Geonames.org connection problem

[tokumeino]

Hi, I'm trying iMatch and I fail with reverse geotagging. I have a geonames.org account, I can log in and peform web requests. On the same computer, iMatch fails with a "Connection problem : iMatch could not establish a connection ... try again later". I have my ID in the iMatch settings. I have tried yesterday at various times, this morning and this afternoon.

What can I do ?

[tokumeino]

Note that it works fine with Google, and that my Geonames account has been properly activated. I've tryed with the username as well as the email used to register to Geonames.

Intermediate log shows :

Code Select Expand


05.05 17:54:01+23891 [4C10] 00  I> # Loglevel changed to 10.
05.05 17:54:52+50484 [4C10] 10  M>  >  1 CIMTaskMetabase::Geocode  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\imatchng\imtasksmetabase.cpp(1996)'
05.05 17:54:52+   31 [4C10] 10  M>   >  2 CDlgGeocodeFile::FillRecs  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\imatchng\dlggeocodefile.cpp(310)'
05.05 17:54:52+    0 [4C10] 10  M>   <  2 CDlgGeocodeFile::FillRecs
05.05 17:54:55+ 2797 [4C10] 10  M>   >  2 CDlgGeocodeFile::Lookup  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\imatchng\dlggeocodefile.cpp(841)'
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>    >  3 PTGeoCoderGeoNamesOrg::ReverseGeocodeLatLng  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptgeocoder.cpp(87)'
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>     >  4 PTWGet::Get  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptwget.cpp(170)'
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>      >  5 PTWGet::RetrieveFromNet  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptwget.cpp(601)'
05.05 17:54:55+   47 [4C10] 01  W>      PTWGet::RetrieveFromNet: Access denied.  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptwget.cpp(700)'
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 01  W>      PTWGet::RetrieveFromNet: Une erreur inconnue s'est produite.  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptwget.cpp(845)'
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>      <  5 [47ms] PTWGet::RetrieveFromNet
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>     <  4 [47ms] PTWGet::Get
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>    <  3 [47ms] PTGeoCoderGeoNamesOrg::ReverseGeocodeLatLng
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  M>    >  3 CIMResManager::TaskDialog  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\imatchng\imresmanager.cpp(1011)'
05.05 17:54:55+    0 [4C10] 10  I>    PTR_MSG_GEO_SERVERDOWN
05.05 17:54:57+ 1797 [4C10] 10  M>    <  3 [1797ms] CIMResManager::TaskDialog
05.05 17:54:57+    0 [4C10] 10  M>   <  2 [1844ms] CDlgGeocodeFile::Lookup
05.05 17:54:58+ 1078 [4C10] 10  M>  <  1 [5750ms #sl] CIMTaskMetabase::Geocode


[Mario]

GeoNames returns "Access denied" and "Une erreur inconnue s'est produite.".
IMatch considers this as "server down".

Maybe they do maintenance and have shut-down the free server? Only the servers for paying users have a SLA.
Try again tomorrow.

[stahl]

Hi, I'm trying iMatch and I fail with reverse geotagging. I have a geonames.org account, I can log in and peform web requests. On the same computer, iMatch fails with a "Connection problem : iMatch could not establish a connection ... try again later". I have my ID in the iMatch settings. I have tried yesterday at various times, this morning and this afternoon.

What can I do ?

Same problem here. Reverse geotagging worked fine with GeoNames for a single test image, then simply nothing happened any more when clicking "lookup", so I got a GeoNames username. Since then I keep having the same situation as described by tokumeino above for 24 hours now: Connection fail in IMatch even though I can log in on the GeoNames website and perform requests there. And, yes, I did enter my username in the IMatch preferences.
@tokumeino: Did you finally get GeoNames to work and how?

[Mario]

Always include the IMatch log file from the session where you experienced this: log file
It will contain the error messages received from GeoNames.org.

Are you using the free or their paid service. The free service has no SLA and can be down at any time. Or maybe your user account as exceeded its monthly allowance or something.

[stahl]

I worked it out: Activating the GeoNames account and enabling the account are two separate steps. Take them both.

The log file:

Code Select Expand

08.08 17:40:54+    0 [13F8] 02  I> Locking mode is EXCLUSIVE
08.08 17:44:20+206375 [342C] 02  I> Spelling: Loaded dictionary from 'C:\ProgramData\photools.com\imatch6\dictionaries\de_DE.dic'
08.08 17:44:20+    0 [342C] 02  I> Spelling: Loading user dictionary from 'C:\Users\ThinkPad User\AppData\Roaming\photools.com\IMatch5\dictionaries\user.dic'
08.08 17:44:35+14844 [342C] 01  W> PTWGet::RetrieveFromNet: Access denied.  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptwget.cpp(700)'
08.08 17:44:35+   94 [342C] 01  W> PTWGet::RetrieveFromNet: Ein unerwarteter Fehler ist aufgetreten.  'v:\develop\imatch5\src\ptgeo\ptwget.cpp(845)'

So this made me re-check my GeoNames account settings, remembering that Mario wrote "Don't forget to enable your account for the free web service, else it will not work" in the API key explanation.

It turns out that what felt like enabling the account (clicking on the link in the email from GeoNames saying "Please use the following link to activate your account") did in fact not yet enable the account for reverse geocoding. You will find this setting under this link:
http://www.geonames.org/enablefreewebservice
or through your account settings.

Stef

[javiavid]

Thanks Stahl, I also lacked the activation and did not get it to work.

[spiff]

+1

Since 2019 have an activated geonames account but imatch always telling:
"Suchanbieter nicht konfiguriert Sie müssen zuerst einen gültigen Benutzernamen für diesen Suchanbieter unter Bearbeiten > Einstellungen > Geo & Karten eintragen."

[Mario]

Du musst bei GeoNames Deinen Account auch aktivieren. Dort der Anleitung folgen.

[spiff]

Ich habe nach Anleitung von user Stahl hier auf den link geklickt und den account aktiviert. Siehe screenshot. Das ist jetzt ein Jahr her. Selbst wenn deren Server ab und an down ist, hat es bei imatch noch nie funktioniert bei mir. Bevor wir lang Protokolle austauschen, probiere es mal mit Deinem account bei geonames ob es bei Dir klappt?

[Mario]

I have made some tests and I also get "invalid user" value = 10 back in the response.
Even when I use the official demo requests from the GeoNames.org web site.

I can still log in with my user account.

I have posted a question in the GeoNames.org community to check if there is a problem with authentication on their site or whatever the problem is.
May take a couple of days before we get an answer. Faster, hopefully.

[spiff]

I can log in with my account too.

[Mario]

I have posted a question in their community, but it still does not show - the moderators have not cleared it.
All I can say is that GeoNames.org always returns an error code for my long existing user account, even for the demo requests on their site.

I recommend you switch to Google or HERE in the mean time. IMatch supports 3 different services for reverse geo-coding.

[spiff]

I did not get it to work with google. I had a google API key, it was not limited. Also may google billing account was succesfully verfied, they got my guilty credit card. Everything o.k., but could not get in work with imatch. We discussed it here. Until now i do have no solution for it with google and still hope that geonames will get it to run.

[Mario]

I have just tried it again and it works again.
Not only from IMatch, but also from the GeoNames.org web site with their API demos and my user name.
All is well.

If it still does not work for you, log into GeoNames.org and check that your account is valid and enabled: http://www.geonames.org/manageaccount

[spiff]

Geonames web service is enabled.

a.)
Using the imatch map panel pushing f to search places i still get the failure "Suchanbieter nicht konfiguriert...".

b.)
using menue bar "Werkzeuge" --> "Alle ausgewählten Dateien umgekehrt geocodieren" works flawlessly.

What could be wrong?

[Mario]

Works here just fine:

[thrinn]

Works here also.

[spiff]

Would one of you please try it with my Geonames username? That´s everything you want i assume. I can change my username afterwards. I would send you a personal message.

[Mario]

You can send it to me...harharhar... => support email address

Or, just create a new user, enable it and then test with that...?

[spiff]

I sent you an email.

Because i also can not run reverse geocoding with google, here i suppose i have an imperfection on my system. Maybe i did some changes in imatch configuration what detains imatch from reverse geocoding. But i can´t find the cause.

[thrinn]

Would one of you please try it with my Geonames username? That´s everything you want i assume. I can change my username afterwards. I would send you a personal message.

Well, in fact I tried it with your user name and it worked. The user name in your screen shot was not so difficult to guess...

[spiff]

Thanks. Where I did incorrect configuration at imatch so it doesn't work?

[Mario]

No problems here either with your user name.

Double-check under Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps that you have configured GeoNames.org for reverse geocoding and that there are no extra blanks or spaces in your user name.

[spiff]

Thanks. I am at work at the moment, but I remember I just took geonames of the drop down menue and not geonames.org. I will try if I can manually change in geonames.org.

[Mario]

You can only pick from "GeoNames.org", "Google" and "HERE" for reverse geocoding. I guess your user name contains some unwanted blanks somewhere. Just type it in again.
If other web-based features in IMatch also don't work (Map Panel, Update Check, ...) your Firewall may be an issue.

[spiff]

user name ist correct.
Anti Virus Windows defender deactivated.
Winddows firewall deativated.
Map panel open street works, map panel google does not work.
place search does not work "Suchanbieter nicht konfiguriert..", for Geonames and google same behaviour.
Everything else on the PC with internet  is working flawlessly.

I have no idea what it could be. I tried starting a new database, but my settings in imatch are always there. How i can set imatch to default settings for testing?

[Mario]

This error message is shown when the GeoNames User Name under Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps is empty.
Do you have entered your user name into the correct field?

You can rename the settings database while IMatch is not running.
IMatch then creates a new one with default values. Delete the new one and rename the settings database back after your test to get all your settings back.

"C:\ProgramData\photools.com\IMatch6\config\imatch.pts"

[spiff]

Hi Mario,

I can limit the error to my user profile. While you wrote your last reply i meanwhile did this test what is ±you told me:

i first copied my user Profile (imatch.pts) in C:\ProgramData\photools.com\imatch6\config to a safe place and then deleted it. Then restart imatch, so imtach was forced to generate an new profile. Then opened my databse, and filled in my username for geonames and it worked flawlessly with geonames! I did not tried it with google, but is suppose with this new user profile it will work also flawlessly. So there mus be something corrupt in my userprofile, how to find out what?

An idea, i read it is a sql database an settings can changed with a browser. With your help i can open my user profile with a browser and change the settings for geocoding to default. And then testing it. Because i always have a backup copy there should be no risk?

[Mario]

The user name for GeoNames.org is stored as part of a complex binary blob structure in the settings store. You cannot just change a 'text'.
The user name is just a string internally. Nothing can really go wrong with that. This works flawlessly for many years.
Just try to erase what you have entered and close the dialog with OK. Then enter your user name again in the GeoNames.org User Name field and close the dialog with OK.

[spiff]

I tried this and that the last 12 month. And of course what you are telling me. It did not work. Not with Geonames, not with here, nore with google. With a new user profile everything is o.k. If you like i can send you my userprofile and you can try it. My user profile is spoilt regarding searching placees in map panel.

[spiff]

I think i found the reason. Months ago i reinstalld Windows from scratch. Meanwhile Windows does not ask me choosing a name for the user but generates a new based on the Emailadress given to Microsoft. In fact i got a new Windows username when reinstalled Windows. After installing imatch on my new Windows i could not use my presets again. So i was forced to give imatch in settings user name alias my old Windows username and everything seems o.k. But i had problems with the mappanel. i did not linked this together in my mind. If i now delete my old username in imatch settings user name alias everything works fine. I do not understand why, but thats it. On the other hand i loosen some - but not all - my imatch settings for example renamer configuration.

[Mario]

If you install Windows 10 and link it to a MS account, your user name will change. This is one of the reasons not to link Windows to a MS account. The other is privacy.

IMatch supports the User Name Alias feature to allow you to use settings done for another user with a different account. This was added because quite a number of users uses different user names on different computers and wondered why per-user settings in IMatch were not available.

The Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps settings are stored per user, and respect the user name alias, if one is configured.
Check: If you can see the GeoNames user name in Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps, the settings are available. Else the fields would be empty.

The built-in reverse geo-coding, the map panel and all related features use the same settings. This is managed by a central class designed for this purpose. I don't see why a wrong alias (or an alias) could impact this.
I've made some tests on my computers and the user name alias is respected and Google/GeoNames/HERE work, with or without a user name alias.

I think we'll file this as an obscure, one user affected only, non reproducible problem. Such things just happen. 1 billion Windows computers out there, everything that can happen will happen.

[spiff]

This is o.k. I prefered to use a new imatch.pts profile and transfered my user settings manually. With the new profile google and geonames work finde. Some unexpected was that the new profile configured as the old has 700KB, whereas the old profile had 3600KB. Maybe there was anything wrong with the old imatch.pts anyway.