Harnessing Latent Mobile Phone Resources For Wireless Telemetry

Mobile Phone Sensor-Net Mobile phones are practically ubiquitous. Everyone carries them and most of them are turned on and connected 24x7. Today's mobile phones, even the least expensive ones, have sensors, spare cycles, and connectivity. These resources can be applied to a wide variety of Social Telemetry Applications , to powerful, and potentially even troubling, effect. We present findings of a real-world deployment of such a system.

Mobile phones are practically ubiquitous. Everyone carries them and most of them are turned on and connected 24x7. Today's mobile phones, even the least expensive ones, have sensors, spare cycles, and connectivity. These resources can be applied to a wide variety of Social Telemetry Applications , to powerful, and potentially even troubling, effect. We present findings of a real-world deployment of such a system.

Mobile Phone Sensor-Net Analysis P2P Super-Node Basic “edge” (people) Edge-Plus Fixed (anchor) Node Hybrid P2P and client/server Autonomous, unattended operation

Hybrid P2P and client/server

Autonomous, unattended operation

Mobile Phone Sensor-Net Location Proximity Signaling Basic phone • Bluetooth • SMS

Ambient Awareness Stream Autonomous Peer nodes share with each other and upload to cooperating “super-nodes” via Bluetooth Edge devices can also act on SMS and other triggers (position reports, geofence, etc.)

Autonomous

Peer nodes share with each other and upload to cooperating “super-nodes” via Bluetooth

Edge devices can also act on SMS and other triggers (position reports, geofence, etc.)

Ambient Awareness Stream Location updates time

Ambient Awareness Stream Proximity to other mobiles and fixed (anchor) radios Enables “crowd” predictions even if devices are not participating Bluetooth devices coming and going time

Proximity to other mobiles and fixed (anchor) radios

Enables “crowd” predictions even if devices are not participating

Mobile Phone Sensor-Net Theater Mall As a person moves around among other people and things, patterns emerge.

Conclusions Mobile phones can effectively serve as a Sensor-Net , without noticeable impact to normal phone operations, performance, battery life, reliability etc. Achieved off-net without carrier participation or cooperation Basic phones, “smart” phones, PCs and back-office operating together Wi-fi, GPS, and 3G are not required Get practical and effective results using low-end phones Combining location, time, proximity, and signaling provides significantly richer picture than location alone

Mobile phones can effectively serve as a Sensor-Net , without noticeable impact to normal phone operations, performance, battery life, reliability etc.

Achieved off-net without carrier participation or cooperation

Basic phones, “smart” phones, PCs and back-office operating together

Wi-fi, GPS, and 3G are not required

Get practical and effective results using low-end phones

Combining location, time, proximity, and signaling provides significantly richer picture than location alone

Thank You David Beckemeyer [email_address]