Method and system to implement privacy-preserving collaborative semantic mapping

1 . A method to be implemented in a first electronic device of a network, comprising:

transmitting a request to participate in a semantic mapping process, the request indicating a location for which the semantic mapping process is to be performed;

receiving a response to the request, indicating a second electronic device that matches the request to perform the semantic mapping process;

identifying, using a private set intersection protocol, from semantic mapping data of the first electronic device, intersecting semantic mapping data of the first electronic device that intersects with semantic mapping data of the second electronic device in an intersecting location shared between the first and second electronic devices within the location indicated in the request, wherein the private set intersection protocol is selected to identify the intersecting semantic mapping data based on one or more of a set of resource constraints of the first electronic device and privacy policy of the first electronic device;

for the intersecting location, causing performance of the semantic mapping process based on the identification, wherein sources of intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices are to be known to both participating electronic devices of the semantic mapping process; and

for an area within the location but outside of the intersecting location, allowing the second electronic device to access semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area but blocking the second electronic device from accessing source information of the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to participate in the semantic mapping process indicates a time period during which the request is active.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to participate in the semantic mapping process is sent to a network node of the network, and wherein the response to the request is received from the network node of the network.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second electronic device is identified based on the location provided in the request from the first electronic device, wherein the second electronic device stores semantic mapping data for the location.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device comprises:

label data to identify objects in a first environment under which the first electronic device operates, and

corresponding environmental data of the first environment.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first electronic device is provided to the second electronic device under cleartext.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first electronic device is provided to the second electronic device using one or more of a symmetric or asymmetric key sharing protocol.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to participate in the semantic mapping process is sent to a plurality of electronic devices including the second electronic device, and wherein the response to the request is received from the second electronic device.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the semantic mapping process is performed on a network node apart from the first and second electronic devices, wherein the first and second electronic devices offload the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first electronic device and corresponding intersecting semantic mapping data of the second electronic device to the network node.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

causing performance of the semantic mapping process based on at least a portion of semantic mapping data from the first and second electronic devices that are not intersecting, where sources of the portion of the semantic mapping data are not exposed to each other electronic devices,

wherein the portion of non-intersecting semantic mapping data of the first electronic device comprises environmental data of a first environment under which the first electronic device operates and information about one or more poses of sensors from which the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device is obtained.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device comprises a user equipment of the network.

12 . A method to be implemented in a network node of a network, comprising:

receiving a first request from a first electronic device to participate in a semantic mapping process, the first request indicating a location for which the semantic mapping process is to be performed;

matching the first request to a second request from a second electronic device to participate in a semantic mapping process for the location; and

causing intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices that intersects with one another in an intersecting location shared between the first and second electronic devices within the location indicated in the request to be identified, using a private set intersection protocol, from respective semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices, wherein for the intersecting location, performance of the semantic mapping process is based on the identification, wherein sources of intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices are to be known to both participating electronic devices of the semantic mapping process, wherein for an area within the location but outside of the intersecting location, access to semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area is allowed but access to source information of the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area by the second electronic device is blocked, and wherein the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area comprises environmental data of a first environment under which the first electronic device operates and information about one or more poses of sensors from which the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device is obtained.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the private set intersection protocol is performed through the network node that receives the semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices and identifies the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second requests to participate in the semantic mapping process indicates a time period during which the first or second request is active.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the private set intersection protocol is selected based on resource constraints of the first and second electronic devices and privacy policy of the first and second electronic devices.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices are provided to each other under cleartext.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices are provided to each other using one or more of a symmetric or asymmetric key.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the semantic mapping process is performed on the network node, wherein the first and second electronic devices offload the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices to the network node.

19 . An electronic device, comprising:

a processor and machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by the processor, are capable of causing the processor to perform:

transmitting a request to participate in a semantic mapping process, the request indicating a location for which the semantic mapping process is to be performed;

receiving a response to the request, indicating a second electronic device that matches the request to perform the semantic mapping process;

identifying, using a private set intersection protocol, from semantic mapping data of the electronic device, intersecting semantic mapping data of the electronic device that intersects with semantic mapping data of the second electronic device in an intersecting location shared between the electronic device and second electronic device within the location indicated in the request, wherein the private set intersection protocol is selected based on one or more of a set of resource constraints of the electronic device and privacy policy of the electronic device;

for the intersecting location, causing performance of the semantic mapping process based on the identification, wherein sources of intersecting semantic mapping data of the electronic device and second electronic devices are to be known to both participating electronic devices of the semantic mapping process; and

for an area within the location but outside of the intersecting location, allowing the second electronic device to access semantic mapping data of the electronic device corresponding to the area but blocking the second electronic device from accessing source information of the semantic mapping data of the electronic device corresponding to the area.

20 . A network node, comprising:

a processor and machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by the processor, are capable of causing the processor to perform:

receiving a first request from a first electronic device to participate in a semantic mapping process, the first request indicating a location for which the semantic mapping process is to be performed;

matching the first request to a second request from a second electronic device to participate in a semantic mapping process for the location; and

causing intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices that intersects with one another in an intersecting location shared between the first and second electronic devices within the location indicated in the request to be identified, using a private set intersection protocol, from respective semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices, wherein for the intersecting location, performance of the semantic mapping process is based on the identification, wherein sources of intersecting semantic mapping data of the first and second electronic devices are to be known to both participating electronic devices of the semantic mapping process, wherein the intersecting semantic mapping data of the first electronic device is provided to the second electronic device under cleartext, and wherein for an area within the location but outside of the intersecting location, access to semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area is allowed but access to source information of the semantic mapping data of the first electronic device corresponding to the area by the second electronic device is blocked.