BlueStar, a privacy centric location aware system

Abstract

This paper provides the research background and system approach for project BlueStar. Our aim is to develop a system using a flexible in/outdoor location management scheme that allows for only the end-user to be aware of their location, while still enabling them to access location-relevant information from a centralised source. In such a system the user can choose the level of granularity with which they provide or publish their location details in contrast to systems in which a fixed network is used to track the user. BlueStar addresses the need for a scalable user-centric end-to-end solution in which end-user privacy is protected. As we show in this paper many existing indoor tracking systems rely on special purpose receivers (badges) and transmitters in conjunction with a costly site radio survey, neither of which is necessary in the BlueStar model. Finally, this paper describes one possible location-aware peer-to-peer application, using location sniffing, namely an "ad-hocracy".