Microsoft bring geotagging to the masses

2 May 2008 10:51 GMT / By Katie Scott

Microsoft has just announced the introduction of two new products that will help photographers organise their photos in a unique, and now simple, way.

Geotagging is a method for photographers to manage their digital photos by using location data, and was previously only available to those with serious technical know-how.

Microsoft is claiming its new product, Pro Photo Tools, has changed all this and has made geotagging available to all photographers no matter their skill level. The even better news is you can download it for free.

"Geotagging is a hot new area in digital photography, and like other popular digital photo features, I expect photographers will be asking themselves how they ever lived without it", said Ron Glaz, analyst at the International Data Corporation.

"Until now geotagging has been hard to do, requiring special expertise and tools. Microsoft's initiative of leading the way and making geotagging accessible to pros and enthusiasts alike is a step in the right direction."

With Pro Photo Tools, you will be able to tag your photos by gathering location information from a variety of sources and applying it to the metadata of the photos so you know exactly where you were when you took them.

You'll also be able to drag and drop images on a map, determine location names based on GPS coordinates, and assign GPS data to images that are missing it.

"This product really simplifies the process of geotagging and organising digital photos by location, even without a GPS device", said Josh Weisberg, director of the Rich Media Group at Microsoft.

Geotagging is now also available on the soon-to-be released updated digital asset management software, Expression Media 2.

You can download a trial version now, and the full version will be available mid-May.