Patent ID: 8452273

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving a time value and three streams of data sample values from an accelerometer of a wireless communication device (WCD) that is transported by a mobile thing (MT), each data sample value indicative of an acceleration of the WCD along an axis of a three dimensional (3D) coordinate system at a corresponding time value; recognizing a particular set of data sample values as a reference in the 3D coordinate system for defining a relationship between an orientation of the WCD and a two dimensional (2D) coordinate system; computing reference data based upon the recognition of the particular set, the reference data defining a relationship between each set of subsequent non-reference data sample values and the particular reference set of data sample values in the 2D coordinate system; calculating movement data in the 2D coordinate system of one or more other non-reference data sample values based upon the reference data; and determining a moving thing motion activity (MTMA) associated with the MT based upon the movement data.