Dashboard -> Locations: Some countries are greyed out

[axel.hennig]

There is currently this threadLocations in the Dashboard not showing number of countries and I wanted to see how it is within my IMatch-database. I don't have the problem Graham is having, but I see the following:



My question is: Why is "Indien" (India) showing up blue while "Brasilien" (Brazil) is not and it is "greyed out"? Has it something to do with German country names?

[thrinn]

See this thread for an explanation.

[Mario]

This must be the TLC (two letter country code). The Map has no mapping for the country code used for these two entries.
The map is an SVG and I've used the TLC as the "tag" for each country polygon. Check if the files have a country code in the metadata.

@thrinn: Thanks, forgot about the fact that I had already explained this. Maybe I should update the dashboard help.

Unfortunately, my PC is currently somehow inoperable. After a short while, something (no idea what) I using 50GB RAM, completely thrashing my PC until I do a reset. This will be fun to figure out...

[axel.hennig]

@Thorsten: Thanks, that explained everything.

Checked the Metadata and indeed, the tag

Code Select Expand

{File.MD.XMP::iptcExt\LocationShownCountryCode\LocationShownCountryCode\0}was not filled.

But the tag

Code Select Expand

{File.MD.XMP::iptcCore\CountryCode\CountryCode\0}was filled (but not used for the Dashboard - Location map)

I still need to make everything consistent between "ipctCore CountryCode", "iptcExt LocationShown" and "iptcExt LocationCreated"...

[Mario]

But IMatch fills IPTCCore::CountryCode it when you perform reverse geocoding, at the same time it fills location shown / created in IPTCExit.

If you enter location data by hand (entering a location shown in the Metadata Panel), you have to fill in the Country Code tag too.

If you look at your "Default" metadata panel layout, may sure you use the XMP::iptcCore\CountryCode\CountryCode for the "Country" tag in the GPS section, not the old Composite tags. I'm not sure if the Composite GPS tag is mapped into all country tags by ExifTool during write-back.

Why is metadata that complex? I don't know.
Why do we have probably half a dozen metadata tags which could potentially hold a country code? I don't know.
Why do camera vendors invent their own location data instead of using the already available location tags? I don't know.

I've decided that the official IPTCExt LocationShown/Created are the base for everything related in IMatch. And with which tags to synchronize them. Usually there are 3 pairs of tags each synching with each other, e.g. XMP::iptcExt\LocationShownCountryName\LocationShownCountryName <=> Composite\MWG-Country\Country <=> XMP::photoshop\Country\Country, or XMP::iptcCore\CountryCode\CountryCode <=> XMP::iptcExt\LocationShownCountryCode\LocationShownCountryCode, where ExifTool may do another round of synching when Composite tags are modified.

[PandDLong]

Yes, location data is too complex - with too many competing tags.


Before Mario introduced the changes to handling Location data in one of the iMatch 2023 releases, I had chosen "master" tags for all my metadata panels, file window layouts, design & print and metadata templates.    I then applied a metadata template to synchronize all the various locations tags with my "master tags" before any write-back.  I did all that because my updates to tags would often get overwritten on write-back because Exiftool interpreted it differently than my intentions.

A long way of saying - Thank You - for hiding all this complexity inside iMatch.

Michael

[Mario]

A long way of saying - Thank You - for hiding all this complexity inside iMatch.

Michael

You're welcome

The 2023 changes, and revisions, were based on several (mile long) discussion threads in this community, trying to find something that would work for the majority of (participating) users.

Settling on the IPTCExt location shown/created tags (which are the richest location tags, and structured, and repeatable) and adding custom mappings to "other" location tags where needed (and frequently enough used) was a good idea. And a lot of work in IMatch 2023, several versions of it.

This now works well for the majority of users, I believe, and with features like reverse geocoding, AutoFill etc. Very good.

If a user has a need to fill yet another set of location tags not covered by IMatch's mappings and the additional mappings performed by ExifTool , he/she can use a Metadata template to copy location data between the official tags and his/her preferred or required tags easily enough.

And yes, metadata is complicated. And since it is in constant change for the past 30 years, things will remain exciting.