Geo location fromm cell phone station

G

Ges Nelson

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Geo location from cell phone station

Does anyone know about geo location coding using just phone cell points (not GPS) to source location. The one thing I do know it as not as accurate GPS and is only as accurate as the nearest cell point which could be upto 20 km away in rural areas but its all I would need. :sign0085:
 
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Cableguy

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If your cellpho has internet concetion, tere are a few apps availabel to get a kind of a-gps...
Wich uses the actual GSM antenas location to triangulate the position...
 
G

Ges Nelson

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Geo Location coding

Thanks Cableguy but I want to write the app and thus need code or an example not other apps. I would also prefer to do it without an data connection but I think I might need a database of the global cell points.

Anyone got any ideas please ... anything would be greatful :sign0085:
 

RacingDog

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There is nothing in the GSM protocols which allows you to derive positioning information. The infrastructure providers can infer your position by knowing the locations of the cells and their various cell power outputs (they are not necessarily the same). Even then, they can only be relatively accurate if you are on the move and therefore transfer between several cells to allow triangulation.

So yes you would need a database of cell positions, but it would also need to include their output powers. Without persuading your service provider to supply the information, I don't see how you are going to get it.
 
C

chanppc

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Check out opencellid.org, use GSM Cell tower info & query the DB, the DB will return you with the Lat/Lon.

Do a search, someone also decoded google map cell tower --> lat/lon & created some c# library, that's also usable.
 

Cableguy

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chanppc said:
Do a search, someone also decoded google map cell tower --> lat/lon & created some c# library, that's also usable.
Click to expand...

When there's a will, there's a way!!
If there's a c# Library, we can wrapp it for Basic4ppc....As long as the original creator is OK with it!
 

RacingDog

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But that is not enough. As I said, you need to know the power too. When adjacent cells transmit different signal strengths the point at which you switch from one to another will not be halfway between them. You could be half a mile from a micro cell and five miles from a normal cell when you switch cells. You need to be able to guestimate those distances from the relative powers, just presuming the cell switch over is midway between cells is rubbish.

I spent 15 years on GSM btw.
 
G

Ges Nelson

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Thanks ChanPPC thats really useful .
RacingDog thanks for repeating my question for the answer but I dont need to be that accurate - Just City location level.
CableGuy - Wrapping that would be reallly useful.
Appreciated Guys :sign0104:
 

RacingDog

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Ahuh. Well you should be able to do a lot better than that as there are many cells in a city. Glad you don't have high expectations though
 
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