Android Spy Software Uses GPS Positioning For Location Tracking Of Mobile User

There are various technologies by which the location of a mobile telephone can be identified, including cell identification, triangulation and GPS location. The applications of mobile user tracking can include the provision of location-based services, the automatic location identification of 911 callers (the North American Enhanced 991 service), and the monitoring of the location of a family member or employee. Designed for the owners of mobiles running the Android operating system, the Mobile Android Spy Software uses the GPS technique for tracking the phone's location with great precision.

Some mobile location tracking techniques can be implemented by the mobile service provider for any mobile, while others require the installation of some software on the phone itself. Systems using triangulation techniques will be of moderate accuracy only. The accuracy will be best in the city because the mobile network cells are smaller in the urban environment. Some more advanced phones now include GPS positioning, and the accuracy of tracking obtained from these will be very good indeed.

The least accurate form of tracking simply uses cell identification. A mobile phone will always connect to the base station with the best signal, which in most cases will be the closest. Although not particularly accurate, cell identification can be used to deliver location-based services, such as information to a traveler about local restaurants and hotels.

Triangulation techniques will be more accurate than cell identification. Some of these can be done non-intrusively by the network. Even when not being used, the phone is transmitting a roaming signal. A network operator can monitor the signal level at three (or more) base stations. As the drop in signal strength is related to distance from the phone, the operator can (roughly) work out where the phone must be. Base stations are close together in urban areas, so an accuracy of about 50 meters might be achieved.

This sort of system requires the installation by the operator of hardware and software in their structure, and some form of legislative compulsion has been required for applications such as the Enhanced 911 system which allows the location of a 911 calling mobile to be automatically identified.

The more accurate systems cannot be implemented non-intrusively by the service providers. They require the installation of some software on the mobile itself. They are therefore restricted to smartphones such as Android, Blackberry and iPhone devices. If the phone has a GPS capability then the location can be identified very accurately indeed, but even without GPS the software can get information such as round-trip time and signal strength from the SIM card, which greatly enhances the accuracy of location compared to that achievable by a non-intrusive system.

Applications for intrusive tracking of the location of a mobile phone include monitoring the location of an employee, or a family member, such as a child. An example of this type of application, which uses GPS to give the most accurate location information possible, is the Android Spy Software, which can be installed on mobiles with the Android operating system. GPS locations are uploaded every 30 minutes to the log file, with a link to a map accessible from the main control panel.