A method and apparatus for using at least one signal quality parameter in an application. A target device makes observations of at least one signal quality parameter in a wireless communication environment. Because there are gross differences between different target devices' observations, there are one or more device models that compensate for the differences. A selection logic selects an optimal device model for each target device. The observations made by the target device are processed with the selected device model and applied to an application, such as a positioning application or network planning.