Excavator bucket positioning via mobile device

Various embodiments provide novel tools and techniques for position and/or motion tracking, including without limitation solutions that can be used for excavation and similar applications. In a particular aspect of some embodiments, a communication device with a camera may be provided to track the position and motion of a stick of an excavator or reference features located on a stick of an excavator. A location of a bucket of an excavator may then be calculated relative to the stick or reference features on the stick of the excavator. Thus, an operator of the excavator can use the communication device to effectively and efficiently track the location of the excavator bucket without the need for a second person to provide instructions about the location of the bucket.