An alternative view of positioning observations from low cost sensors

The measurement uncertainty of low-cost, low-quality positioning sensors in consumer electronics, such as smart phones, is well-known and prevents reliable location awareness in mobile applications, for example. In this paper we argue that location awareness arises from qualitative spatial descriptions which are only partially reliant on the absolute accuracy of the positioning system used. Qualitative descriptions would relate the actual position qualitatively to a location. To facilitate qualitative spatial descriptions we suggest an integration of different positioning sensors by searching for event patterns within the sensor readings. It is hypothesized here that integrating qualitative information derived from traditional measurement sensors into the position computation process will improve the overall reliability of the location awareness information generated.

► Positioning accuracy can disturb qualitative spatial descriptions significantly.
► Qualitative spatial descriptions can be facilitated by events in sensor readings.
► Conceptual model to integrate sensors for facilitating a qualitative location description of a mobile sensor platform.