get location(lat/long) without gps just like my location feature of google maps
Get location(lat/long) without GPS, just like my location feature in Google maps. I have Google Maps in my mobile (Sony Ericsson G502 without GPS). It works fine without GPS in India.
1.How Google finds my position?
2. When i am searching cellid in opencellid database, it has less number of records for India. but Google Maps works fine in my mobile(India)
3.Is Google uses opencellid database or its own?. if Google uses its own, shall we have access to it database
4.Is there any commercial cellid database for India?
Answer
The answer is that cellular phones use various location methods, most were introduced as part of E-911 (Enhanced 911) or equivalent emergency service for other countries (e.g. 999 in UK) or since.
I don't know if GSM or CDMA has any localization protocols or standards itself beyond whatever E-911 and such requires. So I doubt there is a general API for all mobile phones.
Mobile phone localization is done via:
- plain GPS
- Assisted-GPS
- Cellular triangulation / multilateration
- Cell (tower) identification (FCC/etc. cellular tower database lookup)
- Enhanced Cell Identification (E-911)
- Uplink-Time difference of arrival (U-TDOA)
- Time-of-Arrival (TOA)
- Angle of Arrival (AOA)
- E-OTD (Enhanced-Observed Time Difference)
- and/or a hybrid of these technologies and approaches.
(Src: Wikipedia / Mobile_phone_tracking)
These approaches vary in accuracy and precision from ~35 km (22 mi) to ~5-10 meters (16-32 ft) or better.
3.Is Google uses opencellid database or its own?.
It appears that they have their own database without a public documented API.
4.Is there any commercial cellid database for India?
I don't know.