METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUDITING SIGNAGE

• US 20090257620A1
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Hicks, Michael Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus for auditing signage are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves directing an operator to a signage location and capturing an image of a signage at the signage location. The example method also includes detecting an actual characteristic of the signage based on the image and comparing the actual characteristic to an expected characteristic.

Claims

1. A method to audit media site data, the method comprising:

determining a media site to be surveyed, the media site having a recorded location;

directing an operator to a first data location;

capturing a first image of the recorded location from the first data location;

directing the operator to a second data location;

capturing a second image of the recorded location from the second data location;

using data from the first image and the second image to calculate an actual location of the media site; and

comparing the recorded location and the actual location to determine the accuracy of the recorded location.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are captured through an image capturing device, and the further comprising recording a pan angle and a tilt angle of the image capturing device associated with the capture of the first image.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising recording a first geocode associated with the first data location and a second geocode associated with the second data location, wherein using data from the first image and the second image to calculate the actual location of the media site comprises performing triangulation using the first and second geocodes.

4. A system to audit media site data, the system comprising:

a memory to store a recorded location of a media site to be audited;

an instructor to provide instructions to guide an operator to a first data location and a second data location;

an image capturing device to automatically capture a first image of the recorded location from the first data location and a second image of the recorded location from the second data location; and

a comparator to calculate an actual location based on data from the first image and the second image and to compare the recorded location and the actual location to determine the accuracy of the recorded location.

5. A system as defined in claim 4, further comprising a GPS receiver to receive geocodes of the first data location and the second data location, the actual location being calculated through triangulation based on the first and second geocodes.

6. A system as defined in claim 4, wherein the comparator uses data from one or more of the first image or the second image to determine an actual characteristic of the media site and compares the actual characteristic to a recorded characteristic stored in the memory.

7. A system as defined in claim 6, wherein the characteristic is a location, a state of illumination, an environmental condition, a condition of nearby vegetation, a type of sign, a condition of sign, a text, a picture, a character, an image, a price, a direction, a trademark, a logo, a date, a time, an advertising requirement, a contract term, or a quality.

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. A method to audit signage comprising:

directing an operator to a signage location;

capturing an image of signage at the signage location;

detecting an actual characteristic of the signage based on the image; and

comparing the actual characteristic to an expected characteristic.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the expected characteristic includes a recorded location, and further comprising:

determining an actual location of the signage based on the image; and

comparing the actual location with the recorded location to verify the recorded location.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the expected characteristic includes a recorded condition of the media site and further comprising:

determining a current condition of the signage based on the image; and

comparing the current condition with the recorded condition to verify the recorded condition.

14. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the expected characteristic includes recorded indicia and further comprising:

determining the actual indicia of the signage based on the image; and

comparing the actual indicia with the recorded indicia to determine if the recorded indicia was actually presented on the signage.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the indicia is one or more of a text, a picture, a character, an image, a price, a direction, a trademark, a logo or a sign type.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising recording a time and date when capturing the image of the signage.

17. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising recording a geocode of the signage location.

18. A system to audit signage comprising:

an instructor to directed an operator to a signage location;

an image capturing device to capture an image of a sign at the signage location; and

a comparator to compare an actual characteristic of the sign based on the image to an expected characteristic.

19. A system as defined in claim 18, wherein the expected characteristic comprises a recorded location of the sign, and the actual characteristic comprises an actual location of the sign.

20. A system as defined in claim 18, wherein the expected characteristic comprises a recorded condition of the sign, and the actual characteristic comprises a current condition of the sign.

21. A system as defined in claim 18, wherein the expected characteristic comprises recorded indicia of the sign, and the actual characteristic comprises actual indicia of the sign, and wherein the comparator compares the actual indicia with the recorded indicia to determine if the recorded indicia was actually presented on the signage.

22. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the indicia comprises one or more of a text, a picture, a character, an image, a price, a direction, a trademark, a logo or a sign type.

23. A system as defined in claim 18 further comprising a processor to record a date and time when capturing an image of the signage.

24. A system as defined in claim 18, further comprising a receiver to obtain a geocode of the signage location.

25-72. -72. (canceled)