Optimized Implementation of Location-Aware and Network-Based Services for Power-Efficient Android Applications

Abstract

Today’s smart phones are comprised of a variety of sensors and hardware, based on which a number of specialized applications have been developed. Unoptimized use of these hardware makes the power consumption of smart phones, a matter of serious concern. Most of the applications installed in smart phones keep track of user location and exchange user data with the servers. Even though a majority of the applications do not need real-time data exchange, they store the data until the cellular data network becomes available and then transfer the data to the servers. This consumes a lot of power from the handset, as cellular data transfer consumes more power than the traditional Wi-Fi networks. For location tracking, most of the applications use GPS, although these applications may not need precise location information. This results in loss of smart phone battery power. In our work, we have modified a health activity tracker app that consumes a lot of power. We tried to optimize power consumption by adding these features: We have replaced simple GPS location tracking by using a combination of network provider information and accelerometer for tracking the activity of the user; Network communication is done, without draining the power of the phone, by transmitting data when it is connected to a Wi-Fi network, but reducing the frequency of transmission when it is connected to a cellular network. The system also identifies the availability of free Wi-Fi by tracking the user’s location while connected to the cellular network. Thus the power consumption by the smart phone is reduced.