Image Coordinate Identification
The goal of image coordinate identification questions is to find where an image was taken and/or other details surrounding the circumstances of the image.
Reverse Image search
Reverse image searching is one of the most bang-for-your-buck techniques in image coordinate identification. It also offers a launching point to find search terms that describe your image.
Here are some good reverse image search engines:
Flags
Self-explanatory—images where you see a flag were probably taken in the place that uses said flag!
- World Flag Database
- Flagpedia.net
- Flags of the U.S. states and territories
- Flags of counties of the United States
- Flags of cities of the United States
- European Heraldry
- Flags of Europe
- Identify a Flag If you can’t find the flag in those databases, try to create a mockup of it in an image editor and reverse image search that image.
Languages
Observing what language(s) are used on signs in the area can cut out swaths of potential locations.
- Google Translate can automatically detect languages
- Identify Languages at a Glance
Signs and Streets
Streets and intersections can quickly identify a location. Interstate, highway, or route signs can give a general path where an image may have been taken.
Advertisements for regional products can reduce possible locations as well.
Cars
What side of the road do cars drive on? What color/shape are the plates? Are they on the front or back of cars?
Landmarks
Usually, these questions will have one or more large landmarks. At this point, you should know the general location the image was taken—it’s a matter of finding those landmarks in that area.
Unless it’s very famous, a landmark might not be much of a help. From a distance, mountains look like mountains.
People
Examine common patterns between people in the image. The most prominent features of a person in a blurry photo are race and weight. Compare the make-up of a crowd to known statistics of possible locations.
This is sometimes an unrealiable metric—obesity rates and racial makeup can be hyperlocalized.
Minutiae Questions
If you’re still stuck, these are some miscellaneous questions you can ask yourself to help narrow down a location: What style fire hydrants are used? How are the road signs styled?