Acquisition of human traces with Bluetooth technology: Challenges and proposals

This paper highlights the challenges to be taken into consideration when Bluetooth is used as a radio technology to capture proximity traces between people. Our study analyzes the limitations of Bluetooth-based trace acquisition initiatives carried out until now in terms of granularity and reliability. We then propose an optimal configuration for the acquisition of proximity traces and movement information using a fine-tuned Bluetooth system based on custom hardware. With this system and based on such a configuration, we have carried out an intensive human trace acquisition experiment resulting in a proximity and mobility database of more than 5 million traces with a minimum granularity of 5 s.