The ArcPhoto Tools are a set of geoprocessing tools and ArcMap user interface enhancements to enable the quick import of digital photography into the ArcGIS framework. The tools work directly off the EXIF (Exchangeable image file format) header information that is encoded into digital imagery. This information usually includes information about the type of camera used, focal length, aperture, type of flash, etc. For professional grade cameras or images taken with ArcPad 7/8, the imagery can potentially hold GPS location information about where the photo was taken as well. At 9.2 the ArcGIS framework can directly read this type of metadata and with the help of the location information the ArcPhoto tools allow for a quick and streamlined integration of rich visual information.
Special functionality for ArcMap includes the display of thumbnail images as “map tips” and the ability to create ArcPhoto Elements – think of thumbnail images as annotation for point features. Finally within the 3D environment the images are applied to create billboards and they are displayed using the captured orientation of the digital photography.
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