Problem with Negative Longitude GPS Positions using WIA.ImageFile

[Miles R]

I am using WIA.ImageFile code to extract the GPS positions for JPG files.

This seems to be correct for Longitudes East (i.e. Positive values), but it is also showing Longitudes West as positive values.

The GPS coordinates as extracted using EXIF Tool appear correct, but are not correct when looking at the GPS properties using Windows 11 Files properties (which is what WIA.ImageFile picks up).

example shown below (first image is Properties, second is data extracted using ExifTool)



Clearly the fact that it is West is stored in the file, but this is not showing in the properties - I would have expected a negative value or W.

Anyone have experience of this issue and how to resolve it.

I really don't want to have to use EXIFTool in my Access code.

[Miles R]

Have solved my problem now. I read another thread that said Properties does not show the direction N/S and E/W (clearly needs fixing by Microsoft at some point).
However, the direction can be found in Access VBA using :-
.Properties("GpsLatitudeRef") and
.Properties("GpsLongitudeRef"), which give N or S and E or W respectively.

Full code I used to get Latitude and Longitude in 1/100 Seconds, plus Altitude in metres is :

                With CreateObject("WIA.ImageFile")
                    .LoadFile gconMyPictures & gshlFolder & "\" & strFileName
                    With .Properties("GpsLatitude").Value
                        lngLatitude = .Item(1) * 360000 + Round((.Item(2) * 6000), 0)
                    End With
                    
                    If .Properties("GpsLatitudeRef") = "S" Then
                        lngLatitude = -lngLatitude
                    End If
                    
                    With .Properties("GpsLongitude").Value
                        lngLongitude = .Item(1) * 360000 + Round((.Item(2) * 6000), 0)
                    End With
                    
                    If .Properties("GpsLongitudeRef") = "W" Then
                        lngLongitude = -lngLongitude
                    End If
                    
                   lngAltitude = .Properties("GpsAltitude").Value
                End With

[Micron]

Thanks for posting a solution.

[Miles R]

Further update on this, in case anyone is trying to do the same thing. I have noticed that sometimes Seconds of Latitude and Longitude is stored in the third item and sometimes it is included in the second item along with the Minutes.
This probably depends on the camera or phone used to take the pictures.
Important to include the seconds, otherwise the location as shown on Google Maps will be slightly off.


This is the code I finally used to extract the details, rounded to 1/100 seconds - later converted to Degrees, Minutes and Seconds.

                With CreateObject("WIA.ImageFile")
                    .LoadFile gconMyPictures & gshlFolder & "\" & strFileName
                    ' N.B. Sometimes item(2) holds seconds as well as minutes, sometimes item(3) holds the seconds.
                    With .Properties("GpsLatitude").Value
                        lngLatitude = Round(.Item(1) * 360000 + .Item(2) * 6000 + .Item(3) * 100, 0)
                    End With
                    strLatitudeRef = .Properties("GpsLatitudeRef")
                    
                    With .Properties("GpsLongitude").Value
                        lngLongitude = Round(.Item(1) * 360000 + .Item(2) * 6000 + .Item(3) * 100, 0)
                    End With
                    strLongitudeRef = .Properties("GpsLongitudeRef")
                    
                    lngAltitude = .Properties("GpsAltitude").Value
                End With