How to explain what you're doing to passers-by?

When it comes to draining the battery:

I have a “battery case” around my iPhone that gives me twice as much battery capacity as the phone’s built-in battery. I’m pretty sure they are available for other brands than iPhone.
A second option would be to use an “emergency battery” connected to the phone via a USB cable. Not so handy, but at least it’s extra battery.
For those who are shooting in the outback, there are larger solar panels that fit on the outside of a backpack.

Charging my phone while using it greatly increases the temperature. Shooting photos and having the screen on high brightness (because of bright daylight) and charging the battery at the same time, my phone will shutdown within an hour because of overheating.

I would be careful with an “emergency battery” connected to the phone while walking around with it. The cable moving around puts extra strain on the connector, I’ve destroyed the USB connection of my S3 this way.

A better solution (but not possible for iPhone users) is a replacement battery that is being charged (by a portable powerbank) while using the other battery. Though this requires a battery exchange every 1.5-2 hours.

No, being able to turn off the screen is still my #1 wish. In addition to conserving power and reducing heat, this also prevents me pushing buttons while holding the phone in my hand, and makes it less visible that I am making photos.

With a full battery that’s being connected to an external battery, the phone itself shouldn’t be that hot.
It should be like a night charging session with the screen on.

Another option would be finding an Android phone with a huge battery capacity - like those “work phones” that can be run over by a truck or dropped from 4th floor to the pavement. :smile:
When such a phone needs charging, I’m pretty sure I would need to be “charged” too. :smile:

If you get a phone that always for the battery to be swapped out, you can carry spare batteries. I do that for my phone even though I don’t use it for photo mapping. it’s pretty handy in general.

You can also try Open Camera (free in Android), which is a very flexible app that allows you to store location and compass direction and setup the frequency, sounds… I have a short presentation (in Spanish) of the OC setup that I use for Mapillary: Preparando app Open Camera para Mapillary

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Oh that is your wife ?, here it looks like a pokemon.

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Can you use OpenCamera saving pictures in the SD card, instead of internal memory? I tried to do it here but apparently there’s no option to do that, or at least I couldn’t find it somehow.

Sure, you can. My Android phone has an option in the Storage section of Settings where you define the default destination for writing (storing your files). I just checked SD and all the GPS tracks and pictures are stored there.

Sadly, Open Camera also doesn’t allows me to turn off the screen either. I don’t really see the advantage of Open Camera over the default Mapillary app.

:smiley: :smiley: Yep, Pokemons have come to the rescue for Mapillary people! :wink:

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Today I was on bike. I stopped to let some joggers pass and putted down my smartphone. I still have a good hearing, and I heard one jogger say : “That’s another half cooked one”.

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When i was with Panoramio I had shirts made with the Google logo front and back.
I found these shirts to be great conversation starters but counter productive to getting the pictures I wanted.
I’d spend too much time talking and run out of time and light to find good pictures.
I also had business cards printed. If asked I would hand them a card. That gave some legitimacy to what I was doing and gave them a way to ask for copies of the pictures I took of their home or business.
I’ve been stopped by police a few times. I like to get pictures of the big homes.
When I explained I was free to go with the operative word being “go”.
Rich people don’t like it when you take pictures.
My biggest challenge in explanation is describing to my Amish customers who are leary at best of picture taking, what I am doing.
I always try to paint a positive God fearing picture of the Mapi llary project to these non internet, non camera, no phone customers of mine.
Some of my explanations might seem foreign to the folks at Mapillary, I have gotten a little creative at times to put a good spin on something their faith structure frowns on.

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Depending on what I’m documenting reply that I’m helping to update the walking / cycling map by reporting / researching reported issues, documenting missing walk markers / signs, overgrown footpaths (whatever caught my eye), or adding to a wikipedia-style walking / cycling map / guide. Seems to satisfy people around here, even when taking photos of families on a pedal-powered train. It helps to be friendly and show an affable face, well-dressed / obviously not down-and-out.

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@koninklijke do you use OpenStreetMap for updating walking and cycling maps, or do you have some other projects? What about reporting issues and infrastructure problems?

I meet terrorists and nudists.

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Dear Katrin, “It’s complicated”, as they say.

Started last September after a long illness, began walking ‘follow the arrows’ walks. Reading a map to get to the start was a drag when the start is in a hidden barn or seemingly disused football changing room. The walking/ cycling shop suggested Garmin Oregon with FreizeitKarte-OSM maps.

With the OpenStreetMap scrolling as one walks past, noticed missing or out of date info, collected notes to amend and sent those in. Was invited to place those notes in relevant positions on the map, then to edit those points, with someone from a distance ‘looking over my shoulder’, and to upload supporting photos to Mapillary.

Some observations are not in the remit of a map, like a barely visible Grande Route-marker or nominating thorny bushes on a public path fortrimming. Looking at classification as walking / cycling path sometimes wonder how well one could cycle on such a muddy track.Or cycling to a walk along part of a GrandeRoute find missing turn markers.

Describing OpenStreetMap as “a wikipedia-style walking/ cycling map/ guide” pre-empts further questions : that may sound unkind, but aim is to regain health, strength and stamina through sustained exertion - walking isn’t exertion, but at this stage … .

You mentioned ‘other projects’? Could you elaborate, please?

@koninklijke Thanks for telling your story! A great example of gradually getting into this (Y)

So the ‘other projects’, I meant something else than OpenStreetMap? Although a lot of e.g. citizen initiatives of reporting things are now also based on OSM, which is no wonder, since it’s so great =) But for instance the “nominating thorny bushes on a public path for trimming” - how does this work?

@katrin How it’ll work, the reporting? Don’t know yet, but having a photo reference which places the photo on a map to include in the report will help the person dealing with it, as it is clear where the issue is located. Would in first instance report Grande Randonnee marker issues to the Belgian branch, and the bushes to the municipality where they are located, and to the waterways authority which ought to maintain the towpath. Then see what happens.

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Well lets not get started on geocaching or WiFi scanning :stuck_out_tongue:

With geocaching there is an artform to being stealthy around the muggles.

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I thought today of this topic.
I found myself at campgrounds as they readied for the season.
I found mansion of Google Maps got mixed reviews, but saying Mapillary and their hope to pick up where Google Maps falls short worked very well.
Many remote places without cell coverage are frustrated with Google Maps. I explained to one camp ground owner that Mapillary does not need cell service only GPS to accurately locate their business. That seemed to go over well.

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