Photo GPS to KMZ Converter

A Python tool to extract GPS coordinates from photo EXIF data and create a KMZ file for viewing in Google Earth or other mapping applications.

Features

• Extracts GPS coordinates (latitude/longitude) from photo EXIF data
• Creates a KMZ file with placemarks for each photo location
• Generates a comprehensive Quality Control (QC) report with statistics
• Displays photo paths and metadata in Google Earth
• Handles photos without GPS data gracefully
• Supports JPG, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF formats

Installation

1. Install Python 3.7 or higher
2. Install required dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Basic Usage

Process all photos in the current directory:

python create_kmz_from_photos.py .

Specify Directory

Process photos in a specific directory:

python create_kmz_from_photos.py /path/to/photos

Custom Output File

Specify a custom output KMZ file name:

python create_kmz_from_photos.py . my_photos.kmz

Include Photos in KMZ

Include the actual photo files in the KMZ (makes the file larger but portable):

python create_kmz_from_photos.py . output.kmz --include-photos

Output

The tool creates two files:

1. KMZ file - Can be opened in:

   • Google Earth
   • Google Maps (upload KMZ)
   • Other KML/KMZ compatible mapping applications

   Each placemark includes:

   • Photo filename
   • GPS coordinates
   • Date taken (if available in EXIF)
   • Full file path
   • Link to open the original photo

2. QC Report (.qc_report.txt) - Contains:

   • Summary statistics (total photos, GPS coverage percentage)
   • GPS coordinate statistics (min/max/average, coverage area)
   • Date/time range analysis
   • Quality checks (duplicate coordinates, invalid data warnings)
   • Complete list of photos with and without GPS data

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Pillow (PIL) library for EXIF extraction

Notes

• Only photos with GPS data in their EXIF will be included in the KMZ
• Photos without GPS coordinates will be skipped with a notification
• The tool processes images in alphabetical order
• The QC report is automatically generated alongside the KMZ file
• Photos are NOT embedded in the KMZ by default (only paths are included)