Participatory bluetooth sensing: A method for acquiring spatio-temporal data about participant mobility and interactions at large scale events

Acquisition of data to capture human mobility and interactions during large-scale events is a challenging task. In this paper we discuss a mobile sensing method for mapping the mobility of crowds at large scale events using a participatory Bluetooth sensing approach. This non-invasive technique for collecting spatio-temporal data about participant mobility and social interactions uses the capabilities of Bluetooth capable smartphones carried by participants. As a proof-of-concept we present a field study with deployment of the method in a large music festival with 130000 participants where a small subset of participants installed Bluetooth sensing apps on their personal smartphones. Our software module uses location and Bluetooth scans to utilize smartphones as provisional scanners that are present with higher frequency in regions with high density of participants. We discuss the initial results obtained and outline opportunities and challenges introduced by this methodology along with opportunities for future pervasive systems and applications.