Venue-specific wireless access point location information creation and distribution

A mobile device comprising:

• a wireless communication interface;
• a memory;
• and
• a processing unit communicatively coupled with the wireless communication interface and the memory, the processing unit configured to cause the mobile device to:
• detect, with the wireless communication interface, a plurality of wireless access points at a location within a venue, wherein:
• the mobile devices determines a threshold number of the plurality of wireless access points are associated with the venue, or
• at least part of an identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points is the same for all of the plurality of wireless access points, wherein the identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points is obtained from data broadcast by the respective access point;
• in response to detecting the plurality of wireless access points, send, via the wireless communication interface to a server, information indicative of:
• the identity of at least one of the plurality of wireless access points, and
• the location within the venue at which the plurality of wireless access points were detected;
• and
• further send, via the wireless communication interface to the server:
• an indication of an identity of the venue with which the threshold number of the plurality of wireless access points are associated, or
• the at least part of the identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points that is the same for all of the plurality of wireless access points,
• or both.

A method of determining and distributing venue-specific wireless access point location data via crowdsourcing, the method comprising:

• receiving, via a communication interface, information from one or more mobile devices indicative of:
• one or more locations of the one or more mobile devices within a venue;
• and
• an identity of each of a plurality of wireless access points detectable by the one or more mobile devices while at the one or more locations within the venue, wherein:
• a threshold number of the plurality of wireless access points are associated with the venue, the identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points obtained from data broadcast by the respective access point, or
• at least part of the identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points is the same for all of the plurality of wireless access points;
• creating, with a processing unit, a venue information file, based at least in part on the information received from the one or more mobile devices, wherein the venue information file indicates a location of at least one wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points;
• and
• sending the venue information file via the communication interface to a receiving mobile device.

A method of providing information for a determination of venue-specific wireless access point location data, the method comprising:

• detecting, with a wireless communication interface, a plurality of wireless access points at a location within a venue, wherein:
• the mobile devices determines a threshold number of the plurality of wireless access points are associated with the venue, or
• at least part of an identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points is the same for all of the plurality of wireless access points, wherein the identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points is obtained from data broadcast by the respective access point;
• in response to detecting the plurality of wireless access points, sending, via the wireless communication interface to a server, information indicative of:
• the identity of at least one of the plurality of wireless access points, and
• the location within the venue at which the plurality of wireless access points were detected;
• and
• further sending, via the wireless communication interface to the server:
• an indication of an identity of the venue with which the threshold number of the plurality of wireless access points are associated, or
• the at least part of the identity of each of the plurality of wireless access points that is the same for all of the plurality of wireless access points,
• or both.