Ground Distance Calculation Using Sanitized Location Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining ground distances between geographic points often compromise end-user privacy by storing explicit location data, which is a concern in risk-based authentication and data protection regulations.
Innovation Solution
A method that calculates ground distances using sanitized location data, where user devices estimate their location and calculate distances to reference points, sending only geographic zone identifiers and distances to the service provider, thus protecting user privacy by not storing explicit locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If explicit location data is stored and accessed by service providers, then ground distance calculation accuracy is improved, but user privacy protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary geometric information (distances to reference points) from the complete location data, sending this sanitized subset to the service provider while retaining the actual location data locally on the user device. This extraction principle allows distance calculation functionality while removing the privacy-harmful explicit location information from transmission and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces reference points as intermediary elements that mediate between the user's actual location and the service provider. Instead of directly sharing location data, the system uses distances to these intermediary reference points as a proxy, enabling ground distance calculation without exposing the user's true position.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sanitized location data (zone identifiers and distances to reference points) is used, then user privacy protection is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the geographic space into predefined zones and breaks down location representation into discrete components (zone identifier and distances to reference points). This segmentation simplifies the data structure compared to handling continuous coordinate data, making the sanitized data easier to process while maintaining privacy protection.
3Measurement precision
If complete location data is transmitted to service providers, then ground distance calculation accuracy is improved, but data security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the geometrically necessary information (distances to reference points) from complete location data, transmitting this sanitized subset to the service provider. This extraction eliminates the security risk of transmitting full location data while preserving the mathematical properties needed for ground distance calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy of location information that captures the essential geometric relationships without containing the actual position data. This copy consists of zone identifiers and relative distances, which can be used for calculations but cannot be reverse-engineered to reveal the user's true location, thus enhancing data security.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided for ground distance calculations using sanitized location data. One method comprises a service provider obtaining: (i) a geographic zone identifier of multiple predefined geographic zones of a first location of a user, and (ii) a first distance between the first location of the user and multiple reference points that define boundaries of the predefined geographic zones; the service provider obtaining: (i) a geographic zone identifier of the multiple predefined geographic zones of a second location of the user, and (ii) a second distance between the first location of the user and the multiple reference points; and computing a ground distance between the first location and the second location by selecting a subset of the multiple reference points based at least in part on the relative geographic zones of the current and second locations. The user may: (i) estimate the first location and calculate the first distance; and/or (ii) compute the first and second distances.