Ricoh Releases GPS-Ready 500SE Digital Camera

Ricoh Corp., West Caldwell, N.J., released the 500SE GPS-ready digital camera developed for outdoor location-based photography. The 500SE's waterproof and shock-resistant shell protects a high-resolution 8-megapixel sensor that is image stabilized and has an ultra rapid shutter response. Additional features include GPS track log capability, GPS lock (to record the position of an object as opposed to the position of the photographer), and the ability to send images wirelessly to handheld devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Once the captured "geo-images" and "geo-video" files are transferred to a PC, they are automatically converted to shape files or merged into geo-databases for instant integration into Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Points representing each file's position may be hovered over to display a thumbnail of the file, or clicked on to access the original image or video.

In addition to storing GPS data in the image and video files, the camera also utilizes a user-configurable "data dictionary" to tag files with workflow-related information. These attributes become part of the GIS layer table for automated database integration. The 500SE is available from Authorized Ricoh Geo-Imaging resellers.

Down the Ricoh 500SE brochure (Adobe pdf).