Add a Location by Emailing a Geotagged Photo to the Atlas

You can add a geotagged photo to the atlas by emailing it from your smartphone. The photo's GPS location is automatically extracted and a new point feature is created in the layer you specify.

Video Demo

Requirements

• An iPhone or Android phone with location services enabled for the camera app (see below)
• Your email address may need to be on the atlas's list of approved senders — ask your atlas administrator

How to Submit

1. Take a photo with your phone's camera outdoors, so your phone has a GPS fix.

2. Send the photo as an email attachment to your atlas's address, which is its ID followed by @fireatlas.org — for example scvfd@fireatlas.org. Attach one photo per email.

3. Write a subject line describing what you're documenting:

4. Just a description (goes to the atlas's default photo layer): Locked gate on Miller Road

5. Or specify a layer with a colon: hydrants: New hydrant at staging area private_notes: Check drainage here next season The layer name must match an existing layer in your atlas. If you leave out the colon and layer name, the feature goes to the default photo layer.

6. Send the email. The feature will appear in the atlas within a minute or two.

Automatic replies for failed submissions are turned off for now, so if nothing appears after a few minutes, check the troubleshooting list below.

Making Sure Location Services Are On

The most common reason a submission fails is that the Camera app doesn't have permission to record your location. The photo looks normal but has no GPS coordinates.

How to check on iPhone: 1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services 2. Scroll down to Camera and tap it 3. It should say While Using — change it if it says Never or Ask Next Time

How to verify before sending: - Open the photo in the Photos app and swipe up (or tap ⓘ) - If a small map appears showing where the photo was taken, GPS is present ✓ - If no map appears, the photo has no location data and the submission will fail

Android: - Go to Settings → Apps → Camera → Permissions → Location → set to "Allow while using" - In Google Photos, check the photo details for a location

If location was off when you took the photo, retake it with location enabled — GPS cannot be added to an existing photo after the fact.

What Gets Created

A new point feature is placed at the GPS coordinates from the photo, with: - name — the title from your subject line - source — "email" - sender — your email address - timestamp — when the email was received - URL — a link to the stored photo (click the feature on the map to view it)

Troubleshooting

Nothing appeared - Check that your email address is on the atlas's approved senders list - Make sure the photo was sent as an attachment (not pasted inline) - Check the layer name spelling in your subject line (case doesn't matter)

The photo has no location - The photo doesn't have location data — submissions without it are rejected. Follow the location services steps above, retake the photo, and resend. - Note: some apps (WhatsApp, Slack) strip GPS when sharing — attach the photo directly from your Camera Roll or Photos app instead.

The feature appeared but in the wrong place - Your phone may not have had a GPS fix when the photo was taken. Go outdoors with a clear view of the sky and try again.