A new Google patent application has been filed for a peer-to-peer location service. This patent talks about obtaining “high-resolution physical locations for a wireless device by leveraging the high-resolution physical location capabilities of wireless peers of the wireless device to provide a peer-to-peer location service and facilitate location targeting.” In other words, physical distances between your phone and nearby peers can be used to get a more accurate position on your phone should your GPS crap out on you.
A data connection is still required, however, so if you’re lost in the deep woods of a rural area with no cell towers or Wi-Fi nearby, you may be up that proverbial creek, paddles nowhere to be found, banjo music getting louder.
Of course, a patent filing is not a product roadmap and Google may not ever introduce this concept to market. We’re hopeful it will make it in a future Android build to increase the accuracy of location finding in situations where Wi-Fi and GPS are unavailable or unreliable.
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