Simultaneous localization and RF modeling

A computer-implemented process for performing localization, comprising:

• using a computing device for,
• recording at one or more mobile devices, RSSI measurements corresponding to RF transmitters received by the one or more mobile devices at various unknown locations;
• reporting the recorded RSSI measurements to a remote server;
• recording any available GPS lock at the one or more mobile devices;
• reporting any GPS lock to the remote server;
• using the RSSI measurements and any GPS locks recorded at the one or more mobile devices to determine the location of the one or more mobile devices, without prior knowledge of the physical space in which the mobile devices are located or the location and power of the RF transmitters, using the constraints of the physics of RF propagation at the remote server;
• and
• reporting the determined location of the one or more mobile devices.

A system for determining locations of a Wi-Fi capable device in an indoor environment, comprising:

• a general purpose computing device;
• a computer program comprising program modules executable by the general purpose computing device, wherein the computing device is directed by the program modules of the computer program to,
• periodically scan for Wi-Fi access points using a Wi-Fi enabled mobile device;
• transmit a list of discovered Wi-Fi access-points and associated received signal strength indication (RSSI) measured by the mobile device to a remotely located server;
• transmit any GPS locations discovered by the mobile device to the remotely located server;
• use a RF model of the indoor environment, created without prior knowledge of the space the mobile device is located in or the location and power of the Wi-Fi access points, using the list of discovered Wi-Fi access points and associated received RSSI and the discovered GPS locations to provide the location of the mobile device to user of the mobile device.