Civic Location Determination via Coverage Heatmaps
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the location of a mobile device in emergency situations often rely on geodetic coordinates, which are inaccurate and unreliable, especially in urban areas, and lack a reliable means to provide civic locations to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), leading to delayed response times.
Innovation Solution
A system that crowdsources information from other mobile devices to determine a civic location by using WiFi Access Points (APs) and building a coverage heatmap, allowing for reverse geo-coding of geodetic locations to civic addresses, utilizing signal measurements and density of mobile device locations to pinpoint the most likely civic location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If geodetic coordinates are used for location determination, then the location can be obtained, but the accuracy and reliability of the location is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces coverage heatmaps as an intermediary data structure that bridges the gap between geodetic coordinates and civic locations. The heatmap serves as a mediator that translates geodetic coordinates into probability distributions over civic locations, enabling accurate and reliable location determination without directly relying on imprecise geodetic data alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical approach of directly using geodetic coordinates with a probabilistic computational model. Instead of relying on direct geometric conversion, the system uses signal processing, machine learning models, and coverage heatmaps to substitute the mechanical coordinate conversion process, achieving higher accuracy and reliability.
2Measurement precision
If a system is built to determine civic locations using crowdsourced data and coverage heatmaps, then location accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing and storing coverage heatmaps for multiple access points before actual location determination is needed. These heatmaps are generated in advance using crowdsourced data and machine learning models, so that when a location request comes in, the system can quickly query pre-existing heatmaps rather than performing complex computations in real-time, thus reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the complex location determination task into separate modular components: data collection module, coverage heatmap generation module, location querying module, and civic location translation module. Each component handles a specific aspect of the problem independently, making the overall system more manageable and easier to implement despite the inherent complexity of the task.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein provide means by which a civic location of a target mobile device may be determined using crowdsourced information from other mobile devices. The information can include information regarding Access Points (APs) and/or other access nodes obtained by the other mobile devices, as well as respective locations of the other mobile devices. A server, for example, can use this information to determine a coverage heatmap for each AP. Coverage heatmaps can be used, along with civic location information, to determine a civic location of a target mobile device based on the target mobile device's detection and possible measurements of wireless signals from one or more of the APs.