Adding Geotag to photos using Google maps

Most of the cameras lack GPS functionality, so geotagging photos is difficult. There are a lot of third party apps for Android/iOS. But they require manual intervention to start and stop and need a lot of settings to get the GPS data. Here is the way to use your Google Maps data to geotag photos,

Things you need,

1. Android/iOS phone with Google Maps installed. Make sure you are logged into one phone at a time. If you are logged into multiple phone at the same time. GPS data becomes mingled and it becomes difficult to extract. 
2. Enable location history from https://myaccount.google.com, this will enable Google Maps to collect your data
3. Download geosetter for windows. I use windows for my photo editing so I will be going through workflow using GeoSetter. I think most of these Softwares will be same. There are other Softwares like this for MAC and Linux like GPSPhotoLinker (Mac OS X), GPicSync (Windows and Linux), HoudahGeo (Mac OS X).
4. Make sure your camera time matches with mobile phone time.Otherwise look at step 10 below.

Process,

1. Go to your timeline on Google Maps https://www.google.com/maps/timeline
2. Go to particular day from top left side menu
   
3. From bottom right setting gear choose "Export this day to KML. This will download the data file containing all GPS data for that day. File name syntax is history-YYYY-MM-DD.kml
   
4. Most of the Geotagging softwares do not accept KML format, so we need to convert this file into GPX format. That is easy, go to http://kml2gpx.com/ upload your KML file and choose KML to GPX from top menu ,press convert. The website needs few seconds to convert the doc. Then download your GPX file.
5. In order to geotag the photos open GeoSetter or equivalent software.From top section bar use the photo folder ( which needs geotagging ).
   
6. Select all photos using Ctrl + A or Images -> Select All 
7. Press Ctrl + G or Go to Images -> Syncronize with GPS Data Files
8. Enter the GPX file location from step 4. 
9. [Optional] Choose Assignment of Found Positions. I used the Interpolate Regarding shoot time with last or next position.
10. [Optional] Adjust time if needed, if your camera time and mobile time is different, then this is where you need to adjust the time. You need to adjust your images time to mobile time so that maps data matches with GPS data
11. Press Ok,now it will show that it has found GPS data for selected images, and press Yes to continue, then it will ask you to save track file, give a name to the track file. The process will take another 30 seconds or so ( depending on the number of photos ). You can see small blue location icon when tagging is complete for that photo.
12. You are done now.

Few things to note,

• It works best, if you do this process before importing photos into another software ( lightroom, gimp etc. ). Otherwise, you have to resync the metadata in the software. In Lightroom, you will get "exclamation" mark on top of the image. Go to the folder and run synchronize folder option to get updated data.
• You can do this to previous photos as well provided that your mobile time and camera time is same otherwise, you need some time adjustment.

Hope this helps!

Power of Attorney for India from SF Consulate (Dec 2021)

Updated on December 2021

Here is the updated procedure 

Refer this page from SF consulate for the latest process. Currently in person visits are not allowed so everything is done via mail.

You will need following documents,

• Miscellaneous Services Form with latest picture attached and signed
• Notarized Photocopy of current Indian passport first and last pages
• Notarized Photocopy of proof of valid visa 
• Photocopy of the page containing visa on passport (H1B, H4 etc) and the copy of I-94
• Clear Photocopy of Green Card
• Employment Authorization Document (Work Permit)
• I-797, I-140 or I-20 (If approval copy of these notices are pending, also attach a handwritten note detailing the efforts being taken to regularize status)
• Notarized Photocopy proof of current US residence address (copy of any one of the following)
• U.S Driving license.
• PG&E, Water or landline telephone bill displaying applicant’s address
• House Lease Agreement
• State Identification Card
• Note: Bank/credit card/mobile phone statements are not accepted as residence proof
• Fee Cashier's check or money order for amount $22 ( $20 for Attestation fees + $2 Indian Community Welfare Fee ) drawn in favor of the ‘Consulate General of India, San Francisco’.
• Prepaid envelope with prepaid postage and tracking (USPS and UPS, no FEDEX)
• Power of Attorney (Original and one Copy)

• Write Power of Attorney(PoA) on plain paper (no stamp paper required), see below for sample. 
• Get PoA signed from 2 witnesses (no need to be notarized) along with their name and addresses. General idea is witness should not benefit from PoA (no spouse, child, PoA receiver etc.) 
• [Optional] Make sure you attach your photo to the document. 
• Get power of attorney notarized (you sign in front of notary). I did the $5 notary from here and here.
• Only if you do not have indian passport or OCI/PIO, Power of Attorney with Apostille from California state original and photocopy (refer). For Apostillation process refer
• Make a copy of the PoA

• Document checklist 

Send all the above to following address with tracking

Miscellaneous Cell
Consulate General of India,
540 Arguello Boulevard;
San Francisco CA 94118

Current processing time is 28 business days. I got it in 3 weeks  

Sample Power of Attorney ( without photo )

[Optional for Indian passport holders or PIO/OCI] Apostille Document

Power of Attorney

How to Create Good Passwords

Hi Everyone,

I always have problems with my username and passwords. There are so many accounts and different criteria for password creation ( like 8-16 digits , special characters etc ). What I used to do is create one password for my email, one for all banks and one for all useless accounts. I found something interesting while surfing,there are some websites which will ask to create account. Then use the same user-name and password and try it on Gmail,yahoo ,Bank websites. It normally works for about 40% of people's account.

So to overcome this I found some easy way to create strong , unique and easy to remember password trick.

Here are the steps.
1. Create 6 digit signature. Make sure to include at least 1 number (0-9), One small alphabet (a-z) and one capital Alphabet (A-Z). Also, make sure do not use any dictionary words instead use acronym. You can also use names but use acronym. Like use BO instead BarakObama. Here is an example of my 6 digit signatures Bo12Qn , pO40mK , 9KloM4 and A9nk8P .

2. Then to make it unique for every website , here is simple trick use any 2 letters from website name (webkey) and put it anywhere in signature. Here is example, for Bo12Qn signature on Google.com . I will use first and last letter of Google ie (G and E) and put it as first and last location in my signature . So new signature becomes GBo12Qne.For yahoo the password will be YBo12Qno, for aol password will be ABo12Qnl. You can put webkey anywhere in signature . But remember this position where you are writing webkey. It will be same for all the passwords.

3. Special character case (!,@,#,$,%,^,&,* etc). It becomes little tricky now. You do not require special characters in normal case. Because all web sites does not support it. With Captcha used every where it will be difficult for hackers to make hacking automated. But some of the websites do require special characters. You can use any of special character and store it in signature or after putting web key. Like G!Bo12QE, GBo12Qne! or put ! anywhere you like.

This made my password storing very easy and secure .
Hope this helps.