ArliGrant to address cell phone location, privacy issues

Nan Zhang (pictured), an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington and his collaborators at other universities have received a $636,800 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to conduct research on problems related to accurately pinpointing the location of wireless devices.

The ability to identify a mobile device's location in an emergency situation is vital to personnel responding to 9-1-1 calls sent from cell phones, but it also introduces privacy issues. The research will address how to determine the exact location of wireless devices used in crisis situations and how to protect location information in non-emergency settings.

Zhang will be working with Wei Zhao at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. and Xinwen Fu at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D. Zhang's portion of the grant for his work at UT Arlington is expected to be $212,600 over three years.

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