write (/append) exif info to sidecar files

[wjansenw]

HI @adromir ,
I'm investigating if I'm going to use this script to add geo-data to existing picture library. However, I'm not convinced if I would want to adjust the existing image. I see that exiftool also allows to write the info to a sidecar file.
Would it be easy to adjust your script so the resulting GPS info is added as a sidecar file?

Thanks for your script - haven't tested it yet - but looking forward to this in the (hopefully) near future.

Regards,
Wim

[adromir]

i will see to add that in the next couple of days

[adromir]

So after some considerations, I don't think its a feasible Task, since exiftool (as far as I can see) has no option to allow Tags being written from an "outside source" to a sidecar file. So it would require a full xml- parser to be included to achieve that.

[wjansenw]

Hi @adromir - thanks for the quick response.

I just tried the following:

$ exiftool image.webp -gpslatitude=40.6892 -gpslongitude=-74.0445 -gpslatituderef=N -gpslongituderef=W -o image.webp.xmp
    1 image files created
$ cat image.webp.xmp
<?xpacket begin='' id='W5M0MpCehiHzreSzNTczkc9d'?>
<x:xmpmeta xmlns:x='adobe:ns:meta/' x:xmptk='Image::ExifTool 13.10'>
<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf='http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#'>

 <rdf:Description rdf:about=''
  xmlns:exif='http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/'>
  <exif:GPSLatitude>40,41.352N</exif:GPSLatitude>
  <exif:GPSLongitude>74,2.67W</exif:GPSLongitude>
 </rdf:Description>

 <rdf:Description rdf:about=''
  xmlns:tiff='http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/'>
  <tiff:ImageLength>720</tiff:ImageLength>
  <tiff:ImageWidth>1280</tiff:ImageWidth>
 </rdf:Description>
</rdf:RDF>
</x:xmpmeta>
<?xpacket end='w'?>

So - I think this takes the exif info from the file ( a random image pulled from the web), and writes the existing tags with those provided on the command line to the xmp sidecar file - if an xmp file is given as the output file. Would probably need to test a bit more to see if the existing tags are kept or not.

[wjansenw]

Just checked a bit further. I think the existing logic can be used, but in stead of working on image files, you work on sidecar files.

$ exiftool image.webp.xmp -artist="The New Artist2" -gpslatitude=40.6892 -gpslongitude=-74.0445 -gpslatituderef=N -gpslongituderef=W -overwrite_original
    1 image files updated
$ cat image.webp.xmp
<?xpacket begin='' id='W5M0MpCehiHzreSzNTczkc9d'?>
<x:xmpmeta xmlns:x='adobe:ns:meta/' x:xmptk='Image::ExifTool 13.10'>
<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf='http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#'>

 <rdf:Description rdf:about=''
  xmlns:exif='http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/'>
  <exif:GPSLatitude>40,41.352N</exif:GPSLatitude>
  <exif:GPSLongitude>74,2.67W</exif:GPSLongitude>
 </rdf:Description>

 <rdf:Description rdf:about=''
  xmlns:tiff='http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/'>
  <tiff:Artist>The New Artist2</tiff:Artist>
  <tiff:ImageLength>720</tiff:ImageLength>
  <tiff:ImageWidth>1280</tiff:ImageWidth>
  <tiff:ResolutionUnit>2</tiff:ResolutionUnit>
  <tiff:XResolution>72/1</tiff:XResolution>
  <tiff:YCbCrPositioning>1</tiff:YCbCrPositioning>
  <tiff:YResolution>72/1</tiff:YResolution>
 </rdf:Description>
</rdf:RDF>
</x:xmpmeta>
<?xpacket end='w'?>

[adromir]

Alright, I haven't found anything like that during my quick research. I'll see if I can implement it

[wjansenw]

Actually, I think it would be as easy as to allow your script to process xmp files.
I have made a small modif to only read xmp files, and the script seems to do its job.

Now, I have an issue that for some reason dawarich returns a json that is considered empty for your script:

16:57:37 - Querying Dawarich API: http://localhost:3500/api/v1/points?api_key=ac2ef2273e451a90ee5d84fee41abbde&start_at=2025-04-12T13%3a55%3a38Z&end_at=2025-04-12T13%3a57%3a38Z&order=asc
16:57:38 -      -> Dawarich results, but no valid non-zero coords.
16:57:38 -      -> No suitable GPS from Dawarich API. Skipping write.
     -> No suitable GPS from Dawarich API for '20250412_155638.jpg.xmp'.

lonlat is available, but longitude and latitude are empty. Might be a dawarich issue...

[
	{
		"id": 75968,
		"battery_status": null,
		"ping": null,
		"battery": null,
		"tracker_id": null,
		"topic": null,
		"altitude": 412,
		"longitude": null,
		"velocity": null,
		"trigger": null,
		"bssid": null,
		"ssid": null,
		"connection": null,
		"vertical_accuracy": null,
		"accuracy": null,
		"timestamp": 1744466161,
		"latitude": null,
		"mode": null,
		"inrids": [],
		"in_regions": [],
		"city": null,
		"country": null,
		"geodata": {},
		"reverse_geocoded_at": null,
		"course": null,
		"course_accuracy": null,
		"external_track_id": null,
		"lonlat": "POINT (14.330348 50.882213)"
	},
	{
		"id": 75969,
		"battery_status": null,
		"ping": null,
		"battery": null,
		"tracker_id": null,
		"topic": null,
		"altitude": 410,
		"longitude": null,
		"velocity": null,
		"trigger": null,
		"bssid": null,
		"ssid": null,
		"connection": null,
		"vertical_accuracy": null,
		"accuracy": null,
		"timestamp": 1744466191,
		"latitude": null,
		"mode": null,
		"inrids": [],
		"in_regions": [],
		"city": null,
		"country": null,
		"geodata": {},
		"reverse_geocoded_at": null,
		"course": null,
		"course_accuracy": null,
		"external_track_id": null,
		"lonlat": "POINT (14.330619 50.881991)"
	}
]

[adromir]

On Friday or probably the weekend, I'll see what I can do. Just need to go through 2 nightshifts at my job

[adromir]

Sadly I wasnt able to incoporate the changes yet. My Computer broke down and i need to get a replacement first

[wjansenw]

No worries @adromir . I think I can manage to do what I want - just need to find the time to do so :-).

However, I think your script is no longer in line with Dawarich's datamodel:
https://dawarich.app/docs/updating-guides/#0250 > here I see they started using point and no longer longitude / latitude. I think your script would need adaptation to manage that changed model.

Not sure I know where in the script this needs to changed.

Tnx,
Wim

[adromir]

I will look into it, when I have a working computer again. Thanks for the info