GPS Keyword Visibility

[andreww99149023]

I am using Lightroom Classic, currently version 12.4 on a windows 11 PC. I have about 150,000 images in a single catalog. Most of these have GPS information. One of my cameras (Nikon S9500)  has a GPS built-in and attached the data automatically. None of my various film cameras had a built-in GPS, of course, so I spent a great deal of time using Google Maps and the Lightroom Maps module as best I could. Finally, as none of my DSLRs (also Nikons) have a built-in GPS, I have been using the GEO TRACKER app on my phone to create a GPX file logging when and where I go and using those files to synchronize and insert the GPS information into the metadata using GEOSETTER. This works really well and allows me enough customization to satisfy my needs. 

The problem is that the keyword list has become unwieldy to the point of being impractical in many ways. Primarily, this is because the latitude and longitude show in the keyword list (for instance: "geo:lat=40.17771067.") The result is I no longer can see any keyword in the main list that comes after "GEO." I have tried putting them inside "GEO" and collapsing that group, but there are simply too many to do at one time. After weeks of doing this 100 or so at a time, I'm giving up on that approach since I am  still closer to the beginning than the end of that process.

It seems to me that there must be a way to make these invisible without deleting them altogether. I need the geotagging to exist to generate the country/state/city/sublocation information. I don't need to see the numbers.

Suggestions?

[dj_paige]

I use GeoSetter and I don't see this happening. In GeoSetter, try going to File->Settings, click on the Data Preferences tab, and then under Add/Copy Data Automatically when Editing or Reading, make sure Flickr GeoTags is unchecked, then click OK

You don't need these Lat and Long as keywords, since GeoSetter writes the Lat/Long to elsewhere in the metadata, when LrC will recognize it but not consider it a keyword.

[andreww99149023]

Thanks for replying. 

The Flicker swetting in Geosetter was already unchecked, which is either default or I unchecked it when I first installed Geosetter in 2018. 

Are you suggesting I can delete all the hundreds (thousands!) of GEO:xxx keywords without affecting the underlying GPS settings? That would certainly solve my problem. I search by Country/State/City/sublocation all the time but never by GPS data.

[dj_paige]

Are you suggesting I can delete all the hundreds (thousands!) of GEO:xxx keywords without affecting the underlying GPS settings?

Try it yourself and see.

[DClark064]

Andrew, I don't use Geosetter but as dj_paige says the GPS data should be written into the location metadata so no keyword is needed.  You can check whether the files have location metadata set by looking at the Map module.  If the files have location indicators, the metadata is set.  You should be able to delete the GPS keywords for those files. 

You can also create a smart collection that shows files that have GPS location data, or a smart collection of those that do not.  When creating the smart collection use "Location" then "GPS Data", then "is", then "Coordinates" or "No Coordinates".  This will show you which files have GPS data set, so you don't need GPS keywords for them. If you look at the "No Coordinates" smart collection and none of them have GPS keywords you are OK to delete the keywords.  If any of the "No Coordinates" files do have GPS keywords, then you need to assign the locations in the keywords to the GPS metadata before deleting those keywords.  My guess is you will find the "No Coordinates" smart collection will not have GPS keywords. 

If you are creating GPX files you can use them to set the location metadata in the LR Map module.  Just pull down the "GPS Tracklogs" menu at the bottom of the map display, "Load Tracklog...", then "Auto-Tag Photos".  No keywords needed.

[Conrad_C]

Have you tried setting the Metadata view to Location, or customizing the default metadata view, to more easily see the location fields you’re interested in?

In the example below, I didn’t enter or edit any location metadata. It’s a photo straight from my phone. Lightroom Classic took the GPS, Altitude, and Direction fields from the image metadata, and because Address Lookup is enabled in Catalog Settings/Metadata, Lightroom Classic automatically filled in the sublocation fields (the values formatted in italic).

Those automatically generated sublocation fields are immediately available for metadata filters and Smart Collections, as well as letting the photo appear in the Map module as an earlier reply pointed out. I exported the photo with All Metadata selected, and when the image is opened in another application, the sublocation fields are present. (This is because “Export address suggestions…” is enabled in Catalog Settings/Metadata).

I avoid applying keywords for any metadata that is already displayed automatically in a metadata field, such as City/State… No need to create additional work that just overloads the Keywords list.

[andreww99149023]

Thanks to all. I deleted the GPS:Lxxx keywords and every file still had embedded coordinates. I haven't figured out where these keywords came from or why, but if they start to reappear I won't be worried that they are doing anything untoward.