http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/01/using_cabs_to_f.html
Using Cabs To Find Cellphone Coverage Holes Permalink
By Brady Forrest on January 01, 2007
Ericsson has a plan to find cellphone coverage holes in the New York
City area. They are going to install modem-sized sensors in cabs that
will report back signal strength and clarity.
Sensor-laden vehicles are a great way to gather information about a
metro region. Laptops and cars are used for wardriving and Inrix uses
truck fleets to determine traffic conditions in its 20+ metro
regions. Ericsson chose cabs because they are always on the road and
they cover most of the city. They've used other methods in the past.
"Our favorite vehicle is the taxicab because of the randomness
in its circulation," said Niklas Kylvag, Ericsson's manager of fleet
services.
But, he added, "We have used trains, trucks, buses, delivery
vehicles, limousines, pretty much anything that is moving and has
electricity in it. I have myself done testing in the Swiss Alps with
this on my back at a ski resort."
There are already two sites that track dead cell zones, Dead Cell
Zones and CellReception.com, with user submitted data. They have this
data (location, network, signal rating) in table form - you may want
to use them before you select your next cell provider. This work is
being done for an undisclosed cell company. It sounds like a great
way to discover (and plug) coverage holes before sites like these
grow in stature and start to hurt sales.
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