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Building a Photo Route Album with TMS FNC Maps, OpenStreetMap and EXIF GPS Data

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

TMS Software Delphi Components tmsfncmaps

There is something special about looking back at a trip and seeing not only the pictures you took, but also the exact route you followed on a map. In this article, we will build a small free & open source Delphi application that combines:

GPX route visualization
Free OpenStreetMap integration
JPEG photos with embedded GPS EXIF data
Interactive map markers with image previews

The application is based on TMS FNC Maps and uses a lightweight open source EXIF parser to extract GPS coordinates from JPEG files.

The complete source code is available on GitHub:

https://github.com/tmssoftware/TMSFNCMapsAlbum
and for your convenience, the free compiled app is also included in the repo.

The project demonstrates how easy it is to combine mapping, GPX loading and EXIF processing into a practical desktop application.

The Result

The application loads:

GPX routes on top of a free OpenStreetMap layer
Photos with GPS metadata
Interactive image markers directly on the map

A typical result looks like this:

The Main Ingredients

The application is intentionally compact and easy to understand.

The core technologies used are:

Technology	Purpose
TTMSFNCMaps	Interactive cross-platform map component
OpenStreetMap	Free map tile provider
GPX support	Loading hiking/cycling/walking routes
EXIF4D parser	Reading GPS metadata from JPEG images
Delphi VCL	Building the desktop application

Using TTMSFNCMaps

The application uses the TTMSFNCMaps component as the central map control. One of the nice things about TMS FNC Maps is that OpenStreetMap support works out of the box. This means you immediately have access to free online maps without requiring any commercial map provider.

Once the map is initialized, it triggers the OnMapInitialized event and it is safe to start working with the map so the application enables all controls:

procedure TMapAlbumForm.TMSFNCMaps1MapInitialized(Sender: TObject);
begin
  btnAddPhotos.Enabled := true;
  btnAddRoutes.Enabled := true;
  btnClear.Enabled := true;
end;

Loading GPX Routes

One of the most powerful features of TMS FNC Maps is the built-in GPX support. The complete GPX loading logic is literally one line of code:

procedure TMapAlbumForm.btnAddRoutesClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
  if openRoute.Execute then
  begin
    TMSFNCMaps1.LoadGPXFromFile(openRoute.FileName, true, true, 3, clrPanel.Color);
  end;
end;

This loads the GPX track and immediately renders it on the OpenStreetMap layer.

The parameters allow you to configure:

Visibility
Automatic viewport adjustment
Line width
Route color

This makes it very easy to visualize:

Hiking trails
Bike rides
Travel routes
Running sessions
Road trips

without writing custom GPX parsing code.

Reading GPS Data from JPEG EXIF Metadata

Modern smartphones and cameras often store GPS coordinates inside the JPEG EXIF metadata. The project uses the open source EXIF4D parser to extract this information.

The key code looks like this:

img := TAdvCloudExifImage.Create(MapAlbumForm);

try
  img.AutoLoad := false;
  img.FileName := fname;
  img.LoadData;

  if img.HasGPSData then
  begin
    lon := img.Longitude;
    lat := img.Latitude;
  end;
finally
  img.Free;
end;

This gives direct access to:

Latitude
Longitude
EXIF metadata
GPS availability

without requiring any external libraries or APIs.

Adding Photos as Interactive Map Markers

Once the GPS coordinates are extracted, creating markers on the map becomes straightforward. The application dynamically adds a marker for each image:

m := Map.AddMarker(lat,lon);
m.IconURL := JpegToBase64(fname, 240);

This is where things become really fun. Instead of using generic map pins, the marker icon itself becomes a thumbnail of the actual photo. The helper function converts the JPEG image into a Base64 encoded image stream:

'data:image/jpeg;base64,' +
TNetEncoding.Base64.EncodeBytesToString(
  OutStream.Memory,
  OutStream.Size
);

As a result, the map instantly transforms into a visual travel diary. After all images are processed, the map automatically zooms to the correct region, i.e. the region calculated from all positions of the photes retrieved:

TMSFNCMaps1.ZoomToBounds(Coords.NorthEast, Coords.SouthWest);

This creates a very polished user experience with minimal code.

Cross-Platform Possibilities

Because TMS FNC Maps is part of the FNC framework, the same concepts can be reused across:

VCL
FMX
WEB Core

This opens the door to building:

Desktop travel journals
Web-based trip viewers
Mobile activity trackers
Corporate fleet tracking dashboards
Asset management applications

using largely the same code base.

Getting the Source Code

The complete free source code of this demo application is available here:
https://github.com/tmssoftware/TMSFNCMapsAlbum

The project includes:

Full Delphi source code
EXIF parser integration
GPX loading example
Dynamic image markers
OpenStreetMap integration

Conclusion

TMS FNC Maps makes it remarkably easy to build visually rich mapping applications in Delphi.

By combining OpenStreetMap, GPX route loading, EXIF GPS metadata and Dynamic image markers, we can create an interactive photo route album with very little code.

The demo project shows how powerful the combination of mapping and metadata can be, while still keeping the implementation compact and readable.

If you are building applications involving:

Geolocation
Travel logging
Asset tracking
Field service visualization
Tourism
Outdoor activities

this approach offers an excellent starting point.

Happy coding!

Bruno Fierens

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