Using mobile phone tracking the position of mobile phone can be acquired in when the mobile phone is not in a fixed position or it is moving.To locate a mobile phone it must emit a radiation to the base station otherwise a mobile phone which is switched off cannot be tracked.Mobile positioning is the technology which describes the actual co-ordinates of the mobile phone subscriber.This is the most common technology used by the mobile phone operators to get the position of the mobile phone.The term locating is more appropriate rather than the term position in this case.Such services are offered in location-based services.
The main theory of the technology is the measure the radiated power that the mobile is emitting and the radiation pattern of the antenna and the using the concept that the mobile phone is always connected to the nearest base station to get the signal.So,by knowing the appropriate base station to which the cell phone is connected it can be assumed that the mobile is near to that base station.
In advanced stage it can be determined in which sector of the cell the mobile is connected and the distance is also measured from the base station. Further calculation can be done by interpolating the signals of the two adjacent cells that the cell phone is connected.In urban area the location can be found more precisely as the base station antennas are more in a cell.So,the distance from the antennas are less and the location can be acquired more appropriately. But in rural area the antennas are separated between a mile,so the co-ordinates are not that much appropriate but a rough idea can be obtained that where the cell phone is.
Localization bases systems can be divided into :
- Network based
- Handset based
- SIM Based
- Hybrid
Network –Based:
This type of service uses the infrastructure of the service provider to obtain the location.The advantage of this service is that the location can be obtained without affecting the handset.The accuracy of the network based technique varies.In the cell identification technique the accuracy is least accurate.In the Triangulation method the accuracy is moderately accurate.Forward link timing method is the most accurate.The accuracy of the network based method depends on the density of the base station and the implementation of the most recent timing method.
Handset Based:
In handset based technique it is required to install the software in the handset to determine the location.This technique determines the location by computing continuously the base station location,signal strength which is continuously sending from the base station and the distance from the neighboring base station. Moreover,if the handset is equipped with GPS then more accurate location can be achieved.The most advantageous point from the service providers point of view is that the subscriber must install the software that the service provider will provide.Smart phone operating systems like Symbian, Windows Mobile, iPhone, or Android will be able to run such software. Another this is available that the software is in built with the handset.
SIM Based:Using the SIM in GSM and UMTS it is possible to get the location by raw radio measurement.The type of the measurement which will be obtained from the SIM will must vary from the measurement taken from handset.The measurement that are available may include the cell ID,Round trip time and signal strength.
Hybrid:Hybrid positioning system uses both handset based technologies and network based technologies.One example of hybrid positioning is Assisted GPS,which uses the data from the GPS and also the network information to compute the location.Though,it should be mentioned that in most of the Assisted GPS system the GPS is mainly used to acquire the location but the network is used to get access of the GPS.
In make a call mobile stations always scan for the highest signal.Mobile station get attached with that base station from which it is getting highest signal.As the signal power changes mobile station switch to other adjacent channel antenna.By comparing the relative signal strength from the multiple antenna towers,a rough location of a phone can be determined.
Location and position of a user is a case of privacy.While locating a subscriber the subscriber may not be always notified.Strict monitoring and conditions are applied to the service providers who are providing the service.Also a user must by notified if a service provider want to compute data to obtain the location of the user.
Some free mobile phone tracking software are like MobiWee, Glympse, iLocalis, Mobile tracking system, Mobile defense etc.All these softwares are free.
MobiWee runs on Windows mobile, android, iPhone and Blackberry mobile phones.Users can remotly locate their cell information.
Glympse is a kind of mobile tracking software which is based on GPS and allows GPS enabled handset users to share the location through a map.
Through iLocalis one can locate the cell phone location by logging into therir website.
Most of the cell phones in these days are GPS enabled.So,by using GPS you can locate your own cell phone or there are some other paid or free plans through which you can locate your cell phone.Being able to track a cell phone by GPS or by other facility is a good news when your cell phone is lost and your are searching for it or your kids just put the cell phone in a place and you are not know about the location.
Sometimes you get a phone call and you do not know the location or the person who is calling as they just called you for harassment,in this cases the mobile phone tracking system is very useful.Cause you can acquire the location through the mobile phone tracking system and find the exact people who is calling you.If you lost you cell phone you can also get the location information of the cell phone which is very useful and helpful to get back your cell phone again.
Also tracking the terrorists and criminals this is also a useful facility.So,it can be seen that the mobile tracing facility is very useful considered that the privacy and the ethics should be maintained.
