oa Geolocated video in Qatar: A media demonstration research project

Geolocated video represents an opportunity for innovation in journalism and media. Reported here are the results of a proof-of-concept research project demonstrating and assessing the process of creating geolocated video in journalism and media. Geolocated refers to tagging video or other media content with geographic location information, usually obtained from GPS data. Geolocation is a growing feature of news and media content. It is being used increasingly in photographs and social media, including Twitter posts. Geolocation in video is a relatively new application. Employing a proof-of-concept method, this project demonstrates how geolocated video (using Kinomap technology) serves several purposes in news and media (see Figure 1). First, geolocation allows the content to be automatically uploaded to Google Earth or other mapping software available online. This enables others anywhere to access that content by location. It is an aspect of Big Data, in that it permits mapping or other analysis of geolocated content. Such analysis can reveal a variety of insights about the production of media content. Second, geolocation, in concert with other digital watermarking, provides a useful tool to authenticate video. Geolocation in a digital watermark is a valuable tool to help establish the veracity of video or other content. Geolocation can help document when and where video produced by users or freelancers or even professionally employed reporters covering a sensitive story was captured. Reporters (or lay-citizens) providing smartphone video of an event can use geolocation to help establish time, date and location. Third, geolocation supports freelance media practitioners in protecting copyright or intellectual property rights by helping provide a strong digital watermark that includes their identity and the precise time, date and location the video was captured. Fourth, geolocated video represents an opportunity for a new approach to storytelling including in digital maps. Geolocated videos have been produced and made available on Google Earth. Viewing can occur immersively with mobile or wearable devices (e.g., augmented reality, Google Glass). This project aligns with three of the Qatar Research Grand Challenges. First, it supports Culture, Arts, Heritage, Media and Language within the Arabic Context, providing a medium to foster investment in the nation's legacy in Arabic arts, design, architecture, and cultural programs. Second, it supports Holistic and Systematic Assessment of the Rapidly Changing Environment, exploring the roles of communication (e.g., education, journalism, traditional and social media channels) in fostering awareness of social issues. Third, it supports Sustainable Urbanization-Doha as a smart city, demonstrating a state-of-the-art communications technology especially effective and efficient in facilitating location-based communications challenges and needs.