Environmental-based location monitoring

• US 9,536,176 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bartley, Gerald K., Becker, Darryl J., Doyle, Matthew S., Maxson, Mark O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Gregory F
• Application Number:
  US14/664,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20160283823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 726/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards environmental based location monitoring. Environmental based location monitoring can include collecting, a first set of image data that corresponds to a first set of environmental characteristics existing within a bounded area encompassing a hardware element of the computer and determining an environmental difference based on a difference between a first location corresponding to a geographic position of the hardware element relative to the first set of environmental characteristics and a second location corresponding to an approved geographic position of the hardware element. Environmental based location monitoring can include determining that the environmental difference does not satisfy a threshold and executing a reaction sequence in the computer, in response to determining that the environmental difference does not satisfy the threshold.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of environmental based location monitoring, the method comprising:

collecting, by a sensor electronically connected to a computer and in response to a condition for the computer, a first set of image data that corresponds to a first set of environmental characteristics existing within a bounded area encompassing a hardware element of the computer, the condition includes receiving a computer-based command indicating a set of operations for the computer;

determining, by a processor analyzing the first set of image data, by utilizing image recognition techniques, a first location corresponding to a geographic position of the hardware element relative to the first set of environmental characteristics, and determining, by the processor analyzing a second set of image data stored in a database of the computer, by utilizing image recognition techniques, the second set of image data corresponding to a second set of environmental characteristics, a second location corresponding to an approved geographic position of the hardware element relative to the second set of environmental characteristics;

comparing, by the processor, the first location to the second location, and determining, by the processor comparing the first location to the second location, an environmental difference using a location difference between the first location and the second location;

determining, by the processor, that the environmental difference does not satisfy a threshold; and

executing, by the processor, a reaction sequence in the computer, in response to determining that the environmental difference does not satisfy the threshold, wherein the reaction sequence includes overwriting a set of data stored in the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bounded area is external to the hardware element of the computer and within a range of a sensor collecting the first set of image data and the first set of environmental data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the first set of image data to the second set of image data, and determining, by comparing the first and second set of image data, the environmental difference further based on differences between the first set of environmental characteristics and the second set of environmental characteristics.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting, in response to the condition, a first set of environmental data that corresponds to a third set of environmental characteristics existing within the bounded area; and

comparing the first set of environmental data to a second set of environmental data, the second set of environmental data corresponding to a fourth set of environmental characteristics, and further determining the environmental difference by comparing the first set of environmental data and second set of environmental data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third set of environmental characteristics includes temperature data, altitude data, and humidity data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by analyzing the first set of image data, a first volume corresponding to a volumetric dimension of the bounded area of the first set of environmental characteristics;

determining, by analyzing the second set of image data, a second volume of the bounded area of the second set of environmental characteristics; and

wherein comparing the first set of image data to the second set of image data includes;

comparing the first volume to the second volume, and determining, by comparing the first volume to the second volume, the environmental difference using a volume difference between the first volume and the second volume.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of environmental characteristics correspond to predetermined environmental characteristics within an approved operating environment.

8. A system for environmental-based location monitoring, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the system to;

collect, by a sensor electronically connected to a computer and in response to a condition for the system, a first set of image data that corresponds to a first set of environmental characteristics existing within a bounded area encompassing a hardware element of the system the condition includes receiving a computer-based command indicating a set of operations for the system;

determine, by a processor analyzing the first set of image data, by utilizing image recognition techniques, a first location corresponding to a geographic position of the hardware element relative to the first set of environmental characteristics, and determine, by the processor analyzing a second set of image data stored in a database of the computer, by utilizing image recognition techniques, the second set of image data corresponding to a second set of environmental characteristics, a second location corresponding to an approved geographic position of the hardware element relative to the second set of environmental characteristics;

compare, by the processor, the first location to the second location, and determine, by the processor comparing the first location to the second location, an environmental difference using a location difference between the first location and the second location;

determine, by the processor, that the environmental difference does not satisfy a threshold; and

execute a reaction sequence in the computer, in response to determining that the environmental difference does not satisfy the threshold, wherein the reaction sequence includes overwriting a set of data stored in the computer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions executable by the processor further cause the system to:

compare the first set of image data to the second set of image data, and determine, by comparing the first and second set of image data, the environmental difference further based on differences between the first set of environmental characteristics and the second set of environmental characteristics.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions executable by the processor further cause the system to:

collect, in response to the condition, a first set of environmental data that corresponds to a third set of environmental characteristics existing within the bounded area; and

compare the first set of environmental data to a second set of environmental data, the second set of environmental data corresponding to a fourth set of environmental characteristics, and further determine the environmental difference by comparing the first set of environmental data and second set of environmental data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the third set of environmental characteristics includes temperature data, altitude data, and humidity data.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions executable by the processor further cause the system to:

determine, by analyzing the first set of image data, a first volume corresponding to a volumetric dimension of the bounded area of the first set of environmental characteristics;

determine, by analyzing the second set of image data, a second volume of the bounded area of the second set of environmental characteristics; and

wherein the program instructions being executable to cause the system to compare the first set of image data to the second set of image data includes being executable to cause the system to;

compare the first volume to the second volume, and determine, by comparing the first volume to the second volume, the environmental difference using a volume difference between the first volume and the second volume.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the second set of environmental characteristics correspond to predetermined environmental characteristics within an approved operating environment.

14. A computer program product for environmental-based location monitoring, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

collecting, by a sensor electronically connected to a computer and in response to a condition for the computer, a first set of image data that corresponds to a first set of environmental characteristics existing within a bounded area encompassing a hardware element of the computer, the condition includes receiving a computer-based command indicating a set of operations for the computer;

determining, by a processor analyzing the first set of image data, by utilizing image recognition techniques, a first location corresponding to a geographic position of the hardware element relative to the first set of environmental characteristics, and determining, by the processor analyzing a second set of image data stored in a database of the computer, by utilizing image recognition techniques, the second set of image data corresponding to a second set of environmental characteristics, a second location corresponding to an approved geographic position of the hardware element relative to the second set of environmental characteristics;

comparing, by the processor, the first location to the second location, and determining, by the processor comparing the first location to the second location, an environmental difference using a location difference between the first location and the second location;

determining, by the processor, that the environmental difference does not satisfy a threshold; and

executing, by the processor, a reaction sequence in the computer, in response to determining that the environmental difference does not satisfy the threshold, wherein the reaction sequence includes overwriting a set of data stored in the computer.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program instructions, executable by the computer, cause the computer to perform the method further comprising:

comparing the first set of image data to the second set of image data, and determining, by comparing the first and second set of image data, the environmental difference further based on differences between the first set of environmental characteristics and the second set of environmental characteristics.