March/April 2005

We think this unusual GIS-enabled camera from Ricoh opens up some interesting possibilities for field service and logistics, even though its primary application is seen as surveying and similar work.

The G3 Pro has an on-board GPS receiver which automatically identifies the geographical location of the pictures it takes, and can superimpose the details on the image, as well as storing them. It can also take input from a more precise external GPS unit if required.

The information file is saved to flash memory as a composite "shapefile" (a vector format developed by geographic software specialist ESRI). This combines image and contextual geographic details in a single file. We understand the camera itself is a 3.2-mexapixel model.

You can imagine a driver photographing a lorry queue at a delivery point to prove where and when the hold-up happened, or an engineer photographing traffic congestion on an otherwise unidentified stretch of road to prove the reason for a delay. The camera is being offered in Britain by Survey Supplies.