Geopath Understanding Places/Points of Interest

Fundamentally, a place is a defined polygon generally outlining a location with associate attributes defining how pedestrians interact and circulate within the place.

1 Attributes of a Place
2 Place Types

For Geopath, a place is defined to:

Collect the correct sample of Geopath Mobile Device Panel data to directly measure reach, frequency, audience characteristics and allow the calculation of the place circulation.
Audit other attributes of a place that allows the circulation of people within the place to be understood.
Assign inventory and define its placement documenting how the audience interacts with the inventory allowing calculation of the frame circulation and audience characteristics.

Below, shown in blue, is an example of Sawgrass Mills, a Shopping Mall.

In the example of Sawgrass Mills above, there is another place, a Bed Bath & Beyond, shown with an orange polygon defined within the larger parent place. Places can be nested, as shown, and participate in the understanding of the circulation to the larger parent place where the Bed Bath and Beyond provides a primary entrance to Sawgrass Mills and will share the audience and a portion of the circulation with the parent location.

Similarly, there can be defined places, (bars, restaurants, individual retail locations) that are also within parent places that cannot be isolated like what is shown for the Bed Bath & Beyond here. These places are defined as “sub-venues” and while the audience and reach is can be measured from the parent place, the circulation cannot. Sub-venues are also defined as places along with a parent place when a place exists in multi-story building where again, the traffic cannot be isolated through a simple geographic polygon.

Attributes of a Place

For Geopath when inventory is onboarded, places are audited and the following attributes are collected:

Place Type
Operating Hours
# of floors
# of entrances
# of concourses (airport/transit)
# of platforms (transit)
# of gates (airport)
building area
gross leasable area (retail) for lifestyle centers, shopping centers, shopping malls, and outlet malls
transit system (transit)
transit line (transit)

Place Types

Place Types are defined to allow the analysis of places to be segmented by the type of place inventory is assigned. The place type segmentation is key to understanding the reasonable circulation patterns for a place type, including seasonally, by hour of day, and per square foot.

Place Type	Description
Academic Building	University classroom building or library.
Airport	A complex of runways and buildings for the takeoff, landing, and maintenance of civil aircraft, with facilities for passengers.
Airport Concourse	A building or portion of an airport that allows passengers direct access to boarding gates.
Airport Terminal	A building or portion of an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from an aircraft. Within the terminal, passengers purchase tickets, transfer their luggage, and go through security
Amusement Park	A large outdoor area with fairground rides, shows, refreshments, games of chance or skill, and other entertainments.
Bank	Corporations that provide services as intermediaries of financial markets.
Bar	Facility where the majority of patrons go for the purpose of drinking.
Bus Garage	A facility where buses are stored and maintained
Business	Place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed.
Car Wash Facility	A building containing equipment for washing cars or other vehicles by hand or automatically.
Casino	Gambling facility and associated hotel if one exists
Coffee Shop	A small, informal restaurant typically serving coffee or refreshments.
Community Center	A public location where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, public information, and other purposes.
Convenience Store	Location that offers a variety of goods for purchase. Usually a quick shopping experience such as a store in a gas station or a bodega.
Convention Center	A large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interest.
Country Club	A facility that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offerings are golf, tennis, and swimming.
Drugstore	A retail store where medicines and miscellaneous articles are sold
Event Facility	A public or privately owned structure or area used for the purposes of public performances, sporting events, private receptions or parties, or similar attractions that may generate heavy traffic.
Ferry	Movable location that holds an audience for a consistent, predetermined length of time
Fire Department	The facility of a local or municipal authority in charge of preventing and fighting fires.
Food Court	Facility with multiple food vendors and a common seating area.
Fraternal Organization	A facility where a society, club or fraternal order associated together for various religious or secular aims congregate.
Gas Station	An establishment beside a road selling fuel for motor vehicles.
Grocery Store	A business mainly specialized in distribution of groceries.
Gym	A business that houses specialized equipment for physical fitness.
Hospital	A facility providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people.
Hotel	An establishment providing accommodations, meals, and other services for travelers and tourists.
Indoor Rec	Indoor location where patrons spend leisure time but do not necessarily buy anything.
Institutional Housing	Housing designed for temporary use.
Laundromat	An establishment with pay per use washing machines and dryers for public use.
Lifestyle Center	Multi-use shopping facility of retail/offices/housing/etc.
Medical Office	A facility where healthcare is provided.
Office Building	A form of commercial building which contains spaces mainly designed to be used for offices with the primary purpose to provide a workplace and working environment primarily for administrative and managerial workers.
Outdoor Rec	Outdoor location where patrons spend leisure time but do not necessarily buy anything.
Outlet Mall	Shopping facility with large parking areas and overflow stores, often outdoor without a food court.
Park	A large public green area in a town, used for recreation.
Parking Structure	A building designed for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place.
Pedestrian Plaza	An open urban public space where pedestrians can gather. Usually located on a street or between buildings.
Quick Serve Restaurant	Dining facility where patrons order food from a counter then sit or leave to eat.
Residential Facility	Properties or buildings designed for accommodation purposes either by the owner or by tenants at the status of utilities.
Rest Stop	Facility along roadway for stopping, often with food, gas, and convenience stores.
Retail	Store selling one or few types of products.
Shopping Center	Smaller shopping facility in which a group of stores tend to face the parking lot.
Shopping Mall	Indoor or outdoor shopping area traditionally considered a "mall".
Sitdown Restaurant	Dining facility where the majority of patrons sit at a table to order food.
Spiritual Center	Place of worship.
Stadium	A sports arena with tiers of seats for spectators.
Student Center	Collegiate building designed for multiple purposes such as dining, studying, and shopping.
Theater	Single or multi auditorium venue for watching movies/plays/musicals/etc.
Tourist Attraction	A place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Trail	A path or trail separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users
Transit Hub	A multi-modal transportation stop. Usually multi-platform and allows pedestrians to transfer between trains/busses/streetcar/light rail/etc.
Transit Station	A stop along a transit line that is unique to one mode of public transportation.
Warehouse	A large building where raw materials or manufactured goods may be stored before their export or distribution for sale.