Simulating Power Consumption of Location Tracking Algorithms to Improve Energy-Efficiency of Smartphones

Background location tracking is the key enabler for future generations of Location-based Services such as Geofencing, where the location of a user needs to be monitored continuously. Previous research has shown, that especially in the area of energy-efficient background tracking algorithms, huge potential still lays untapped. New algorithms can improve the energy- efficiency while retaining the required accuracy. The developed algorithms have to be tested and evaluated under different conditions before they can be used in the field, which is very resource and time consuming. Simulation can help to drastically reduce those efforts by applying a theoretical energy-consumption model to measurements taken in different environments. In this paper we show how WalkTheDroid, a location simulator based on the Android emulator, uses recorded location tracks and device profiles to carry out different virtual test scenarios simultaneously. By inducing the location information on application layer, the simulator can analyze every android application separately. Although only android programs can be used for simulation, the general concepts for energy-efficient background tracking remain valid for all smartphone platforms since they use the same positioning technologies as Android such as GPS, WiFi and Cell-ID positioning. Because the simulator is based on the emulator, it behaves like a real Android device, and hence can be used for location-based testing without changing the code of the test application. Therefore WalkTheDroid provides a versatile and flexible simulator not only for the evaluation of energy- efficiency in different background tracking algorithms but also provides a tool for virtually walking around to test location-based applications.