Where am I ?

[Davey-T]

I can see how the mobile phone can tell your location but how does a computer work it out ?

Only asking as I seem to be in several different places at once.

Clear outside thinks I'm in Hawkhurst, about 20mls away.

Cal Sky thinks I'm in Erith, about 10mls away.

And Polar Finder thinks I'm at 12.08 East when I'm pretty much at zero.

Dave

[IanL]

Depends. If your device has GPS or GLONASS then obviously it is easy to locate your position. If not then if you have a mobile signal there are databases of base station locations that can get you within an area but not accurate to more than 100's of metres.

Much more accurately Google have databases of WIFI transmitters both public and private. These were slurped as part of the Street View project with accompanying privacy outrage. So if your device has WIFI it can often locate you to 10s of metres or less by measuring relative strength of hotspots nearby. Once the starter database was built, Android tablet and phone devices with Location Services turned on update it with new hotspots based on the best position data the have already from the sources above.

If you are using a device with none of the above available or turned on then there are databases that try to use your ISP and IP address to locate you. Some combinations of ISP and database are accurate to street level but others may be wildly out, e.g. if your ISP routes traffic through some data centre miles from you in another city or town. Google 'geolocate IP' for some examples.

[darthvader]

the CIA....

[MiguelMJr]

the CIA....

 Worse, 1984 is on it's way.

[Cornelius Varley]

I use this website http://www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm

[ronin]

Calsky uses some location from your IP Address, guess a main node.

Suspect Clear Outside uses much the same but sounds like it is from a slightly different point of the network.

No idea about Polar Finder but 12.08 East sounds odd. Is it 12.08 seconds or what?

[Thalestris24]

Hi

This is useful for accurately getting your co-ords:

http://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/?loc=glasgow%2Cscottland

You obviously have to adjust for your own location!

Louise

[Gina]

I used Google maps to find my location.  Later I got a USB GPS dongle which confirmed it.  EQMOD ASCOM will directly read a GPS device and set your location with a couple of clicks

[Davey-T]

Calsky uses some location from your IP Address, guess a main node.

Suspect Clear Outside uses much the same but sounds like it is from a slightly different point of the network.

No idea about Polar Finder but 12.08 East sounds odd. Is it 12.08 seconds or what?

Polar finder screen ? it also won't let me put in my location manually as soon as I get near to it 0.1780 East it switches to West, never had this trouble with the old version but it doesn't seem to be available any more.

Dave