Detection of a transmission facility, such as a mobile phone or hand-held radio transmitter, or other transmission facility as described herein, within an obstruction rich environment, such as a facility with many physical barriers to electronic transmission, is difficult to achieve. Referring to FIG. 1, the transmission detection, identification, and reporting system 100 described herein provides a method of detecting a transmission facility 202, such as depicted in FIG. 2, within an environment rich in obstructions 102. One embodiment of the transmission detection, identification, and reporting system 100 may involve the detection of a mobile phone within a heavily walled and metal-barred government facility such as a correctional facility. In this embodiment, the system may utilize an array of antennas 104 selectively placed within the facility, collection substations 108 for localized collection of detected signals, a central unit 110 for the processing of incoming signals from the facility, a display 112 for showing the location of the detected transmission facility 202, and an action facility 114 for implementing standard procedures in the event of a detection. In this embodiment, the communications between the antennas 104 and the substations 108, and between the substations 108 and the central unit 110, may be wireless to make installation and maintenance of the system within the facility, cost and time effective. Selective placement of the antennas 104, combined with algorithms and methods for determining location of the transmission facility 202, may allow a substantially improved means for locating transmission facilities 202, such as mobile phones, in an otherwise heavily shielded environment.
