[Scan-DC] Autolocation

[Jeff Krauss]

You might recall that Google recently got into trouble for using an 
RF vacuum cleaner to absorb all the WiFi signals as they drove their 
mobile receivers on streets throughout the world and recorded the 
location of every WiFi access point they encountered.  The problem 
was they recorded content as well as SSIDs and other data identifying 
each access point.  Simply an enhancement of Google Earth.
But its not a new idea.  When the FCC was first considering  E911 
location technologies, one proposal claimed to be able to satisfy the 
FCC's location requirements by comparing received signal strengths of 
broadcast FM and TV stations against a database of predicted signal 
strengths.


>------------------------------
>
>Message: 3
>Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 18:45:53 -0500
>From: "Andrew Clegg" <aclegg at nsf.gov>
>Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Fw:  Pro 106 and DC Fire
>To: <cohenner at gmail.com>, <scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net>,
>         <cliffj at cox.net>,       <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
>Message-ID: <C5AAF22B692C46EF9072AD4B9C03788F at W4JEHOME>
>Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>         reply-type=original
>
>
>
>3) Autolocate. The HP has some kind of proprietary algorithm that will sniff
>out the local pattern of control channels, weather stations, etc. (I'm
>guessing), and come up with a decent guess about where it's at. I have tried
>this in a variety of areas, and I can tell you that it works about half the
>time, which frankly is pretty amazing. It takes anywhere from about 30
>seconds to a few minutes to complete the autolocate.  My experience is that
>the longer it takes, the less likely it is to be successful.