Crowdsourcing based on base station almanac quality

Abstract

Systems, apparatus and methods for a mobile device and a base station almanac server to throttle crowdsourcing information are presented. The crowdsourcing information is used to improve a location of a base station in a base station almanac. A portion of the base station almanac is provided to a mobile device. For example, the mobile device may identify its current cell and request the base station almanac. The mobile device records crowdsourcing information to identify, for each particular base station of at least one base station, a cellular identifier for the particular base station, optional ranging information between the particular base station and the mobile device, and an independent position of the mobile device. The independent position of the mobile device may be formed from global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or station signals independent of the at least one base station.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method in a base station almanac server for throttling crowdsourcing data, the method comprising:
 receiving a current cell identifier for a mobile device;   deriving a base station almanac that is based on the current cell identifier;   sending, to the mobile device, the base station almanac; and   receiving, based on a crowdsourcing throttle and, crowdsourcing information comprising, for a particular base station of each of at least one base station:
 a cellular identifier identifying the particular base station; and 
 a position estimate of the mobile device that is independent of signals from the particular base station. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending, to the mobile device, a crowdsourcing throttling command comprising the crowdsourcing throttle for use by the mobile device in reporting the crowdsourcing information. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving ranging information;   wherein the crowdsourcing information, for each particular base station of the at least one base station, further comprises the ranging information for the particular base station.   
     
     
         4 . A base station almanac server for throttling crowdsourcing data, the base station almanac server comprising:
 means for receiving a current cell identifier for a mobile device;   means for deriving a base station almanac that is based on the current cell identifier;   means for sending, to the mobile device, the base station almanac; and   means for receiving, based on a crowdsourcing throttle and, crowdsourcing information comprising, for a particular base station of each of the at least one base station:
 a cellular identifier identifying the particular base station; and 
 a position estimate of the mobile device that is independent of signals from the particular base station. 
   
     
     
         5 . The base station almanac server of  claim 4 , further comprising means for sending, to the mobile device, a crowdsourcing throttling command comprising the crowdsourcing throttle for use by the mobile device in reporting the crowdsourcing information. 
     
     
         6 . The base station almanac server of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 means for receiving ranging information;   wherein the crowdsourcing information, for each particular base station of the at least one base station, further comprises the ranging information for the particular base station.   
     
     
         7 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program code stored thereon for a base station almanac server to throttle crowdsourcing data, comprising program code to:
 receive, from a mobile device, a current cell identifier;   derive a base station almanac that is based on the current cell identifier;   send, to the mobile device and from the base station almanac server, the base station almanac; and   receive, based on a crowdsourcing throttle and for at least one base station including a particular base station, crowdsourcing information at the base station almanac server, wherein the crowdsourcing information comprises a record comprising:
 a cellular identifier identifying the particular base station; and 
 a position estimate of the mobile device that is independent of signals from the particular base station. 
   
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 7 , wherein the program code further comprises program code to send a crowdsourcing throttling command comprising the crowdsourcing throttle. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 7 , wherein the program code further comprises program code to:
 receive ranging information for the at least one base station;   wherein the crowdsourcing information further comprises the ranging information.