paparazzi/sw/tools/process_exif

This is a script which loads GPS info into photo files (EXIF) based on the DC_SHOT messages
in the telemetry data. The .data file contains DC_SHOT messages (possibly not all emitted by telemetry,
but I'll get back to that later). This file together with the files in jpeg format are
copied to a processing directory, where this script extracts the GPS position from each DC_SHOT message
and edits the exif photo data in place, so effectively loads the GPS position into the EXIF data for
each photo.

This script allows for gaps in DC_SHOT photo numbers and has some rudimentary error checking.


Instructions for use (on Ubuntu):

1. Make sure python is installed.
2. Install the necessary python packages:

# sudo apt-get install python-gdal
# sudo apt-get install gir1.2-gexiv2-0.4

3. Create a directory for processing. The photo's EXIF data will be edited in place.
4. Copy the .data file from the <paparazzi-dir>/var/log directory into this processing directory.
5. Copy all photos taken during the session to the directory. 

Verification:
- Sort photos by name. Since most cameras output the photo name with a number at the end, this should
  show a list of photo names with consecutive numbers.
- Verify that the first photo corresponds to the first DC_SHOT message (photonr == 1).
- Add some dummy photos at the start to make up for any missing photos that may exist (such that they get
  sorted before the real actual one).

6. Run the script:

# python sw/tools/process_exif/process_exif.py /<processing-dir>

Verification of processing:
- Look at the logs!  These include the GPS positions calculated from UTM paparazzi positions. 
  It has been tested on the southern+western hemispheres, but not yet on eastern and northern hemispheres.
- Verify the tags in the photo:
  exiftool -v2 <processing-dir>/<some-photo-name>.jpg

----

Considerations:

The Ivy telemetry bus can get a little clogged up and this will result in discarded messages. This means that 
not all DC_SHOT messages actually emitted by telemetry need to be there on the ground station, so some photos
won't have GPS coordinates loaded. Not all processing software for orthomosaics however require GPS positions 
for all photos, for example if they rely on recognizing corresponding features in overlapping photos.

Having more GPS coordinates in photos helps to improve accuracy, as the error in measurements approximates zero
over time if the error follows a normal distribution. 

Having many GPS coordinates is not enough however to achieve correct precision down to centimeters. Atmospheric conditions
need to be eliminated by applying 3-5 ground control points in strategic locations. These conditions can easily 
cause the entire orthomosaic to be shifted over a meter.


If your processing software does require the GPS coordinates per photo, you need to look into the use of a 
telemetry logger onboard. This logger can be hooked up separately on the tx+gnd lines of telemetry and "listen in" on
the connection.


The timing between actually taking a picture and the pulse event being sent is also an important consideration.
Obviously the GPS frequency is also an issue. If this is used on a fixedwing, obviously if the plane is underway
at 12m/s, 250ms will introduce a 3m bias on the position. Another reason to rely on GPS positions only as hints
and apply ground control points to "set" the orthomosaic to the right location.