Setting the GPS Coordinates for a File

[DigPeter]

When trying to set GPS coords, geonames is often nor operating.  So when automatic reverse geocoding is enabled in the Geo & Maps configuration settings, it is not possible to set the coords.  It is therefore necessary go into preferences to disable automatic reverse geocoding, in order to set the coords.

It would be helpful when this happens, if the coords could still be set, while displaying that the reverse geocoding  is not operating.

[Mario]

I can't follow. Do you use the demo account of GeoNames? If so, it is often expired and stops working for a day. Try to get your own account, it's free.

If you have enabled rgc and it cannot complete because your geo-coding service is not responding, IMatch will not set/change the coordinate for good reasons. It would create bad / incomplete metadata.

[DigPeter]

I can't follow. Do you use the demo account of GeoNames? If so, it is often expired and stops working for a day. Try to get your own account, it's free.

Not sure I know what you mean by "demo account".  I have a geocode user name, which is entered in Geo & Maps preferences.

If you have enabled rgc and it cannot complete because your geo-coding service is not responding, IMatch will not set/change the coordinate for good reasons. It would create bad / incomplete metadata.

What do you mean by "bad/incomplete metadata"?  I am normally happy just to have the geo coords in my metadata.  The rest is nice to have, but for me not essential.  For those who want the full geocode metadata, a dialog stating that the geo names have nor been applied, would alert them to the fact, so they could reverse geocode later.

As an aside and nothing to do with Match, when geo names are applied automatically, I find that are not what I want and have to amend them.

[Mario]

I have not experienced any GeoNames outtimes. But if you run on a free account you are sharing one server with probably hundreds of thousands of other people. It's free after all.
If you pay for GeoNames you get access to a bigger server farm with no timeouts. If you switch to Google, you pay with your data. Reliable Geo-coding cannot and is not free, sorry.

When you enable rgc IMatch triggers it when you set or change GPS coordinates.
It uses the new/changed coordinates to lookup county/city/location and fills these fields. Then commits the changes to the database.

If your geo-coding service does not respond, two things may happen:

a) IMatch produces a file with GPS coordinates but no matching county/city/location => incomplete data.
b) IMatch updates the GPS coordinates but does not update the existing county/city/location => invalid/wrong data.

This is why IMatch does not commit the changes.
If you have trouble using GeoNames with the free account, consider switching to the paid service or switch to Google or disable automatic reverse-geocoding and perform it manually when you know that your connection to GeoNames.org is good.

[DigPeter]

Thank you Mario - yes, I understand all that.  I just did not know what is a "demo account".  What you suggest is what i am doing.  I just think it would be more convenient if it were not necessary to keep changing the preference.  Either way it would be necessary to have 2 attempts at getting the full geo data, if the service is not working.

[Mario]

Usually GeoNames.org is very reliably. Your experience may vary, depending on your country of origin and how many requests you make per day.

I will not change the current implementation because it is safe and sound.
And you have options to would around your problem by disabling the automatic and doing manual rgc when you have tested that GeoNames.org is working for you.