dji-drone-metadata-embedder 1.8.0

Python CLI for embedding DJI drone telemetry from SRT logs into MP4 videos

DJI Drone Metadata Embedder

A Python tool to embed telemetry data from DJI drone SRT files into MP4 video files. This tool extracts GPS coordinates, altitude, camera settings and other telemetry data from SRT files and embeds them as metadata in the corresponding video files.

See the Development Roadmap for plans to expand this CLI tool into a Windows application with a graphical interface. For detailed setup instructions and a quick-start tutorial, see docs/installation.md and docs/user_guide.md. Common problems are covered in docs/troubleshooting.md.

Intended use & scope

This is a tool for transparency and accountability. Drone telemetry is dual-use, and this project deliberately focuses on the open side of that: verifying and documenting footage, georeferencing it for mapping, and making it interoperable with open GIS workflows. The uses we build for include open-source verification and journalism, human-rights and conflict documentation, search-and-rescue and disaster response, humanitarian damage assessment, environmental monitoring, agriculture, and infrastructure inspection.

Feature and documentation decisions favor provenance, verification, georeferencing, and standards interoperability. We do not build targeting or other offensive capabilities.

Easy Windows install

Option 1: Bootstrap Script (Includes FFmpeg/ExifTool)

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CallMarcus/dji-drone-metadata-embedder/master/tools/bootstrap.ps1 | iex

Option 2: Direct Download

Download the ready-to-run dji-embed.exe from the GitHub Releases page.

Option 3: Python Package

pip install dji-drone-metadata-embedder

Windows Package Manager (winget) — planned, not yet available. The package has not been published to winget-pkgs yet; tracking in #175.

macOS / Linux quick-start

brew install ffmpeg exiftool
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg exiftool
pip install dji-drone-metadata-embedder

docker run --rm -v "$PWD":/data callmarcus/dji-embed -i *.MP4

Advanced

• Build from source with uv sync --extra dev (or pip install -e .)
• Use the provided Dockerfile for custom images
• Review CI scripts under .github/workflows

Features

• Batch Processing: Process entire directories of DJI drone footage automatically
• GPS Metadata Embedding: Embed GPS coordinates as standard metadata tags
• Subtitle Track Preservation: Keep telemetry data as subtitle track for overlay viewing
• Multiple Format Support: Handles different DJI SRT telemetry formats
• Telemetry Export: Export flight data to JSON, GPX, CSV, GeoJSON, KML, or a standalone HTML map (see docs/geospatial.md)
• CoT Export: dji-embed convert cot FLIGHT.SRT writes Cursor-on-Target XML for ATAK/TAK (route + timed track). See docs/fmv-interop.md.
• Footage verification: dji-embed verify-sun clip.SRT reports the sun's azimuth/elevation over a clip for shadow cross-checking; CSV export gains datetime_utc / sun_azimuth / sun_elevation columns.
• DAT Flight Log Support: Merge .DAT flight logs into metadata
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Progress Bar: See processing status while videos are being embedded

Supported DJI Models

Fully Tested & Documented (with sample fixtures):

• DJI Mini 3/4 Pro - Square bracket format [latitude: xx.xxx] [longitude: xx.xxx]
• DJI Mini 5 Pro - HTML-style bracket format with decimal aperture ([fnum: 1.8])
• DJI Air 3 - HTML-style format with extended telemetry data
• DJI Air 3S - HTML-style bracket format with decimal focal_len and HLG color mode ([color_md: hlg]); MP4 also carries embedded djmd/dbgi data streams
• DJI Avata 360 - HTML-style bracket format with stabilization (pp_*) fields; footage ships as .OSV (360 video) + .LRF proxy
• DJI Neo 2 - HTML-style bracket format with stabilization (pp_*) fields; MP4 also carries embedded djmd/dbgi data streams
• DJI Avata 2 - Legacy GPS format GPS(lat,lon,alt) with BAROMETER data
• DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise - Extended format with RTK precision data
• DJI Matrice 300 (legacy-with-unit) - GPS(lat,lon,alt M) with BAROMETER: colon notation
• DJI Phantom 4 RTK / P4P (compact single-line) - F/N, SS N, ISO N, EV N, GPS (lat, lon, alt), HOME (...), D, H, H.S, V.S, F.PRY, G.PRY

Community Supported:

• DJI Air 2S, Mavic 3, and other models using similar SRT formats
• See troubleshooting guide for model-specific issues

Don't see your model? We're happy to add support in exchange for sample SRT files we can parse the telemetry format from. Open an issue and attach one or two raw .SRT files from your drone (a short clip is plenty), and we'll add a parser for it. See the Contributing Guide for details.

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or higher
• FFmpeg
• ExifTool (optional, for additional metadata embedding)

Usage

If the command python is not recognized, use py instead.

Basic Usage

Process a single directory:

dji-embed embed /path/to/drone/footage

Commands

dji-embed [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Commands:
  embed    Embed telemetry from SRT files into MP4 videos
  validate Validate SRT/MP4 pairs and report drift
  convert  Convert SRT telemetry to GPX, CSV, GeoJSON, KML, HTML, or CoT
  check    Check media files for embedded metadata
  doctor   Show system information and verify dependencies
  ui       Launch the local web UI in your browser
  wizard   Launch interactive setup wizard
  gui      Launch graphical interface (placeholder)
  init     Perform initial setup (placeholder)

Global Options:
  --version   Show the version and exit
  -h, --help  Show this message and exit

Web UI (optional)

Prefer a browser over the terminal? Install the [ui] extra and launch the local UI — it runs entirely on 127.0.0.1 and uses your installed browser, so there is no separate signed app to trust.

pip install 'dji-drone-metadata-embedder[ui]'
dji-embed ui                       # opens http://127.0.0.1:<free-port>
dji-embed ui --no-browser          # print the URL instead of opening
dji-embed ui --port 8765           # pin to a fixed port

Every tab (Doctor / Embed / Validate / Convert / Check) is a thin wrapper over the matching CLI command. Access is gated by a per-session token that is injected into the opened URL; requests without the token return 403. Chromium-based browsers will offer "Install app" for a standalone window.

Embed Command Options

dji-embed embed [OPTIONS] DIRECTORY

Arguments:
  DIRECTORY          Directory containing MP4 and SRT files

Options:
  -o, --output DIRECTORY     Output directory
  --exiftool                 Also use ExifTool for GPS metadata
  --dat PATH                 DAT flight log to merge
  --dat-auto                 Auto-detect DAT logs matching videos
  --redact [none|drop|fuzz]  Redact GPS coordinates (default: none)
  --container [mp4|mkv]      Output container; 'mkv' preserves DJI djmd/dbgi
                             data streams (default: mp4)
  -v, --verbose              Verbose output
  -q, --quiet                Suppress progress output

By default, processing shows a progress bar for each file. Use --verbose for detailed output or --quiet to reduce messages.

Examples

Process footage with custom output directory:

dji-embed embed "D:\DroneFootage\Flight1" -o "D:\ProcessedVideos"

Process with ExifTool for additional metadata:

dji-embed embed "D:\DroneFootage\Flight1" --exiftool

Check existing metadata in files:

dji-embed check "D:\DroneFootage\Flight1"

Run system diagnostics:

dji-embed doctor

Convert Telemetry to Other Formats

Extract GPS track to GPX:

dji-embed convert gpx DJI_0001.SRT

GPX timestamps are written in UTC. DJI SRT times are local with no timezone, so the offset is auto-detected from the file's modification time. Override it when the mtime is unreliable (e.g. copied files):

dji-embed convert gpx DJI_0001.SRT --tz-offset +05:30

Export telemetry to CSV:

dji-embed convert csv DJI_0001.SRT -o telemetry.csv

Batch convert directory to GPX:

dji-embed convert gpx /path/to/srt/files --batch

Batch convert directory to CSV:

dji-embed convert csv /path/to/srt/files --batch

Check Existing Metadata

You can check if your videos or photos already contain GPS or altitude information using the check command:

dji-embed check DJI_0001.MP4
dji-embed check /path/to/footage

check uses ffprobe for QuickTime tags and exiftool for EXIF data when available. Pass --verbose for debug output or --quiet to only show warnings and errors.

CLI Reference

All Commands

dji-embed embed - Process Videos

Embed telemetry from SRT files into MP4 videos.

dji-embed embed [OPTIONS] DIRECTORY

Arguments:
  DIRECTORY                  Directory containing MP4 and SRT files

Options:
  -o, --output DIRECTORY     Output directory
  --exiftool                 Also use ExifTool for GPS metadata  
  --dat PATH                 DAT flight log to merge
  --dat-auto                 Auto-detect DAT logs matching videos
  --redact [none|drop|fuzz]  Redact GPS coordinates (default: none)
  --container [mp4|mkv]      Output container; 'mkv' preserves DJI djmd/dbgi
                             data streams (default: mp4)
  -v, --verbose              Verbose output
  -q, --quiet                Suppress progress output

dji-embed check - Check Metadata

Check media files for existing embedded metadata.

dji-embed check [OPTIONS] [PATHS]...

Arguments:
  PATHS...                   Files or directories to check

Options:
  -v, --verbose              Verbose output
  -q, --quiet                Suppress info output

dji-embed convert - Export Formats

Convert SRT telemetry to GPX, CSV, GeoJSON, KML, CoT, or a standalone HTML map.

dji-embed convert [OPTIONS] {gpx|csv|geojson|kml|html|cot} INPUT

Arguments:
  {gpx|csv|geojson|kml|html|cot} Output format
  INPUT                      SRT file or directory to convert

Options:
  -o, --output PATH          Output file path
  -b, --batch                Batch process directory
  --tz-offset OFFSET         UTC offset for GPX/CoT timestamps, e.g. '+05:30' or
                             '-8' ('auto' detects from file mtime; default: auto)
  --redact [none|drop|fuzz]  GPS redaction for geojson/kml/html/cot (default: none)
  --interval FLOAT           cot only: seconds between sampled points (default: 1.0)
  --cot-type CODE            cot only: CoT type/affiliation code (default: a-n-A)
  -v, --verbose              Verbose output
  -q, --quiet                Suppress info output

HTML map example — produces a self-contained flight.html you can open in any browser:

dji-embed convert html DJI_0001.SRT              # -> DJI_0001.html
dji-embed convert html DJI_0001.SRT -o flight.html

CoT (Cursor-on-Target) example — for ATAK/TAK; see docs/fmv-interop.md:

dji-embed convert cot DJI_0001.SRT                       # -> DJI_0001.cot.xml
dji-embed convert cot DJI_0001.SRT --interval 2 --cot-type a-u-A

Leaflet and the basemap tiles load from the internet; the flight data itself is embedded, so the file is portable but needs a connection to render the map.

dji-embed doctor - System Diagnostics

Show system information and verify all dependencies.

dji-embed doctor

No arguments or options required.

dji-embed wizard - Interactive Setup

Launch interactive setup wizard (under development).

dji-embed wizard

No arguments or options required.

Output

The tool creates a processed subdirectory containing:

• *_metadata.MP4 - Video files with embedded metadata and telemetry subtitles
• *_telemetry.json - Flight summary with GPS data, altitude, and camera settings

Example JSON output:

{
  "filename": "DJI_0158.MP4",
  "first_gps": [59.302335, 18.203059],
  "average_gps": [59.302336, 18.203058],
  "max_altitude": 132.86,
  "max_relative_altitude": 1.5,
  "flight_duration": "00:00:00 - 00:00:32",
  "num_gps_points": 967,
  "camera_settings": {
    "iso": "2700",
    "shutter": "1/30.0",
    "fnum": "170"
  },
  "location": "Stockholm, Sweden"
}

How It Works

1. SRT Parsing: Extracts telemetry data from DJI SRT subtitle files
2. Metadata Embedding: Uses FFmpeg to:
   • Add SRT as subtitle track (preserves all telemetry)
   • Embed GPS coordinates in video metadata
   • Add altitude and other metadata tags
3. No Re-encoding: Uses stream copy for fast processing without quality loss
4. Summary Generation: Creates JSON files with flight statistics

SRT Format Support

The tool supports multiple DJI SRT formats:

Format 1 (DJI Mini 3 Pro):

[latitude: 59.302335] [longitude: 18.203059] [rel_alt: 1.300 abs_alt: 132.860]

Format 2 (Older models):

GPS(59.302335,18.203059,132.860)

Use Cases

• Photo Management: Videos become searchable by location in Windows Photos, Google Photos, etc.
• Video Editing: Telemetry subtitle track can be used for overlay effects
• Flight Analysis: Export GPX tracks for Google Earth visualization
• Archival: Preserve all flight data within the video file itself

Troubleshooting

See docs/troubleshooting.md for comprehensive troubleshooting.

Check tool versions

Display the application, FFmpeg and ExifTool versions:

dji-embed --version

Quick Fixes

"Python was not found"

Use py instead of python:

dji-embed doctor

"ffmpeg is not recognized"

Ensure FFmpeg is in your PATH. Test with:

ffmpeg -version

Note: ffmpeg uses a single dash. Using ffmpeg --version will result in Unrecognized option '--version'.

"Command not found: dji-embed"

If the command isn't found after installation:

python -m pip install --user dji-drone-metadata-embedder
# or
pipx install dji-drone-metadata-embedder

No GPS data in JSON output

1. Check that your SRT files contain GPS coordinates:

   dji-embed check /path/to/your/files
   

2. Open an SRT file in a text editor to verify the format
3. Run diagnostics to check for parsing issues:

   dji-embed doctor
   

Processing fails with "No matching MP4/SRT pairs"

Ensure your files follow the naming convention:

• Video: DJI_0001.MP4
• Subtitle: DJI_0001.SRT

Permission errors on Windows

Run PowerShell as Administrator or use the bootstrap installer:

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CallMarcus/dji-drone-metadata-embedder/master/tools/bootstrap.ps1 | iex

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

Commit Message Format

This project uses Conventional Commits for automatic changelog generation:

feat(cli): add new validate command
fix(parser): handle malformed SRT timestamps  
docs: update troubleshooting guide

See docs/CHANGELOG_AUTOMATION.md for detailed guidelines.

Adding Support for New Models

If your DJI model uses a different SRT format, we're happy to add support in exchange for sample SRT files we can parse the telemetry format from:

1. Open an issue and attach one or two raw .SRT files from your drone (a short clip is plenty) — we'll add a parser for it
2. Or submit a PR with regex patterns for the new format

Release

See docs/RELEASE.md for instructions on publishing a new version.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to the DJI drone community for format documentation
• FFmpeg and ExifTool teams for their excellent tools

Related Projects

• exiftool - Read/write metadata in media files
• ffmpeg - Media processing framework
• gpx.py - GPX file parser (for further processing)

Disclaimer

This tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by DJI. Use at your own risk.