Efficient Location Based Services for Groups of Mobile Users

We study the performance improvement of Location Based Services through the identification and subsequent use of groups of mobile nodes. In our scheme we exploit the formation of nodes into groups in order to reduce the computation load incurred in back-end systems (e.g., Location Servers) and the associated network overhead. The back-end systems track the position and communicate with the Group Leader (GL). The GL, in turn, passes the received information to the members of the group (e.g., through short-range communications). The formation of mobile groups is validated over time to avoid misinterpreted temporary groupings which could endanger the adoption of the reduced load/overhead scheme. A time scheduling scheme based on the Optimal Stopping Theory assists in the finalization of the group validity. Metrics like group compactness are thoroughly assessed in line with the optimal stopping time scheme to increase confidence on group validity and persistence. Performance assessment reveals significant benefits for the considered location based services system.