Estimating network based locating error in wireless networks

A method, comprising:

• sending, by a system comprising a processor, a request to a first mobile device to perform an assisted global positioning system location determination for the mobile device;
• receiving, by the system, a response from the first mobile device comprising a result of the assisted global positioning system location determination and a first time at which the result was determined by the first mobile device;
• receiving, by the system, reports from mobile devices comprising signal information indicating arrival times of signals that were respectively received by the mobile devices from three base station devices;
• identifying, by the system, a first report of the reports comprising first signal information indicating first arrival times of first signals that were received by the first mobile device from the three base station devices at substantially the first time, and based on the at the first time identifying:
• determining, by the system, first observed time difference of arrival measurements for respective pairs of the three base station devices based on the first signal information;
• determining, by the system, an approximate location of the first mobile device at the first time based on the first observed time difference of arrival measurements;
• determining, by the system, first error values respectively associated with the first observed time difference of arrival measurements based a difference between the approximate location and the location determined according to the assisted global positioning system location determination;
• storing, by the system, error information respectively associating the first error values with the respective pairs of the three base station devices;
• and
• employing, by the system, a first error value of the first error values associated with a first pair of the respective pairs of the three base station devices to calibrate a subsequent approximate location determination for a second mobile device based on a second observed time difference of arrival measurement determined for the first pair of the respective pairs of the three base station devices.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

• commanding mobile devices to perform assisted global positioning system location determinations;
• receiving responses from the mobile device comprising results of the assisted global positioning system location determinations and first times at which the results were respectively determined by the mobile devices;
• receiving reports from the mobile devices comprising signal information indicating arrival times of signals that were respectively received by the mobile devices from three base station devices;
• identifying a group of the reports of the reports comprising first signal information indicating arrival times of signals that were received by respective ones of the mobile devices from the three base station devices at or near the first times, and based on the at the first time identifying:
• determining first observed time difference of arrival measurements for respective pairs of the three base station devices based on the first signal information;
• determining first locations of the respective ones of the mobile devices at the first times based on the observed time difference of arrival measurements;
• determining errors respectively associated with the first observed time difference of arrival measurements based on comparison of the first locations and the results of the assisted global positioning system location determinations for the respective ones of the mobile devices;
• and
• storing information respectively associating the errors with the respective pairs of the three base station devices;
• and
• employing the errors to calibrate a subsequent approximate location determination for a mobile device other than the mobile devices based on a second observed time difference of arrival measurement determined for the respective pairs of the three base station devices.