Venue Circulation

Venue Circulation is ultimately an understanding of how many people are in a specific area at any one given point in time. There are a variety of data inputs and steps required to arrive at a reliable estimated Circulation. The following outlines the necessary components to Venue Circulation Methodology.

Venue Circulation Components                                                     

Mobile Based Data Collection Areas (DCAs)

Collecting the correct sample is an important first step to understanding venue circulation. Venues home to advertising media units are quite diverse. Airports, casinos, malls, bars, gas stations and transit stations are examples of the varied types of venues where place-based advertising exists. Topography is widely different based on urban and suburban regions as well as land use. The diverse nature of facility areas within physical structures creates need to pay special attention to the collection areas used for mobile data analysis.

Examples include Airports where hotels are on property or restaurants located inside of strip malls.

The first step of data collection is to determine whether the specific venue can be considered a “primary” venue, meaning it is fairly isolated from any pedestrian traffic that would be considered irrelevant. In this case the data collection areas are established in a straightforward manner. In the case of “sub-venues,” places that exist within primary venues, extra attention is paid to the establishment of the data collection area. This “sub-venue” attribute will be carried through with the venue throughout the rest of the process. Attributing a sub-venue attribute to a venue allows the process to provide more confidence in other data inputs.

LaGuardia Airport Terminal D: Building Area (Primary Attribute)

Gamestop Store inside of Crossgates Mall (Subvenue Attribute)

Reported Footfall

In travel demand modeling, gateway counts are used to collect specific point and time vehicular volume counts. Generally speaking, traffic counts for places, especially with multiple uses or entrances and exits are less likely to have reliable count station data. However, there are many cases where visitation to a specific venue is understood. This is the case for Airports, Sporting Events where attendance is reported, gyms where membership is required to enter, etc. These known counts are used as calibration data points for expanding mobile location data observations to represent venue circulation.

Example of Enplanement Data Available by Airport

Survey Collections

In addition to sourcing publicly available reported Circulation numbers, where feasible in future phases of place-based data collection, surveys are conducted at a sample of locations across Venue types. These surveying techniques include door counters, temporary installation of visual recognition software and beacons. A mix of technologies is used so that the technologies themselves can be tested and validated for future deployment. These methods and/or devices will measure Circulation, Dwell Time and Audience Composition.

First Party Data Collection

It is recognized that given the pedestrian centric nature of venues where most place-based inventory exists, there has been significant advancement and investment in first party data collection tools, either by the network operator or the venue operator. Geopath as an auditing body of the industry allows for this type of data to be submitted as an input into venue circulation analysis. Current technologies include door counters, transaction, check-in data, video recognition, sensor based and others.

Venue Circulation Count Assignment

Location data streaming from devices are observed and understood over the life of a device identifier.  Fundamentally these location data (latitude, longitude, timestamp) are geospatially indexed to a hierarchy of geographical places.   If it is observed that a device has entered a DCA, it is known that that restaurant, is within a shopping center, within a city, within a county, etc. 

Bias Analysis

There are two types of general bias that affect the sampling rates of devices with respect to mobile location data.

The first bias can be described as Person Device Bias. Depending on demographics any one person has some probability have having one or multiple devices that they travel with. Additionally, related to demographics, biases regarding characteristics of device will exist, these characteristics include operating systems, manufacturer, types of applications and data availability.

The second bias can be described as Place Device Bias. The type of place typically impacts the behavior of people with respect to the place and their presence within it. For example, at a gas station a typical person will park, pump gas either pay at pump or pay inside and then leave with relatively little additional loitering and the entire process may take no more than 5 minutes. Whereas at an airport the typical passenger may travel quite rapidly through an airport in order to dwell 15 minutes to 30 minutes at their gate prior to boarding. The typical dwell curve based by place type must be understood to adjust the visibility of devices.

Example Dwells by observed mobile activity. For illustration the unique place dwells have been summarized by place type.

Visits

The location data at the particular DCA is aggregated into an activity.  Location data near in time and space is considered to understand the most reliable arrival and departure times.  Activity in similar place-types and nearby places and the proximity to home and work locations is used to better understand the pattern of activity, how this activity is understood in the context of a trip, and the motivation for the particular activity.

Places are categorized by Place type and are analyzed in bulk to establish common activity patterns by type of place at an individual device-visit level.  Places that generate traffic that is outside of a 95% percentile range of two-standard deviations above or below the average are pulled out for secondary analysis and QA.  Similarly, individual trips who’s dwell time are outside of a 95% range are dropped and not included in the profile for the place.

Venue Dwell

Venue Dwell is a measure of time spent in the Data Collection Area. While as many observations are collected as possible Dwell is a characteristic that is studied more generally by place type than specific venue. Reducing the sample size to only highest visibility places, it is possible to create a representative Place type dwell measure. Specific venues within a place-type category will be additionally audited to determine if the nature of its unique dwell is warranted or due to data quality.

Venue Frequency

In order to protect privacy of individuals Frequency is understood generally by Place type. For example, a place-type of Grocery will have a higher frequency than a place-type of a shopping mall or airport.

The first step to frequency analysis by place type is to establish a high visibility panel. This panel is updated weekly with the frequency analysis.

To be included in the Frequency Panel

• The frequency analysis considers only the panel of devices meeting a 56-day visibility criteria.

• The device every day of the week for at least eight distinct hours per day.

Because venues vary in days opened for example Hair Salons may be closed on Mondays or Bars may only be opened Thursday, Friday and Saturday

The groups analyzed are:

• mo – a 7-day period starting on the first Monday

• tu – a 7-day period starting on the first Tuesday

• we – a 7-day period starting on the first Wednesday

• th – a 7-day period starting on the first Thursday

• fr – a 7-day period starting on the first Friday

• sa – a 7-day period starting on the first Saturday

• su – a 7-day period starting on the first Sunday

• w4 – a 28-day period starting on the first Monday

• w8 – a 56-day period starting on the first Monday

A visit count is provided for each of those bins, include 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 times in the period.

Occupancy

Once a visit has been established to a place all visits can be aggregated together minute by minute considering the discrete arrivals and departures to calculate the number of arrivals by hour, the associated dwell time, and the average occupancy throughout the hour. Venue Occupancy is calculated for every operating hour during the previous 12 months on a rolling basis.

Unique Visitors

The device location data captured within the DCAs also contains information about the place of residence. The observations of device home locations drive a variety of attributes associated with the venue. The Venue’s population characteristics such as demographics (example below), consumer profiles and audience segmentation are inferred. Additionally, reach and frequency can be calculated from the unique visitor observations.

Model Estimation & Application

The activities of a particular device and the aggregation to trips that are being made by the device are understood in the context of devices within a household that interact together.  These household activities are understood at a neighborhood level where the activity of around 400 households is aggregated and anonymized. 

The number of devices and households observed using the location data is considered in the context of the total number of households in the neighborhood.  Similar households in near-by neighborhoods are also used to understand the behavioral tendencies of particular household types, like areas of a city that are frequented or avoided and the types and number of activities that take place during different days of the week, months of the year and when those activities are taking place during the day.

The household activity profiles are used to simulate the behavior of households that are not observed directly through the location data to expand the sample of observed households to a full population, nationwide.

Data Projections & Smoothing

Circulation is understood by square foot by Place Type for all primary dwell locations. For areas of subvenue dwell and areas where Data Collection Areas do not capture a sufficient sample the circulation by square foot for similar place type in like market size is used as a projection. This is supported and tested with available first party and surveyed data collection points.

Updates

Venue Circulation is calculated and updated on a monthly basis 15 days after the completion of the study month.

Place Attributes

The following chart shows all place attributes mentioned above or in addition to what has been mentioned above that are either collected or calculated.

Methodology: Screen Circulation

Screen Circulation is ultimately an understanding of how many people have the opportunity to see a particular screen at any given point in time. There are a variety of data inputs and steps required to arrive at a reliable estimated Screen Circulation. Once the Venue Circulation is established, the following outlines the necessary components for Screen Circulation Methodology. Please note “Screen” is used as industry agnostic term and these methodologies are used in calculating circulation for all place-based media units, digital, printed or otherwise.

Screen Circulation Components

Location

Placement Type

Understanding the screen placement within a venue is an important first step to calculating screen circulation. Venues home to advertising media units are quite diverse. However, each category of venue typically has similar attributes that would drive the Placement Types available for screens and the factors that shapes the viewer’s opportunity and experience with a screen.

Examples of Placement Types:

• One-on-one

• Dining Area

• Above Bar

• Entrance/Exit

• Register

• At Pump

• Hallway

• Elevator

• Bathroom

• Inside Auditorium

• Interior Corridor

• Above Food Sales

• Waiting Area

• Receptacle Area

• Cart

• Platform

• Concourse

• Fare Machines

• Parking Lot

• Elevator Lobby

• Open Floor

*See Appendix for placement type definitions

It cannot be assumed that all people in venue circulation are included in the screen circulation for all possible screen placements. However, for some screen placements we do make this assumption; for example, a placement in a lobby with limited entry and exit points. An example of Screen Circulation that would not receive the total Venue Circulation would be a men’s or women's bathroom advertising or 2nd floor retail.

Structure Type

Within each Placement Type, a screen will be within a particular Structure Type and be located in any particular Orientation to the flow of the audience of that venue. There are visibility and dwell factors associated with these attributes as well.

Examples:

Placement Type: Overhead

Structure Type: Interior Wall

Placement Type: Center Corridor

Structure Type: Furniture (Kiosk)

Exposure Zone

Various screens, even of the same Placement and Structure types, can have very different Exposure Zones based on other attributes of the ad unit:        

●      Screen Height & Width (within Layouts and Frames)

●      Illumination and/or Digital Capabilities (Video, Sound, Static)

●      Ad Spot Length

●      Spot Share of Voice and Layout Share of Voice

A combination of data and research sources have been utilized in determining how far a person can be from a screen and still be exposed to a brand message. The results have been used in calculating the impact of each of these factors in defining the “Exposure Zone” of each screen.

Visual Acuity & Diagonal Visual Angle

This value is based on a Geopath eye-tracking study that concluded that a single letter on an advertisement takes up a certain degree of an individual’s field of view, therefore, you need to obtain a certain number of degrees of height in order to begin to notice/have the opportunity to see a brand message.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_angle

Max Noting Distance (ft)

This represents the maximum distance an individual can be from a unit to still see it. As the size of the unit increases, so does the max noting distance.

For example: An advertisement on a television screen may be viewable from 30 ft away, but as soon as the viewer is 31 feet away from a unit, the brand message is no longer distinguishable. Therefore, the Max Noting Distance for that television screen is 30 ft.

Dwell

Passing vs Extended

The length of time an individual spends in the proximity of a unit or venue. The values are given in minutes and varies depending on venue type. For example, units located inside of a dining area will receive a longer extended dwell time as opposed to units located inside of an interior corridor.

• Extended Dwell: Individuals sitting at Airport gate.

• Passing Dwell: Individuals walking through the halls of the terminal

• For more examples see Appendix for Dwell Characteristics by Placement Type

Engagement

There are 3 levels of engagement a screen can offer based upon the content provided, which factors into the quantification of possible impressions. Each of these relate to the likelihood that the screen content could induce consumer engagement.

• Low: Screen only shows ads/messaging; no content provided adjacent or between spots.

• Mid: Screen displays content that is relevant to the environment between spots. (Example: Health news & tips are displayed in between ads in doctors’ offices.)

• High: Ad/messages are on screen at the same time as contextually relevant content. (Example: Ads are positioned on screen alongside scores at gaming venues.)

Interactivity

Is ad content and/or screen interactive? Interactivity can include screens that, in addition to ad content, contain things like games, vending machines, directory information. 

Digital touch screen mall directories that simultaneously display advertisements

Circulation Assignment

Once the attributes of an individual frame are quantified, venue specific metrics such as size, entrances, and mobile circulation can drive the number of opportunities to see that frame during any individual time slot. The results of these factors create calculations that drive the Screen Circulation.

Building Areas

The physical structure of the building is important to control the upper limits of any exposure zone and circulation assignment. Information on the building includes number of floors, entries & exits, stairwells, elevators & escalators. Additionally, information is known that defines public use square footage versus nonpublic use, for example warehousing space attached to a retail store.

Placement Exposures Per Visitor

The number of times an individual is in the vicinity of a frame/screen. Depending on the Placement’s relation to entrances, this is calculated by dividing the number of entrances by 2 (individual coverage of total space), or by dividing the number of floors with units by 0.5 (50% chance of dining). This also relates to the Frequency (a Placement within view of a single entrance would result in 2 views). Please note these above examples are default heuristics in the absence of directly observed or more precise venue mapping.

Probability of Frame Exposure

The probability that an individual is exposed to a frame/screen. This dependent on where the unit is located inside of the venue (Placement Type). For example, at a transit station an individual will probably be exposed a little over half of the units on the floor (using a value of 0.667). However, if the unit is located in a bathroom, an individual visiting that bathroom has a 100% chance to be exposed to the unit (using a value of 1.0); ⅔ chance within field of view (behind viewer) in dining, 100% of exposure if in area.

Walking Speed/ Passing Dwell Assumptions

An average adult walking speed of 3.1 mph is used for the calculations. However, this speed can be adjusted in venues such as shopping centers (slower) and airports (faster).

Aggregations

Screen Circulation is currently produced for an annual average week divided by 

• Day Type, M,T,W,Th,F,S,Su

• Hour of the day

This will be updated to a seasonal impressions’ aggregation, then monthly & ultimately daily hourly aggregation.

For context, Venue Circulation (Venue Occupancy: See Part I Venue Circulation Methodology) is understood by each hour of the day for the previous 12 months on a rolling basis. Venue Circulation serves as an input into calculating Screen Circulation which is also understood at an hourly basis. Screen Circulation is then aggregated to an annual average week with representative hours of the day by each day of the week.

Updates

Screen Circulation is calculated on a 12-month rolling basis. Each month after XX date, new screen circulation data is produced for all currently measured inventory units.

Screen Attributes

The following chart shows all attributes mentioned above or in addition to what has been mentioned above that are either collected or calculated and impact screen circulation calculations. 

Data Sources

Venue Circulation

• Please see Venue Circulation Methodology Document

Physical Attributes

HERE

The Places component, part of HERE Location Services, provides the industry’s most relevant and flexible search experience, empowering you to find, learn more about, interact with, and go to hundreds of millions of places worldwide. With Places, you can support critical business decisions with information about the geo-location of customers, assets or events

Survey Collections

In addition to sourcing publicly available reported Circulation numbers, where feasible surveys are conducted at a sample of locations across Venue types. These surveying techniques include door counters, temporary installation of visual recognition software and beacons. A mix of technologies is used so that the technologies themselves can be tested and validated for future deployment. These methods and/or devices will measure Circulation, Dwell Time and Audience Composition.

Vendor Submitted Data

• Please see Appendix B for all venue submitted data

 Inventory Auditing

●      Geopath the not-for-profit trade organization for out of home measurement provides services for verifying & auditing place

Delivery Format

Comma Separated File

A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a delimited text file that uses a comma to separate values. A CSV file stores tabular data (numbers and text) in plain text. Each line of the file is a data record. Each record consists of one or more fields, separated by commas. The use of the comma as a field separator is the source of the name for this file format.

API

An application programming interface (API) is a set of subroutine definitions, communication protocols, and tools for building software. In general terms, it is a set of clearly defined methods of communication among various components.

GeoJSON

GeoJSON is an open standard format designed for representing simple geographical features, along with their non-spatial attributes. It is based on JSON, the JavaScript Object Notation.

The features include points (therefore addresses and locations), line strings (therefore streets, highways and boundaries), polygons (countries, provinces, tracts of land), and multi-part collections of these types. GeoJSON features need not represent entities of the physical world only; mobile routing and navigation apps, for example, might describe their service coverage using GeoJSON.

Data Sources

Places

Point of Interests

HERE

The Places component, part of HERE Location Services, provides the industry’s most relevant and flexible search experience, empowering you to find, learn more about, interact with, and go to hundreds of millions of places worldwide. With Places, you can support critical business decisions with information about the geo-location of customers, assets or events.

Safegraph

Business listing and building footprint dataset for every place people spend money in the U.S. (~5MM POIs). Covers locations for major retail chains, shopping malls, convenience stores, airports, & more.

Satellite Imagery

Google Maps

Google Maps is a web mapping service developed by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° panoramic views of streets, real-time traffic conditions, and route planning for traveling by foot, car, bicycle and air, or public transportation

ESRI Satellite Base Maps

World Imagery provides one meter or better satellite and aerial imagery in many parts of the world and lower resolution satellite imagery worldwide. The map includes 15m TerraColor imagery at small and mid-scales (~1:591M down to ~1:72k) and 2.5m SPOT Imagery (~1:288k to ~1:72k) for the world. The map features 0.5m resolution imagery in the continental United States and parts of Western Europe from DigitalGlobe. Additional DigitalGlobe sub-meter imagery is featured in many parts of the world. In the United States, 1 meter or better resolution NAIP imagery is available in some areas.

Data Collection Areas (DCAs)

Standard Data

Defined above, the Mobile Location Data Collection Areas are produced by the Standard Data team. Using skilled Geospatial Information Systems Analyst onshore and off, Standard Data is able to fuel intelligence by providing thousands of audited collection areas each month.

Physical Attributes

HERE

The Places component, part of HERE Location Services, provides the industry’s most relevant and flexible search experience, empowering you to find, learn more about, interact with, and go to hundreds of millions of places worldwide. With Places, you can support critical business decisions with information about the geo-location of customers, assets or events.

People

Visits

Safegraph

Having a detailed understanding of where Points of Interest (POI) are located is crucial for store visit attribution. This is why we originally made SafeGraph Places, our POI dataset with building footprints (polygons) for 5 million places in the U.S.

X-Mode

Via its direct publisher relationships, X-Mode has become a reliable source of detailed location-centric data that satisfies all of the most critical requirements for Visits location data: quality, frequency, and stability over time. X-Mode's "XDK" captures location data via traditional GPS, beacons and IoT signals, with a scale of over 60M monthly active users across over 400 apps, all while ensuring automated privacy compliance.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), as part of the United States Department of Transportation, compiles, analyzes, and makes accessible information on the nation's transportation systems; collects information on intermodal transportation and other areas as needed; and improves the quality and effectiveness of DOT's statistical programs through research, development of guidelines, and promotion of improvements in data acquisition and use.

Employment & Demographics

Claritas

Claritas PRIZM Premier is a set of geo-demographic segments for the United States, developed by Claritas Inc., (which was owned under The Nielsen Company umbrella from 2009-2016). It is a widely used customer segmentation system for marketing in the United States to help companies find customers, quickly and at scale. PRIZM® Premier combines demographics, consumer behavior and geographic data to help marketers understand, find and engage with their customers and prospects on the right channels at the right time.

US Census

Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program is part of the Center for Economic Studies at the U.S. Census Bureau. The LEHD program produces new, cost effective, public-use information combining federal, state and Census Bureau data on employers and employees under the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership. State and local authorities increasingly need detailed local information about their economies to make informed decisions. The LED Partnership works to fill critical data gaps and provide indicators needed by state and local authorities.

Journey to work is data collected as part of a census that describes aspects of commuting behavior. Travel behavior surveys may also describe commuting habits, but this is rarely considered to be a journey to work. Data collected includes the mode (or modes) used by an individual to travel from home to work and may also include the time that it takes to do so or the workplace location.

National Household (NHTS) is a periodic national survey used to assist transportation planners and policy makers who need comprehensive data on travel and transportation patterns in the United States.

Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP) is a State DOT-funded, cooperative program that produces special tabulations of American Community Survey (ACS) data that have enhanced value for transportation planning, analysis, and strategic direction. Additionally, the program provides universal access to that data, funds and conducts research, and provides training and technical assistance to the transportation planning community, all to increase understanding of the needs of the traveling public in support of policy and programming decision making.

American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educational attainment, income, language proficiency, migration, disability, employment, and housing characteristics. These data are used by many public-sector, private-sector, and not-for-profit stakeholders to allocate funding, track shifting demographics, plan for emergencies, and learn about local communities. Sent to approximately 295,000 addresses monthly (or 3.5 million per year), it is the largest household survey that the Census Bureau administers.

Delivery Format

Comma Separated File

A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a delimited text file that uses a comma to separate values. A CSV file stores tabular data (numbers and text) in plain text. Each line of the file is a data record. Each record consists of one or more fields, separated by commas. The use of the comma as a field separator is the source of the name for this file format.

API

An application programming interface (API) is a set of subroutine definitions, communication protocols, and tools for building software. In general terms, it is a set of clearly defined methods of communication among various components.

GeoJSON

GeoJSON is an open standard format designed for representing simple geographical features, along with their non-spatial attributes. It is based on JSON, the JavaScript Object Notation.

The features include points (therefore addresses and locations), line strings (therefore streets, highways and boundaries), polygons (countries, provinces, tracts of land), and multi-part collections of these types. GeoJSON features need not represent entities of the physical world only; mobile routing and navigation apps, for example, might describe their service coverage using GeoJSON.

Contributors

Established in 1933, Geopath, originally the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement Inc., is a not-for-profit organization governed by a tripartite board comprised of advertisers, agencies, and media companies. Geopath’s historical mission was to audit the circulation of out of home media in the United States.

Our organization has now expanded its historical focus. Geopath looks to the future with state-of-the-art audience location measurement, deep consumer insight, and innovative market research. We use state-of-the-art data, technology, and media research methodologies along with a holistic, integrated approach to provide powerful tools that measure and analyze audience location and show how consumers engage with out of home advertising.

For more information email geekout@geopath.org

Standard Data, fuels intelligence. With data processing services Standard Data provides matches the right data with the appropriate processing solutions. Leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence, Standard Data provides an intelligent data platform powering decisions for its customers.

Intermx provides Data Enablement: Creating contextual connections across data sources, delivering answers for business needs and reaching consumers in a flexible interface or directly to your systems. Led by veterans in Location Data, Out-of-home Media and Global Enterprise Applications, Intermx is a software partner of industry leaders, laying the foundation for OOH industry advancements in data standardization, systems integrations and workflow enhancements.

Appendix

Place Classifications

Additional Resources

Place-Placement Type Measure Factors

https://intermx.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/EUcvesnuTctKjuWsMEvlPkUBTnoazzB-nVXT-7nA5KqAJg?e=bWkxGd

Methodology Documents:

One-Pagers

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/Shared%20Documents/Member%20Education%20and%20Training/Place-Based%20Materials/Place-Based_Methodology_Frame_Circulation.pdf

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/Shared%20Documents/Member%20Education%20and%20Training/Place-Based%20Materials/Place-Based_Methodology_From_Visits_to_Audience_Delivery.pdf

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/Shared%20Documents/Member%20Education%20and%20Training/Place-Based%20Materials/Place-Based_Methodology_Venue_Circulation.pdf

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/Shared%20Documents/Member%20Education%20and%20Training/Place-Based%20Materials/Geopath%20Place-Based%20Methodology%20Overview.pdf

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/Shared%20Documents/Member%20Education%20and%20Training/Place-Based%20Materials/Place-Based%20Methodology_OnePager.pdf

Longer Doc from DPAA RFI

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/Shared%20Documents/Member%20Education%20and%20Training/Place-Based%20Materials/Place-Based%20Methodology%20One%20Pager_draft%206-1-20.pdf

Intro Power Points:

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?OR=teams&action=edit&sourcedoc=%7B3952FFEB-707C-4ABB-9EB7-83308F8D76F6%7D

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?OR=teams&action=edit&sourcedoc=%7BB8CDDAC4-29EF-415A-8112-6B59E642795F%7D

https://geopath.sharepoint.com/sites/gsd/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?OR=teams&action=edit&sourcedoc=%7BFF213856-291A-4911-9D4D-2A083315A6FE%7D