Geocast-Based Situation Awareness

• US 20150304123A1
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,369,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/023 Limited or focused flooding to selected areas of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Geocast-based situation awareness utilizing a scalable, distributed ad hoc geocast protocol as a communication primitive, may provide a field common operating picture (FCOP) for providing location tracking, movement history, telemetry, and messaging in near real time to all operators in a scenario. Information may be transferred using a query/response geocast message protocol. Caching on devices may be utilized to gain scalability. A query message may have a payload containing a type indication and a header containing a description of a geocast region of intended reception, which may comprise the monitored region, the location of the monitorer, or any appropriate combination thereof. Response messages may be sent from devices located in the monitored region to an area containing the location of the sender of a query. A response message may contain monitored information, such as current location, telemetry data, and/or recent movement history, or the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a receiving device, a geocast message;

determining, by the receiving device, that the geocast message is received a predetermined number of times;

responsive to the receiving device receiving the geocast message greater than or equal to the predetermined number of times, determining whether a source of the geocast message is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance from the receiving device; and

if the source of the geocast message is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance away from the receiving device, retransmitting, by the receiving device, the geocast message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the geocast message is received the predetermined number of times is based on an identifier of the geocast message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the source of the geocast message is not greater than or equal to the predetermined distance away from the receiving device, then determining whether the receiving device is closer to a point of a geocast region than a plurality of devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the point is approximately a center point of the geocast region.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising responsive to determining that the receiving device is closer to the point of the geocast region than the plurality of devices, retransmitting, by the receiving device, the geocast message.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising responsive to determining that the receiving device is closer to the point of the geocast region than the plurality of devices, not retransmitting, by the receiving device, the geocast message.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining whether the receiving device is closer to the point of the geocast region than the plurality of devices is based on determining a plurality of distances between the point and each of the plurality of devices from which the receiving device has previously received a similar geocast message having an identifier that is the same as an identifier of the geocast message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the geocast message comprises at least one of a query geocast message or a response geocast message.

9. A device comprising:

memory having executable instruction stored thereon; and

a processor coupled with the memory, the processor configured to execute the executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a geocast message;

determining that the geocast message is received a predetermined number of times;

responsive to receiving the geocast message greater than or equal to the predetermined number of times, determining whether a source of the geocast message is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance from the device; and

if the source of the geocast message is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance away from the device, retransmitting the geocast message.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the determining that the geocast message is received the predetermined number of times is based on an identifier of the geocast message.

11. The device of claim 9, further operations comprising:

if the source of the geocast message is not greater than or equal to the predetermined distance away from the device, then determining whether the device is closer to a point of a geocast region than a plurality of other devices.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the point is approximately a center point of the geocast region.

13. The device of claim 11, further operations comprising:

responsive to determining that the device is closer to the point of the geocast region than the plurality of other devices, retransmitting the geocast message.

14. The device of claim 11, further operations comprising:

responsive to determining that the device is closer to the point of the geocast region than the plurality of other devices, not retransmitting the geocast message.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the determining whether the device is closer to the point of the geocast region than the plurality of other devices is based on determining a plurality of distances between the point and each of the plurality of other devices from which the device has previously received a similar geocast message having an identifier that is the same as an identifier of the geocast message.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the geocast message comprises at least one of a query geocast message or a response geocast message.

17. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a computing device cause said computing device to effectuate operations comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a geocast message;

determining, by the computing device, that the geocast message is received a predetermined number of times;

responsive to the computing device receiving the geocast message greater than or equal to the predetermined number of times, determining whether a source of the geocast message is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance from the computing device; and

if the source of the geocast message is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance away from the device, then retransmitting, by the computing device, the geocast message.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining that the geocast message is received the predetermined number of times is based on an identifier of the geocast message.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, further operations comprising:

if the source of the geocast message is not greater than or equal to the predetermined distance away from the computing device, then determining whether the computing device is closer to a point of a geocast region than a plurality of devices.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the point is approximately a center point of the geocast region.