A mobile device may be configured to build a power mode database for positioning based on the mobile device's location and associate power mode information, including the operating mode that is requested for positioning and the operating mode that is used for positioning at the location. Additional factors may be associated with the location including contextual information, such as user context, environmental context, and temporal context. The power mode database may be a local database on the mobile device or a remote database, such as a crowdsourced database, accessible via a server. The mobile device may access the power mode database based on a current location and requested operating mode, as well as contextual information, to obtain the actual operating mode to be used for positioning at the location.