Efficient collection of wireless transmitter characteristics

A communication network configured for collecting one or more radio parameter measurements corresponding to wireless transmitters in a wireless network in order to update a database of wireless transmitter characteristics, the network comprising:

• at least one server configured to perform a method comprising:
• retrieving from a database a list indicating a current state of information in the database regarding one or more wireless transmitters in the wireless network, wherein the list includes one or more transmitter identifiers, and zero or more parameters associated with each transmitter identifier;
• communicating the list to at least one device having one or more wireless receivers;
• and
• receiving a selected sequence of one or more radio measurements from a device having one or more wireless receivers;
• a device comprising a GPS receiver, the device configured to perform a method comprising:
• performing one or more radio measurements;
• selecting a sequence by assigning a priority to sequences of the one or more radio measurements based on the list of one or more transmitter identifiers, selecting at least one sequence of at least one of the one or more radio measurements based on the assigned priority, and transmitting a selected sequence to the at least one server, wherein when the priority assigned by the device exceeds a threshold, the device performs steps comprising:
• activating the GPS receiver when the GPS receiver is not currently active;
• attempting to obtain position information from the GPS receiver;
• deactivating the GPS receiver;
• and
• including obtained position information with the selected sequence transmitted to the at least one server.