On the Cooperative Ranging between Android Smartphones Sharing Raw GNSS Measurements

The combination of ubiquitous network infrastructure and the high density of powerful, interconnected mobile devices in urban areas is driving the rise of smart cities. In parallel, the availability of ultra-low cost embedded Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has enabled several affordable Location Based Services (LBS). New chipsets supporting dual frequency and multi-constellation GNSS signals are reducing the gap between high grade and mass market device performances. Among these devices, Android smartphones represent valuable and affordable tools for many LBS in the early advent of Intelligent Transportation Systems and smart vehicular navigation. Mobile networks natively provide a multiplicity of connected devices, thus enabling a family of applications demanding for a communication channel among GNSS receivers. This paper experimentally validates a collaborative technique based on the exchange of raw GNSS measurements to retrieve the relative range between Android smartphones. Additionally, a framework for the exchange of data between smartphones is provided, allowing the application of such a computationally-efficient ranging methodology in a network of low cost mobile devices within a smart city framework.