Photo metadata — GPS, compass, and context
Photos taken inside Surfacely carry more than the image — they carry where you were, which direction you were pointing, and when it was taken. This context makes the AI more accurate and keeps your job record honest.
GPS location
When you capture a photo, Surfacely records your GPS coordinates (if your device permits it). This enables one important check: building distance. If you're more than 200 metres from the building's registered address, the photo receives a distance flag — a visual indicator that you may be at the wrong property.
The flag is a heads-up, not a block. Photos taken from the footpath or across the street won't trigger it. Photos captured a suburb away likely will.
Compass heading and exterior aspect
On exterior areas, Surfacely reads the compass at the moment you take the photo and derives the aspect — which direction the elevation faces (North, South, East, or West). This is shown as a chip on the photo and feeds into the AI's analysis as additional context.
To get a reliable reading, Surfacely takes 5 compass samples in quick succession and calculates the average. If the readings are too inconsistent — you're moving, or there's magnetic interference nearby — the heading is discarded and no aspect chip is shown. This prevents uncertain data from being presented as confident.
EXIF data
If a photo was originally captured with your device camera before being uploaded, Surfacely reads the EXIF metadata embedded in the image file — including the original timestamp and any GPS coordinates the device wrote in. This is used for reference and AI context alongside the live-capture data.
Privacy and access
Photo metadata is stored within your organisation's Surfacely data, subject to the same access controls as the rest of your project. It is not shared externally.
If you prefer not to share GPS or compass data, deny location permission on your device. Photos will still upload and be analysed — they just won't carry location context, and building-distance checks won't run.
Why it matters: knowing which direction an elevation faces matters for paint specifications. A south-facing exterior in a cool climate has very different moisture and prep requirements from a north-facing one. Compass aspect makes this visible in the job record without requiring manual annotation.