ENSURING DATA QUALITY BY FILTERING NETWORK ADDRESS OBSERVATIONS

• US 20150020195A1
• Filed: 07/11/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhook Wireless Incorporated (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Skyhook Wireless Incorporated (Liberty Broadband Corp.)
• Inventors: Alizadeh-Shabdiz, Farshid, Brachet, Nicolas, Dancus, Andrei, Jones, Russel Kipp, Morgan, Edward James, Polak, George, Steger, Christopher, Sutton, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 10,305,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4505 using standardised directories; using standardised directory access protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

In one embodiment, a filtering technique is provided for ensuring data quality of network address observations. A network address observation is obtained of a network address associated with a source device, the network address observation associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes. The network address observation is filtered based on a comparison of a selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes to a predetermined criteria, and using a result of the comparison as indicative of whether the network address observation should be used for association of the network address with one or more directly observed attributes. The filtering either associates one or more indicators with the network address observation, or removes the network address observation. A network address to attribute association system executed on one or more electronic devices stores a record that maintains any network address observation that has not been removed and any indicator.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring data quality by filtering network address observations, comprising:

obtaining a network address observation of a network address associated with a source device in communication with a network, the network address observation associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes;

filtering the network address observation based on a comparison of a selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes to a predetermined criteria, and using a result of the comparison as indicative of whether the network address observation should be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, wherein the filtering either associates an indicator with the network address observation when the network address observation is not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, or removes the network address observation when the network address observation is not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes; and

storing, by a network address to attribute association system executed on one or more electronic devices, record that maintains any network address observation that has not been removed and any indicator, in a storage device of the one or more electronic devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the source device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes is a location data source, and the comparison is to a type of location data source determined to be inaccurate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes is a provider of the set of network address observations, and the comparison is to one or more providers known to misrepresent a source of data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the one or more a directly observed attributes is a device identifier of the source device, and the comparison is to a device identifier of a device type known to have a defect.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes is a location error metric, and the comparison is to an allowed error threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes is an indicator of location error, and the comparison is to a threshold associated with the indicator of location error.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network node is a WiFi access point, and at least one of the one or more attributes is a location determined by WiFi-positioning.

9. A method for ensuring data quality by filtering network address observations, comprising:

obtaining a set of network address observations of a network address associated with a source device in communication with a network, each network address observation of the set of network address observations associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes;

filtering the set of network address observations based on a comparison of the set of network address observations to a reference set of network address observations, wherein the filtering either associates one or more indicators with the set of network address observations when the set of the network address observations are not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, or removes the set of network address observations when the set of network address observations are not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, in response to a result of the comparison; and

storing, by a network address to attribute association system executed on one or more electronic devices, a record that maintains any network address observations that have not been removed and any indicators, in a storage device of the one or more electronic devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the source device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the comparison comprises:

determining a likelihood that the set of network address observations belongs to a same probability distribution as the reference set of network address observations.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the reference set of network address observations is a set of known false, fraudulent, or misrepresented observations, and the comparison comprises:

determining whether the set of network address observations belongs to the set of known false, fraudulent, or misrepresented observations.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein network node is a WiFi access point, and at least one of the one or more attributes is a location determined by WiFi-positioning.

14. A method for ensuring data quality by filtering network address observations, comprising:

obtaining a set of network address observations of a network address associated with a source device in communication with a network, each network address observation of the set of network address observations associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes, the one or more directly observed attributes identifying at least a location of the source device;

filtering the set of network address observations based on one or more parameters characterizing spatial properties of the set of network address observations, wherein the filtering either associates one or more indicators with the set of network address observations when the set of the network address observations are not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, or removes the set of network address observations when the set of network address observations are not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, based on the one or more parameters characterizing spatial properties; and

storing, by a network address to attribute association system executed on one or more electronic devices, a record that maintains any network address observations that have not been removed and any indicators, in a storage device of the one or more electronic devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the source device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more parameters characterizing spatial properties comprise a spatial standard deviation.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more parameters characterizing spatial properties comprise a measure of resolution of the set of network address observations.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein network node is a WiFi access point, the location is determined by WiFi-positioning.

19. A non-transitory electronic-device readable medium having executable instruction stored thereon, the executable instructions when executed by one or more processors of one or more electronic devices operable to:

obtain a network address observation of a network address associated with a source device in communication with a network, the network address observation associating the network address with one or more directly observed attributes;

filter the network address observation based on a comparison of a selected one of the one or more directly observed attributes to a predetermined criteria, and using a result of the comparison as indicative of whether the network address observation should be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, wherein the filtering either associates an indicator with the network address observation when the network address observation is not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes, or removes the network address observation when the network address observation is not to be used for association of the network address with the one or more directly observed attributes; and

store a record that maintains any network address observation that has not been removed and any indicator.

20. The non-transitory electronic-device readable medium of claim 19, wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the source device.