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I am a student researching on location privacy protection.

Now I need to do an experiment using OSM with Java. I need to replace an exact position of the user with a cloaking region on a map.

But I even don't know how to start it. I have the idea but I don't know how to do it. Anyone who ever did something like that can help me?

asked 11 Nov '14, 09:08

chensh46's gravatar image

chensh46
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accept rate: 0%

edited 11 Nov '14, 13:00

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Perhaps it is a question better asked on IRC?:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Irc

That way you'll be able to discuss what you mean by e.g. "a cloaking region on a map".

(11 Nov '14, 09:12) SomeoneElse ♦
1

I guess it is about blurring a user's published location to provide more privacy in some usecases. Not sure how this is is OSM-related. Chensh should clarify what he wants to do.

(11 Nov '14, 13:04) aseerel4c26 ♦
1

@aseere14c26 Yeah that's it! I need to blur a user's exact location with a small region so that the attacker can't find where the user is. OSM provides me the map. It's not based on a blank plane but the road network. So I need OSM.

(12 Nov '14, 01:44) chensh46

I am wondering how you will cloak the location from the network location provider, typically Google or Apple. . .

Your phone sends them information on the cell towers and WiFi hot spots it sees and they figure out a lat/lon based on that and send it back to the phone. From what I can see, Apple's WiFi location in a suburban environment is nearly as accurate as GPS. Nothing keeping them from saving the result they send back.

(12 Nov '14, 02:47) n76

@chensh46: okay, hmm, it is a bit hard to help you in that case. Yes OSM can supply you with the road network. You also could get a map. Nearly everything is possible with OSM because you have access to the raw data. But I do not know what specifically you want to do, so I cannot help you any further. Maybe it would be helpful for you if you would read a bit about OSM first.

Do you want to display a map on a webpage? Do you want to get a text description of a position - a coarse address (Street, City, Country)?

(12 Nov '14, 02:50) aseerel4c26 ♦

@stf: that exact info (if you use wireless networks positioning) is known to google or apple (yes, and some more wiretappers), but not to everybody else. If your protection goal is to hide your exact location from everybody except google/apple, then the location blurring might help. Imagine you want to post your current location into a box on your homepage.

(12 Nov '14, 03:09) aseerel4c26 ♦
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question asked: 11 Nov '14, 09:08

question was seen: 3,049 times

last updated: 12 Nov '14, 03:09

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum