Method and apparatus for monitoring environmental conditions in a

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring and processing environmental conditions within a wireless communication system is accomplished when a subscriber (22), or group of subscribers, sense an environmental condition or conditions. Upon sensing the particular environmental condition (28) or conditions, the subscriber (or communication device) provides the information about the sensed environmental condition to infrastructure equipment over the wireless communication path. Once the infrastructure equipment receives the information about the sensed environmental condition, it processes it. The processing includes storing the information, averaging the information, predicting future environmental conditions, generating warning signals based on the levels of the environmental condition, and providing feedback to an individual communication device or a group of communication devices. Once information about the sensed environmental condition has been processed, the infrastructure equipment provides at least a selected portion of the processed data to a communication device, based on a subscription of the communication device.