Add a Location by Emailing a Geotagged Photo to the Atlas

You can add a geotagged photo to the atlas by emailing it from your smartphone. The photo's GPS location is automatically extracted and a new point feature is created in the layer you specify.

Video Demo

Requirements

• An iPhone or Android phone with location services enabled for the camera app
• Your email address must be on the admin list for the atlas

How to Submit

1. Take a photo with your phone's camera. Make sure location services are enabled — the photo must have GPS data embedded in it.

2. Send the photo as an email attachment to the atlas email address:

3. SCVFD: scvfd@fireatlas.org

4. Format the subject line as: <layer> | <title> For example:

5. poi | Locked gate on Miller Road
6. hydrants | New hydrant at staging area
7. private_notes | Check drainage here next season

The layer name must match an existing layer in your atlas. The title is optional — if you leave it out, it defaults to "Photo submission".

1. Send the email. The feature will appear in the atlas within a minute or two.

What Gets Created

A new point feature is placed at the GPS coordinates from the photo, with: - name — the title from your subject line - source — "email" - sender — your email address - timestamp — when the email was received - image_url — a link to the photo stored in S3

Checking Your Layers

If you're not sure what layer names are available, check the atlas layer list in the admin console or ask your atlas administrator.

Troubleshooting

Nothing appeared after a few minutes - Check that your email address is on the admin list - Make sure the photo was sent as an attachment (not pasted inline) - Verify the layer name in the subject line matches exactly (case doesn't matter, but spelling does)

The feature appeared but in the wrong place - Your phone's GPS may not have had a fix when the photo was taken. Try outdoors with a clear view of the sky. - Some phones strip GPS data when sending over certain email apps — try using the default mail app.

"No GPS data" or similar error - The photo does not have location data embedded. Check that your camera app has permission to use location, take a new photo outdoors, and try again.