Patent ID: 8364089

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving data sets from a plurality of mobile devices, each of the data sets comprising: a geographic position value identifying a geographic position of a corresponding one of the plurality of mobile devices, a signal quality value representative of signal quality for the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile devices at the geographic position, wherein the signal quality value is derived from one or more of received signal strength indication (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), data transfer rate, and current bit rate as determined by the mobile device, and an indication of a carrier that provides service to the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein: the geographic position value and the signal quality value are determined at the corresponding one of the plurality of mobile devices, and at least two of the plurality of mobile devices are associated with different carriers; receiving a request for an aggregate signal quality value for a requested geographic position and a requested carrier; determining a location from a plurality of locations corresponding to the requested geographic position, wherein the location includes one or more geographic positions; identifying data sets that have 1) geographic position values that identify geographic positions within the location and 2) indications of a carrier corresponding to the requested carrier; aggregating the signal quality values of the identified data sets to obtain an aggregate signal quality value for the location and the requested carrier; and responsive to the request, providing, by a computing device, the aggregate signal quality value.