Google taps millions of Android phones to map space & enhance GPS tracking

[Coloroscopio]

 

Who knew your pocket navigator could be a space instrument? Researchers at Google and the University of Colorado Boulder have managed to harness the GPS sensors in millions of Android smartphones to create one of the most detailed maps of the ionosphere ever made, showing how everyday technology could be used as crucial tools for scientific discovery.

 

The project, spearheaded by Google researcher Brian Williams and CU Boulder professor Jade Morton, crowdsourced data from millions of anonymous Android users to track how Earth’s upper atmosphere distorts GPS signals. By analyzing GPS signal measurements from 40 million phones, they were able to produce a map with unprecedented detail.

 

In some regions, such as India and Central Africa, the data collected by smartphones even outperformed traditional monitoring stations, demonstrating that handheld devices can do more than just navigate city streets—they can help us understand space weather.

 

 

The ionosphere is the region of Earth’s upper atmosphere filled with free electrons, which are known for interfering with GPS signals and causing navigation errors. Traditionally, monitoring stations have been responsible for tracking the ionosphere, but these outlets are sparsely located, leaving significant gaps in coverage. By utilizing millions of Android phones as miniature scientific tools, Google and CU Boulder managed to map the ionosphere with twice the reach of traditional systems, particularly benefiting regions with few monitoring stations.

 

Published in Nature on November 13, the study provides important insights into how the ionosphere impacts GPS technology. This volatile layer of the atmosphere is known for creating delays in GPS signals, which can affect everything from everyday driving directions to precision landings for aircraft. The research not only advances our understanding of the ionosphere itself but also aims to enhance GPS accuracy, making these navigation tools even more reliable for critical uses.

 

As Brian Williams puts it, “Instead of thinking of the ionosphere as interfering with GPS positioning, we can flip this on its head and think of the GPS receiver as an instrument to measure the ionosphere.”

 

Sometimes, with a little creativity, the tools we use every day can be repurposed for something far bigger—in this case, a better understanding of our atmosphere and an improvement in the technology that guides us.

 

 

• https://www.popsci.com/technology/google-gps-map/ 
• https://www.newscientist.com/article/2455986-millions-of-phones-create-most-complete-map-ever-of-the-ionosphere/ 
• https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03545-5 
• https://www.colorado.edu/today/2024/11/13/engineers-transform-smartphones-instruments-studying-space 

 

Image: Dmytro Larin | Dreamstime.com