In one embodiment, an apparatus is presented that detects wireless signals from external devices that uniquely identify each of the external devices, records, in memory, information about the external devices without access to an external database, and compares information from the external devices to determine a relative location of the wearable device without using additional, power-hungry position location functionality if there is a threshold match in the compared information. In some embodiments, the invention uses the determined relative location to trigger an action at another device. The invention, using self-contained functionality, enables improvements in same location or home location determination accuracy, memory conservation, and power consumption.

During an evacuation situation in a building that is equipped with an elevator system and in which a plurality of fixed point markers are arranged at defined sites, an escape route is transmitted to a person by means of a mobile device. The fixed point markers store data that can be received by the mobile device. An instantaneous position of the mobile device can be determined when the mobile device uses data received from a fixed point marker to access a database in which the data is linked to a site of the fixed point marker. The ascertainment of the escape route to a destination is based on the instantaneous position of the mobile device. The person is registered on reaching the destination when the mobile device is detected at the destination.

A system, method and device for tracking at least one of objects, vehicles and personnel at a scene by determining a distance between a first node and a remote node are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method is provided for tracking emergency responders at an emergency incident scene by determining a distance between nodes positioned on the emergency responders and enabling mapping of the relative positions of the emergency responders.

A method of storing and utilizing a user's cellular telephone to securely store a user's identification and associated medical information to be use in an emergency and in a non-emergency condition. The medical information can be accessed by medical providers or emergency personnel. An application operating on the cellular telephone can provide a link to the emergency personnel and medical providers. The medical information can be broadcasted in an identification portion of a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth protocol transmission. The process is capable of being accomplished using a one-way transmission.

Example methods, apparatuses, and/or articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that may be utilized, in whole or in part, to facilitate and/or support one or more operations and/or techniques for enhancing searches for positioning reference signals (PRS) via one or more runtime conditions, such as for use in or with mobile communication devices, for example.

Systems and methods for determining a location of a mobile computing device requesting emergency services are provided. A mobile computing device may receive an indication of a request for emergency services from a user of the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device may receive a first wireless signal from a first device. The wireless signal may include an indication of a first geographic position associated with the first device. The mobile computing device may determine a location associated with the mobile computing device based on the indication of the first geographic position associated with the first device, and may send the determined location to a provider of emergency services.

A system and method for determining a position of a first responder in a building, where the first responder is using a radio, and using a distributed antenna system. Each antenna has a level detector to detect and measure a strength of an input signal from the radio of the first responder to produce a level signal, a time tagger to tag the detected input signal with a timing signal, and a communication module to transmit the level signal and timing signal. A sensor processor connected with a signal distribution network is configured to receive the signal level and timing signal from the signal distribution network of each of the plurality of antennas, to determine the position of the radio relative to each of the plurality of antennas according to the level signal and timing signal.

Mobile phones, phone systems, and emergency location systems are described with features that assist rescue teams in locating survivors in a disaster situation where a phone user and their mobile phone are buried under rubble. To enable the phone's battery charge to last longer, an emergency power conservation mode (E-mode) is activated by either receiving a command from an external source via RF transmission, or by noticing a rapid reduction in signal strength from a tower without changing the phone's physical location. Transmissions are also made by the phone from time to time indicating the user's health condition including providing an indication of life. Portable RF devices may be deployed at grid positions to locate mobile phones by triangulation based on signals received from mobile phones while battery charge still exists for the mobile phones immediately following the disaster.

A method for establishing a location anchor network includes receiving, by a location application executing on a processor, GPS positions from each of the plurality of location anchors, determining, by the location application, a preliminary network topology using the GPS positions for each of the plurality of location anchors, receiving, by the location application, an inter-location anchor spacing between the plurality of location anchors, determining, by the location application, a final network topology based on the GPS position and the inter-anchor spacing, and storing the final network topology in a memory. The plurality of location anchors are portable, and the plurality of location anchors are deployed at a location associated with a structure. The final network topology defines a position estimate for each location anchor of the plurality of location anchors.

A localization approach based on cable length detection. In one aspect, a method performed by a positioning system for determining the location of a mobile communication device (MCD) is provided. In some embodiments, the method includes the positioning system determining a cable length value representative of the length of the cable connecting a base station to a radio head serving the MCD. The positioning system then determines a location of the MCD based on the determined cable length.