METHODS AND APPARATUS TO ADAPTIVELY SELECT SENSOR(S) TO GATHER AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT DATA BASED ON A VARIABLE SYSTEM FACTOR AND A QUANTITY OF DATA COLLECTIBLE BY THE SENSORS
First Claim
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1. A method of gathering audience measurement data comprising:
- determining a preference order of a plurality of sensors located to develop audience measurement data at a monitored site;
measuring an estimate of available bandwidth of a communication link between the monitored site and a remote site;
determining which of the plurality of sensors at the monitored site are outputting valid data at the time of measurement;
determining a measure of an amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors per unit of time;
determining a measure of an amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel based on the estimate of available bandwidth;
utilizing the estimate of available bandwidth to determine if a storage device at the remote site has available capacity to store at least a subset of the data output by the one or more valid sensors; and
isolating at least one of the one or more valid sensors according to the preference order based on the measure of the amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors, the measure of the amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel, and the available capacity of the storage device.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus to adaptively gather audience information data are disclosed. The disclosed methods and apparatus monitor system factor(s) and select one or more sensors from a plurality of sensors positioned to gather audience measurement data based on the monitored factor(s). Thus, the disclosed methods and apparatus adapt to the conditions they face by selecting an amount and/or type of audience measurement data they gather.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of gathering audience measurement data comprising:
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determining a preference order of a plurality of sensors located to develop audience measurement data at a monitored site; measuring an estimate of available bandwidth of a communication link between the monitored site and a remote site; determining which of the plurality of sensors at the monitored site are outputting valid data at the time of measurement; determining a measure of an amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors per unit of time; determining a measure of an amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel based on the estimate of available bandwidth; utilizing the estimate of available bandwidth to determine if a storage device at the remote site has available capacity to store at least a subset of the data output by the one or more valid sensors; and isolating at least one of the one or more valid sensors according to the preference order based on the measure of the amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors, the measure of the amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel, and the available capacity of the storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer readable storage device or storage disc storing machine readable instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to at least:
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measure an estimate of available bandwidth of a communication link between a monitored site and a remote site, the monitored site comprising a plurality of sensors located to develop audience measurement data at the monitored site; identify which of the plurality of sensors at the monitored site are outputting valid data at the time of measurement; determine a measure of an amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors per unit of time; determine a measure of an amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel based on the estimate of available bandwidth; utilize the estimate of available bandwidth to determine if a storage device at the remote site has available capacity to store at least a subset of the data output by the one or more valid sensors; and isolate at least one of the one or more valid sensors based on a preference order associated with the sensors, the measure of the amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors, the measure of the amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel, and the available capacity of the storage device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system to gather audience measurement data comprising:
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a bandwidth sensor to measure an estimate of available bandwidth of a communication link between a monitored site and a remote site, the monitored site comprising a plurality of sensors located to develop audience measurement data at the monitored site; a sensor tester to identify which of the plurality of sensors at the monitored site are outputting valid data at the time of measurement; an output measuring unit to determine a measure of an amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors per unit of time; the bandwidth sensor to determine a measure of an amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel based on the estimate of available bandwidth; a storage monitor to utilize the estimate of available bandwidth to determine if a storage device at the remote site has available capacity to store at least a subset of the data output by the one or more valid sensors; and a switch to isolate at least one of the one or more valid sensors based on a preference order associated with the sensors, the measure of the amount of data that can currently be gathered by the one or more valid sensors, the measure of the amount of data that can currently be transmitted over the communication channel, and the available capacity of the storage device. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification