Extracting GPS location from video?

Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
6
Reaction score
1
Age
36
Hey all,

I've been at this for hours and I can't quite figure this one out on my own. I'm sorry if the answer is simple, but I have a feeling it isn't.

What is most important to me, is that I want to be able to watch a video from my flight, and at a certain point in that video, be able to determine GPS location, and time. Ideally I'd also like drone height, but it's not entirely necessary, I can easily get that info from the DJI Go app the hard way.

I'd also like to be able to import the flight paths into GIS. I think for that one I need to access the .DAT files from the drone and use a file converter to convert it to a .CSV file, but at the moment I can't get the drone itself to mount to either my macbook pro, or a laptop running Windows 10. I might have to call DJI support for this one though.

Other information:
I'm running a 2015 macbook pro OSX Yosemite, but have access to a laptop running Windows 10 Home.
I have a DJI Phantom 3 Professional

Thanks for any help anyone can give me.
 
Hey all,

I've been at this for hours and I can't quite figure this one out on my own. I'm sorry if the answer is simple, but I have a feeling it isn't.

What is most important to me, is that I want to be able to watch a video from my flight, and at a certain point in that video, be able to determine GPS location, and time. Ideally I'd also like drone height, but it's not entirely necessary, I can easily get that info from the DJI Go app the hard way.

I'd also like to be able to import the flight paths into GIS. I think for that one I need to access the .DAT files from the drone and use a file converter to convert it to a .CSV file, but at the moment I can't get the drone itself to mount to either my macbook pro, or a laptop running Windows 10. I might have to call DJI support for this one though.

Other information:
I'm running a 2015 macbook pro OSX Yosemite, but have access to a laptop running Windows 10 Home.
I have a DJI Phantom 3 Professional

Thanks for any help anyone can give me.
If you enable video caption it will generate an SRT file that includes coords for home and for current location, date, time, barometer, and camera settings. You can view it like subtitles. I don't know if there is an easy way to extract the data from that file as you asked.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: JoBe and jb497
As Oso said enable video caching then when you download the video file and the SRT file place them in the same folder. Then open up the video file with VLC video player. The SRT file information including GPS coordinates will be displayed in the lower third portion of the video...
 
  • Like
Reactions: jb497
Thanks guys. Lucky enough, I must have had video caching on the whole time. Is this something that I can turn off and on via the app?

I did what you said, RCPILOT, and I opened it up in VLC with the associated SRT file in the same folder and it displays GPS info.

I cannot thank you guys enough. This has been killing me all day.
 
Thanks guys. Lucky enough, I must have had video caching on the whole time. Is this something that I can turn off and on via the app?

I did what you said, RCPILOT, and I opened it up in VLC with the associated SRT file in the same folder and it displays GPS info.

I cannot thank you guys enough. This has been killing me all day.
You're welcome.
You can enable or disable the video captions (not called caching) at any time in the app settings. Alternately, if you do keep it enabled and generate the SRT files, you can disable them in VLC so you can either see the data display or not. You can also keep video captions enabled, but just save the generated SRT files in a different folder so the data is not visible when watching the videos.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JoBe
You're welcome.
You can enable or disable the video captions (not called caching) at any time in the app settings. Alternately, if you do keep it enabled and generate the SRT files, you can disable them in VLC so you can either see the data display or not. You can also keep video captions enabled, but just save the generated SRT files in a different folder so the data is not visible when watching the videos.

Seriously, I cannot thank you enough. I'm trying to use this for a part of a college program I'm in, and I was seriously stuck.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oso
I have a question along these lines. I have fairly large non-conformal areas that I am working in. I have been using video, hoping to decrease the amount of pictures taken. In so doing, I would like to export the videos to images that maintain/contain their GPS information as I am hoping to use the images in ArcGIS. I appreciate any help. I have tried using my Lightroom, which worked once, but now it isn't working at all.
Thanks.
 
I have a question along these lines. I have fairly large non-conformal areas that I am working in. I have been using video, hoping to decrease the amount of pictures taken. In so doing, I would like to export the videos to images that maintain/contain their GPS information as I am hoping to use the images in ArcGIS. I appreciate any help. I have tried using my Lightroom, which worked once, but now it isn't working at all.
Thanks.

Try looking at VLC, it's a real power-house when it comes to this type of stuff. Also, are you saving the flight data while you are doing the flights? Basically my work around was that I had DJI recording the flight data, and when I would pull the DCIM files, I would put EVERYTHING in a folder. Then you open the video in VLC, and if you have caption on, it'll give you GPS info wherever it is at.

You can also use VLC to extract high-res images. You know the DJI is going to take images that are a few MB big. Well, it's basically the same thing when you extract the images from the video. Should be able to get the GPS data associated with it as well. Let me know if you need help with any of this.
 
Litchi keeps a log of GPS coordinates. You can overlay it onto your video with dashware.

Litchi can also display the coordinates onto your FPV screen as you fly...
 
If you enable video caption it will generate an SRT file that includes coords for home and for current location, date, time, barometer, and camera settings. You can view it like subtitles. I don't know if there is an easy way to extract the data from that file as you asked.
Sorry but I do not speak English.
Can you tell me where to find the SRT file?
Is it on the tablet in the DjiGo 4 app?
Thank you.
 
Sorry but I do not speak English.
Can you tell me where to find the SRT file?
Is it on the tablet in the DjiGo 4 app?
Thank you.
Its on the SD card in the Phantom.
 
Do you have the option to generate the .srt files (video captions) enabled in the app? It's mentioned 2 or 3 times in this thread. If it's not enabled, the .srt files will not be generated.

Here is more information if your search function is not working:
Search Results for Query: video caption | DJI Phantom Drone Forum

Hopefully the .srt files will help with what you need. Cheers!

Caption video is enabled, so I asked for help from the forum. Thank you.
 
Caption video is enabled, so I asked for help from the forum. Thank you.
When I shoot a video the SRT is on the card directly under the movie/mp4 file. For instance is the video is named DJI_001.MP4 directly under it is DJI_001.SRT

Hope that helps.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JoBe
In the .mov file, there is no SRT file?
When the video caption option is enabled, if you record a new video it will also create a separate .SRT file on the SD card. This is true even if you use the .mov format. If you didn't have the option enabled when you recorded video, enabling it later won't go back and retroactively create an .SRT file.

Its really a very simple thing to do. I can't think of any different ways to say the same thing, so please forgive me if I am not fully understanding what you are asking.
 
When the video caption option is enabled, if you record a new video it will also create a separate .SRT file on the SD card. This is true even if you use the .mov format. If you didn't have the option enabled when you recorded video, enabling it later won't go back and retroactively create an .SRT file.

Its really a very simple thing to do. I can't think of any different ways to say the same thing, so please forgive me if I am not fully understanding what you are asking.

Thank you, you are very clear in the explanation.
I activated before the video caption option, but I can not find the SRT in the recorded file.
Today I look back, hello and thanks again.
 
In the .mov file, there is no SRT file?
I can not find the SRT in the recorded file.
Perhaps it is a language barrier, but do you understand that the srt file is not IN the recorded file. Its a separate file. Some people call it a sidecar file and they are named as @BigAl07 noted earlier. When the .mov file and the .srt file are in the same directory and you play the .mov file with a video player such as VLC, you can see the .srt data when you enable subtitles in the viewer.
 

Recent Posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,357
Members
104,935
Latest member
Pauos31