Geo-pairing detection
Various techniques related to determining whether mobile devices are associated are described. The techniques can include receiving first position information from a first device and receiving second position information from a second device. The techniques can also include comparing the first position information to the second position information over an overlapping time period. The techniques can additional include determining, based on the comparing, whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period. The techniques can include, upon determining that the first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period, determining that the first device and the second device are associated.
1. A method determining geographic associations, comprising:
receiving first position information from a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of a first device, wherein the first position information comprises a first plurality of position estimates of the first device, the first plurality of position estimates associated with a first plurality of time stamps within a first time period;
receiving second position information from a second GNSS receiver of a second device, wherein the second position information comprises a second plurality of position estimates of the second device, the second plurality of position estimates associated with a second plurality of time stamps within a second time period wherein a portion of the second time period overlaps with the first time period;
comparing, by a processor, the first position information to the second position information over the overlapping time period;
determining, by the processor, based on the comparing, whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period; and
upon determining that the first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period, determining, by the processor, that the first device and the second device are associated.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period comprises determining whether a difference between position estimates of the first position information and position estimates of the second position information meets a threshold.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlapping time period comprises at least one intervening time period wherein the first device and the second device are not collocated.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first position information comprises velocity information for the first device and the second position information comprises velocity information for the second device, wherein the determining whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period is based on the velocity information for the first device and the velocity information for the second device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing the first position information to the second position information over the overlapping time period comprises determining a difference between each of the first plurality of position estimates and a corresponding one of the second plurality of position estimates.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the comparing comprises determining an average of the differences.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the comparing comprises applying a weighting to components of the average of the differences; wherein the components each indicate a direction in three dimensional space; and
wherein the weighting weights a first component of the components differently from a second component of the components.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first component indicates a position lateral to a surface of the earth, the second element indicates an elevation above the surface of the earth, and the weighting of the first component is greater than the weighting of the second component.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the weighting comprises performing a matrix operation, wherein the matrix operation comprises multiplying a first matrix including the components of the average of the differences with a diagonal matrix including weighting factors.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving third position information from a third GNSS receiver of a third device, wherein the third position information comprises a third plurality of position estimates of the third device, the third plurality of position estimates associated with a third plurality of time stamps, wherein the third position information comprises position estimates within a third time period wherein a portion of the third time period overlaps with the first time period and the second time period;
comparing the first position information, the second position information, and the third position information over the overlapping time period;
determining, based on the comparing, whether first position information, the second position information, and the third position information indicate that the first device, the second device, and the third device are collocated together during the overlapping time period;
upon determining that the first position information, the second position information, and the third position information indicate that the first device, the second device, and the third device are collocated during the overlapping time period, determining that the first device, the second device, and the third device are associated.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the respective position estimates of each of the first position information, the second position information, and the third position information each comprises a position estimate in multi-dimensional space;
the method further comprises determining a geometric center for each of the position estimates; and the comparing comprises comparing each of the position estimates with the geometric center.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: time synchronizing, based on the first plurality of time stamps and the second plurality of time stamps, the second position information with the first position information.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining whether the first device and the second device are collocated comprises determining whether the first device and the second device move together during the overlapping time period.
14. A navigation system, comprising:
a first device comprising a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver;
a second device comprising a second GNSS receiver; and
a processor configured to:
receive first position information from a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of a first device, wherein the first position information comprises a first plurality of position estimates of the first device, the first plurality of position estimates associated with a first plurality of time stamps within a first time period;
receive second position information from a second GNSS receiver of a second device, wherein the second position information comprises a second plurality of position estimates of the second device, the second plurality of position estimates associated with a second plurality of time stamps within a second time period wherein a portion of the second time period overlaps with the first time period; compare the first position information to the second position information over the overlapping time period;
determine, based on the comparing, whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period; and
upon determining that the first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period, determine that the first device and the second device are associated.
15. The navigation system of claim 14 , wherein the determining whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period comprises determining whether a difference between position estimates of the first position information and position estimates of the second position information meets a threshold.
16. The navigation system of claim 14 , wherein the overlapping time period comprises at least one intervening time period wherein the first device and the second device are not collocated.
17. The navigation system of claim 14 , wherein the first position information comprises velocity information for the first device and the second position information comprises velocity information for the second device, wherein the determining whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period is based on the velocity information for the first device and the velocity information for the second device.
18. The navigation system of claim 14 , wherein the comparing the first position information to the second position information over the overlapping time period comprises determining a difference between each of the first plurality of position estimates and a corresponding one of the second plurality of position estimates.
19. The navigation system of claim 18 , wherein the comparing comprises determining an average of the differences.
20. A device for determining geographic associations, comprising:
a means for receiving first position information from a first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of a first device, wherein the first position information comprises a first plurality of position estimates of the first device, the first plurality of position estimates associated with a first plurality of time stamps within a first time period;
a means for receiving second position information from a second GNSS receiver of a second device, wherein the second position information comprises a second plurality of position estimates of the second device, the second plurality of position estimates associated with a second plurality of time stamps within a second time period wherein a portion of the second time period overlaps with the first time period; a means for comparing the first position information to the second position information over the overlapping time period;
a means for determining, based on the comparing, whether first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period; and
a means for, upon determining that the first position information and the second position information indicate that the first device and the second device are collocated during the overlapping time period, determining that the first device and the second device are associated.