Techniques for generating environment and reference data reports for particular environments on behalf of mobile devices

1. A method for determining an altitude of a mobile device comprising, at the mobile device:

generating an environment report indicative of a first measurement obtained via an environmental sensor comprising a barometer and provisioned with the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device;

transmitting the environment report to a remote device;

receiving at a different time a reference data report from the remote device, the reference data report being based, at least in part, on the environment report;

obtaining a second measurement using the environmental sensor; and

determining the altitude of the mobile device and a calibration parameter for the mobile device based, at least in part, on the reference data report and the second measurement,

wherein the first measurement or the second measurement, or any combination thereof, is determined based, at least in part, on a local atmospheric pressure.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the environment report is further indicative of: a horizontal position of the mobile device, a horizontal position history for the mobile device, a movement of the mobile device, a movement history for the mobile device, the altitude of the mobile device, an altitude history for the mobile device, a relative altitude of the mobile device, a relative altitude history for the mobile device, a local atmospheric pressure, an atmospheric pressure history, a local atmospheric temperature, an atmospheric temperature history, a local atmospheric humidity, an atmospheric humidity history, an indication of an indoor environment, an indication of an outdoor environment or an atmospheric pressure difference between an indoor and an outdoor environment, or any combination thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the environment report is based, at least in part, on a user-supplied observation corresponding to a particular environment.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the location of the mobile device is determined at least in part using: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) or an inertial sensor, or any combination thereof.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the location of the mobile device comprises an altitude component or a relative altitude component, or any combination thereof.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 , wherein the altitude component is determined at least in part using: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), an inertial sensor or a terrain or contour map, or any combination thereof.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein determining the calibration parameter for the mobile device further comprises:

determining the calibration parameter for the mobile device based further, at least in part, on a measured altitude for the mobile device.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the measured altitude is determined, at least in part, using: Assisted Global navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.

9. An apparatus for determining an altitude of a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating an environment report indicative of a first measurement obtained via an environmental sensor comprising a barometer and provisioned with the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device;

means for transmitting the environment report to a remote device;

means for receiving at a different time a reference data report from the remote device, the reference data report being based, at least in part, on the environment report;

means for obtaining a second measurement using the environmental sensor; and

means for determining the altitude of the mobile device and a calibration parameter for the mobile device based, at least in part, on the reference data report and the second measurement,

wherein the first measurement of the second measurement, or any combination thereof, is based, at least in part, on a local atmospheric pressure.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 , wherein the environment report is further indicative of: a horizontal position of the mobile device, a horizontal position history for the mobile device, a movement of the mobile device, a movement history for the mobile device, the altitude of the mobile device, an altitude history for the mobile device, a relative altitude of the mobile device, a relative altitude history for the mobile device, a local atmospheric pressure, an atmospheric pressure history, a local atmospheric temperature, an atmospheric temperature history, a local atmospheric humidity, an atmospheric humidity history, an indication of an indoor environment, an indication of an outdoor environment or an atmospheric pressure difference between an indoor and an outdoor environment, or any combination thereof.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 , wherein the environment report is based, at least in part, on a user-supplied observation corresponding to a particular environment.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 , wherein the location for the mobile device is determined at least in part using: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) or an inertial sensor, or any combination thereof.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 , wherein the location of the mobile device comprises at least one of an altitude component and a relative altitude component.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 , wherein the altitude component is determined at least in part using: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), an inertial sensor, a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 , wherein the means for determining the calibration parameter for the mobile device further comprises:

means for determining the calibration parameter for the mobile device based further, at least in part, on a measured altitude for the mobile device.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein the measured altitude is determined, at least in part, using: Assisted Global navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.

17. A mobile device comprising:

an environmental sensor comprising a barometer;

a network interface unit; and

a processing unit to:

generate an environment report indicative of a first measurement obtained via the environmental sensor, and a location of the mobile device;

initiate transmission of the environment report to a remote device via the network interface unit;

receive at a different time a reference data report from the remote device via the network interface unit, the reference data report being based, at least in part, on the environment report;

obtain a second measurement via the environmental sensor; and

determine at least one of: an altitude of the mobile device and a calibration parameter for the mobile device based, at least in part, on the reference data report and the second measurement,

wherein the first measurement or the second measurement, or any combination thereof, is determined based, at least in part, on a local atmospheric pressure.

18. The mobile device as recited in claim 17 , wherein the environment report is further indicative of: a horizontal position of the mobile device, a horizontal position history for the mobile device, a movement of the mobile device, a movement history for the mobile device, the altitude of the mobile device, an altitude history for the mobile device, a relative altitude of the mobile device, a relative altitude history for the mobile device, a local atmospheric pressure, an atmospheric pressure history, a local atmospheric temperature, an atmospheric temperature history, a local atmospheric humidity, an atmospheric humidity history, an indication of an indoor environment, an indication of an outdoor environment or an atmospheric pressure difference between an indoor and an outdoor environment, or any combination thereof.

19. The mobile device as recited in claim 17 , wherein the environment report is based, at least in part, on a user-supplied observation corresponding to a particular environment.

20. The mobile device as recited in claim 17 , wherein the location for the mobile device is determined at least in part using: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), or an inertial sensor, or any combination thereof.

21. The mobile device as recited in claim 17 , wherein the location of the mobile device comprises at least one of an altitude component and a relative altitude component.

22. The mobile device as recited in claim 21 , wherein the altitude component is determined at least in part using: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), an inertial sensor, a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.

23. The mobile device as recited in claim 17 , the processing unit to further:

determine the calibration parameter for the mobile device based further, at least in part, on a measured altitude for the mobile device.

24. The mobile device as recited in claim 23 , wherein the measured altitude is determined, at least in part, using: Assisted Global navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), and/or a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.

25. An article comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium, having computer implementable instructions stored therein, that are executable by a processing unit of a mobile device to:

generate an environment report indicative of a first measurement obtained via an environmental sensor comprising a barometer and provisioned with the mobile device, and a location of the mobile device;

initiate transmission of the environment report to a remote device;

receive at a different time a reference data report from the remote device, the reference data report being based, at least in part, on the environment report;

obtain a second measurement using the environmental sensor; and

determine an altitude of the mobile device and a calibration parameter for the mobile device based, at least in part, on the reference data report and the second measurement,

wherein the first measurement or the second measurement, or any combination thereof, is determined based, at least in part, on a local atmospheric pressure.

26. The article as recited in claim 25 , wherein the environment report is further indicative of: a horizontal position of the mobile device, a horizontal position history for the mobile device, a movement of the mobile device, a movement history for the mobile device, the altitude of the mobile device, an altitude history for the mobile device, a relative altitude of the mobile device, a relative altitude history for the mobile device, a local atmospheric pressure, an atmospheric pressure history, a local atmospheric temperature, an atmospheric temperature history, a local atmospheric humidity, an atmospheric humidity history, an indication of an indoor environment, an indication of an outdoor environment or an atmospheric pressure difference between an indoor and an outdoor environment, or any combination thereof.

27. The article as recited in claim 25 , wherein the environment report is based, at least in part, on a user-supplied observation corresponding to a particular environment.

28. The article as recited in claim 25 , wherein the location for the mobile device is determined at least in part using at least one of: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) or an inertial sensor, or any combination thereof.

29. The article as recited in claim 25 , wherein the location of the mobile device comprises an altitude component or a relative altitude component, or any combination thereof.

30. The article as recited in claim 29 , wherein the altitude component is determined at least in part using at least one of: Assisted Global Navigation Satellite (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), an inertial sensor, a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.

31. The article as recited in claim 25 , further comprising computer implementable instructions to:

determine the calibration parameter for the mobile device based further, at least in part, on a measured altitude for the mobile device.

32. The article as recited in claim 31 , wherein the measured altitude is determined, at least in part, using: Assisted Global navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), and/or a terrain map or a contour map, or any combination thereof.