Triangulation - How Accurate

yop

Lads,
How accurate is triangulation? I have searched the net but all I can find is 2005 or 2006 reports which says about 50m for urban and a mile+ for rural.

Is this still the case?

Also I understand that in order to access this information a company needs to contact the providers (o2, vodafone) etc. But does anyone know of the cost to gain access to this information?

Thanks

NiSmO

This post has been deleted.

Random

The DPA prevents the networks from providing this information to people unless requested by the Garda / through the courts / etc.

As for how accurate it is - take Google Maps on your mobile as an example. Can be anywhere from a couple of metres to a few KM.

Jonathan

Random wrote: »

As for how accurate it is - take Google Maps on your mobile as an example. Can be anywhere from a couple of metres to a few KM.

It is more accurate than you would imagine.

yop

Aye, I understand the DPA issue, what I was thinking that in order to get the access that you have to gain permission from the user?

Random

I'm not really sure what angle you're looking at on this one? Are you talking in relation to Garda and a Suspect? An empoyer and an employee? A husband and wife?

yop

Sorry Random, I am asking in relation to a Location Based Service I am developing.

One thing to add to this, IF the mobile user initiates a process for a location based Service, then the service needs to discover their location using triangulation, I wonder is this then an agreement that they wish their location to be discovered?

pirelli

yop wrote: »

Sorry Random, I am asking in relation to a Location Based Service I am developing.

One thing to add to this, IF the mobile user initiates a process for a location based Service, then the service needs to discover their location using triangulation, I wonder is this then an agreement that they wish their location to be discovered?

It is quite accurate in large towns and high density urban areas, but a lot less accurate in rural or less populated areas. It might well suit location based service.

I have it on my Pixon.

GerardKeating

yop wrote: »

Lads,
How accurate is triangulation? I have searched the net but all I can find is 2005 or 2006 reports which says about 50m for urban and a mile+ for rural.

Is this still the case?

In my recent experience with Google Maps, that seems to be the case.

yop wrote: »

Also I understand that in order to access this information a company needs to contact the providers (o2, vodafone) etc. But does anyone know of the cost to gain access to this information?

Thanks

If you mean ones own location, then since Google maps can triangulate, it must be freely available, if you mean anothers phone then the latest version of google maps allows one to share your locations with "friends".

Rsaeire

OP, you should have a look at Google Latitude, Google's new location based service, as it seems to be very similar to the service you are currently developing.

yop

thanks guys.
I have google maps on a phone here and rural it is tell me 4000m to nearest mast.

For the service I am developing that will suffice as in urban I think we are looking at 50m.

I am still wondering about the privacy thing though. Wonder where I could find that out.

Cable

Its accurate to a couple of metres. I dunno if you remember there was a kid went missing in Cork a few years ago? Well the search was co ordinated around where the phone was off. They're able to pin point it to an error of 2 metres.

yop

The Houlihan case I think it was.

Thanks for your help folks. I am slight newbie on this, but getting the answer I want here.
Fair play