Methods and apparatus to determine a base station location

1. A computer-implemented method to estimate a location of a base station comprising:

determining which signals are transmitted from a first base station by:

identifying a first set of signals having a first signal identifier;

identifying a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a first location associated with the first signal;

identifying a second set of signals having a second signal identifier;

identifying a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a second location associated with the second signal;

determining a first distance between the first location and the second location;

comparing the first distance to a first threshold distance; and

associating the first signal and the second signal with the first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance; and

estimating a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the location of the first base station includes determining the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first and second locations.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance when the first distance does not exceed the first threshold distance.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 , further including distinguishing signals from a plurality of base stations that reuse a same signal identifier by:

identifying a third set of signals having the first signal identifier;

identifying a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a third location associated with the third signal;

determining a second distance between the first location and the third location;

comparing the second distance to a second threshold distance, the second threshold distance greater than the first threshold distance;

associating a same region identifier to the first signal and the third signal when the second distance satisfies the second threshold distance; and

associating different region identifiers to the first and third signals when the second distance does not satisfy the second threshold distance.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 , further including:

identifying a third set of signals having a third signal identifier and the first base station identifier;

identifying a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identifying a third location associated with the third signal;

determining a second distance between the first location and the third location;

comparing the second distance to the first threshold distance; and

associating the third signal with the first base station when the second distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the estimating of the location of the first base station includes determining the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first, second, and third locations.

7. A method as defined in claim 5 , further including:

determining a third distance between the second location and the third location;

comparing the third distance to the first threshold distance; and

associating the third signal with the first base station when the third distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

8. An apparatus to estimate a location of a base station comprising:

a signal analyzer to:

identify a first set of signals having a first signal identifier;

identify a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value;

identify a second set of signals having a second signal identifier; and

identify a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value;

a signal localizer to:

identify a first location associated with the first signal;

identify a second location associated with the second signal;

determine a first distance between the first location and the second location; and

compare the first distance to a threshold distance;

a tower identification assigner to associate the first signal and the second signal with a first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance; and

a base station estimator to estimate a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the base station estimator is to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first and second locations.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance when the first distance does not exceed the first threshold distance.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the signal analyzer is to identify a third set of signals having the first signal identifier, a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value, further including:

a reuse identification assigner to:

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to a second threshold distance;

associate a same region identifier to the first signal and the third signal when the second distance satisfies the second threshold distance; and

associate different region identifiers to the first and third signals when the second distance does not satisfy the second threshold distance.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the signal analyzer is to:

identify a third set of signals having a third signal identifier;

identify a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to the first threshold distance; and

associate the third signal with the first base station when the second distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 , wherein the base station estimator is to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first, second, and third locations.

14. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify a first set of signals having a first signal identifier;

identify a first signal in the first set of signals having a first relative highest signal quality value;

identify a first location associated with the first signal;

identify a second set of signals having a second signal identifier;

identify a second signal in the second set of signals having a second relative highest signal quality value;

identify a second location associated with the second signal;

determine a first distance between the first location and the second location;

compare the first distance to a first threshold distance;

associate the first signal and the second signal with a first base station when the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance; and

estimate a location of the first base station based on at least one of the first location or the second location.

15. A storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first and second locations.

16. A storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to estimate the location of the first base station as being one of the first location or the second location.

17. A storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein the first distance satisfies the first threshold distance when the first distance does not exceed the first threshold distance.

18. A storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

identify a third set of signals having the first signal identifier;

identify a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to a second threshold distance;

associate a same region identifier to the first signal and the third signal when the second distance satisfies the second threshold distance; and

associate different region identifiers to the first and third signals when the second distance does not satisfy the second threshold distance.

19. A storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to:

identify a third set of signals having a third signal identifier;

identify a third signal in the third set of signals having a third relative highest signal quality value;

identify a third location associated with the third signal;

determine a second distance between the first location and the third location;

compare the second distance to the first threshold distance; and

associate the third signal with the first base station when the second distance satisfies the first threshold distance.

20. A storage medium according to claim 19 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to estimate the location of the first base station as a centroid of the first, second, and third locations.