate, the primary candidate positioned at the distance nearest the geo-metadata associated with the image;

identifying the primary candidate as the subject of the image; and

representing the subject on the map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

overlaying on the map a vector having an origin at the obtained acquisition geo-location and a direction corresponding to the obtained acquisition geo-orientation; and

identifying the one or more candidates positioned along the direction of the vector based on geo-information corresponding to the one or more candidates.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the primary candidate as the subject of the image comprises:

determining which of the one or more identified candidates is the subject based on a user selection.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the primary candidate as the subject of the image comprises:

selecting a candidate from among the one or more identified candidates that is located within a specified range of the acquisition geo-location.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising tagging the image in accordance with hierarchical geo-location information associated with the determined subject.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating metadata for a focus distance, wherein the focus distance is substantially equal to a length of the overlaid vector representing the acquisition geo-orientation.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the one or more candidates positioned along the direction of the vector further comprises:

receiving a user request to identify an object depicted in the image along the direction of the vector;

extending, in response to the received user request, a length of the vector; and

identifying the object upon the extended vector reaching a polygonal contour of the object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein reaching the polygonal contour occurs when the extended vector is separated from the polygonal contour by less than a predetermined distance.

9. The method of claim 2, where the image comprises a frame included in a sequence of video frames, and the method further comprises associating the subject with the sequence of video frames.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining an acquisition geo-location and an acquisition geo-orientation of an other frame of the sequence of video frames;

representing on the map the obtained acquisition geo-location and geo-orientation of the other frame, at least in part, by overlaying on the map an other vector having an origin at the obtained acquisition geo-location of the other frame and a direction corresponding to the obtained acquisition geo-orientation of the other frame;

identifying along the direction of the other vector one or more other candidates of a subject depicted in the image based, at least in part, on geo-information corresponding to the one or more other candidates;

identifying an other primary candidate, the other primary candidate positioned at the distance nearest the geo-metadata associated with the image;

identifying the other primary candidate as the subject of the other frame; and

associating the subject of the other frame with the sequence of video frames.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to:

obtain from geo-metadata associated with an image, an acquisition geo-location for the image and an acquisition geo-orientation for the image;

represent on a map the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation;

determine one or more objects based, at least in part, on the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation, wherein the one or more objects represent one or more candidates of a subject depicted in the image;

identify a primary candidate, the primary candidate positioned at the distance nearest the geo-metadata associated with the image;

identify the primary candidate as the subject of the image; and

represent the subject on the map.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to represent on a map the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation comprise instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to:

overlay on the map a vector having an origin at the obtained acquisition geo-location and a direction corresponding to the obtained acquisition geo-orientation, and

wherein the instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to determine one or more objects comprise instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to identify the one or more objects positioned along the direction of the vector based on geo-information corresponding to the one or more candidates.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to identify the primary candidate as the subject of the image comprises instructions to:

determine which of the one or more identified candidates is the subject based on a user selection.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to identify the primary candidate as the subject of the image comprises instructions to:

select a candidate from among the one or more identified candidates that is located within a specified range of the acquisition geo-location.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to tag the image in accordance with hierarchical geo-location information associated with the determined subject.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to generate metadata for a focus distance, wherein the focus distance is substantially equal to a length of the overlaid vector representing the acquisition geo-orientation.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to identify the one or more candidates positioned along the direction of the vector comprises instructions to:

receive a user request to identify an object depicted in the image along the direction of the vector;

extend, in response to the received user request, a length of the vector; and

identify the object upon the extended vector reaching a polygonal contour of the object.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, where the image comprises a frame included in a sequence of video frames, and the method further comprises associating the subject with the sequence of video frames.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to cause the data processing apparatus to:

obtain an acquisition geo-location and an acquisition geo-orientation of an other frame of the sequence of video frames;

represent on the map the obtained acquisition geo-location and geo-orientation of the other frame, at least in part, by overlaying on the map an other vector having an origin at the obtained acquisition geo-location of the other frame and a direction corresponding to the obtained acquisition geo-orientation of the other frame;

identify along the direction of the other vector one or more other candidates of a subject depicted in the image based, at least in part, on geo-information corresponding to the one or more other candidates;

identifying an other primary candidate, the other primary candidate positioned at the distance nearest the geo-metadata associated with the image;

identifying the other primary candidate as the subject of the other frame; and

associating the subject of the other frame with the sequence of video frames.

20. A system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one processor; and

storage configured to store instructions that are operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

obtaining, from geo-metadata associated with an image, an acquisition geo-location for the image and, an acquisition geo-orientation for the image;

representing on a map the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation;

identifying one or more objects based, at least in part, on the acquisition geo-location and the acquisition geo-orientation, wherein the one or more objects represent one or more candidates of a subject depicted in the image;

identifying, a primary candidate, the primary candidate positioned at the distance nearest the geo-metadata associated with the image;

identifying the primary candidate as the subject of the image; and

representing the subject on the map.