Measurements based on panel and census data

• US 8,626,901 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Original Assignee: comScore, Inc.
• Inventors: Pugh, Brian, Pecjak, Frank E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYARD, DJENANE M
• Application Number:
  US12/871,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A first set of usage data for a first set of resources on a network and a second set of usage data for a second set of resources on a network are accessed. The first set of resources were accessed by a first group of client systems and the first set of usage data is determined based on information received from the first group of client systems sent as a result of beacon instructions included with the first set of resources. The second set of usage data is determined based on information received from monitoring applications installed on a second group of client systems that accessed the second set of resources. Users of the second group of client systems are a sample of a larger group of users that use resources on the network. Initial usage measurement data for a third set of resources on the network is determined based on the first set of usage data. The third set includes one or more common resources that are included in the first set of resources and the second set of resources. One or more adjustment factors are determined based on the second set of usage data and applied to the initial usage measurement data to generate adjusted usage measurement data. One or more reports are generated based on the adjusted usage measurement data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices;

one or more storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform the following operations;

access a first set of usage data for a first set of resources on a network, the first set of resources having been accessed by a first group of client systems and the first set of usage data being determined based on information received from the first group of client systems sent as a result of beacon instructions included with the first set of resources;

access a second set of usage data for a second set of resources on a network, the second set of usage data being determined based on information received from monitoring applications installed on a second group of client systems that accessed the second set of resources, wherein users of the second group of client systems are a sample of a larger group of users that use resources on the network;

determine initial usage measurement data for a third set of resources on the network based on the first set of usage data, wherein the third set includes one or more common resources that are included in the first set of resources and the second set of resources;

determine, based on the second set of usage data, one or more adjustment factors configured to correct inaccuracies in the determined initial usage measurement data;

apply the one or more adjustments factors to the initial usage measurement data to generate adjusted usage measurement data;

generate one or more reports based on the adjusted usage measurement data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the information received from the first group of client systems includes, for each of the client systems in the first group that accessed the common resources, one or more beacon messages that identify the common resources and that include a beacon cookie with a unique identifier for the client system.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein, to determine the initial usage measurement data, the instructions include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processing devices to determine an initial count of unique visitors that accessed the third set of resources during a time period by determining a count of the received beacon messages that identify the common resources and that include beacon cookies with different unique identifiers.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a cookie-per-person adjustment factor that reflects a number of beacon cookies per person that accessed the common resources during the time period.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein, to determine the cookie-per-person adjustment factor, the instructions include instructions that cause the one or more processing devices to determine a ratio of a projected total number of cookies set on client systems that accessed the common resources during the time period to a projected total number of people that accessed the common resources during the time period.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a person-per-cookie adjustment factor that reflects a number of persons that accessed the common resources during the time period per beacon cookies.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein, to determine the person-per-cookie adjustment factor, the instructions include instructions that cause the one or more processing devices to determine a ratio of a projected total number of people that accessed the common resources during the time period to a projected total number of cookies set on client systems that accessed the common resources during the time period.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a machine overlap adjustment factor that reflects a number of client systems that were used to access the common resources during the time period per person that accessed the common resources during the time period.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein, to determine the machine overlap adjustment factor, the instructions include instructions that cause the one or more processing devices to determine the machine overlap factor based, at least in part, on an incremental number of client systems per person used by people that accessed the common resources during the time period, a frequency of accesses per person that accessed the common resources during the time period, and an average number of accesses to the common resources per day during the time period.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the incremental number of client systems per person is determined based on a ratio of a total number of client systems that accessed the common resources during the time period to a total number of people that accessed the common resources during the time period.

11. The system of claim 3 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a non-beaconed adjustment factor that reflects a number of unique visitors that accessed one or more resources in the third set of resources that are included in the second set of resources but not included in the first set of resources.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein, to determine the non-beaconed adjustment factor, the instructions include instructions that cause the one or more processing devices to determine a projected number of unique visitors that accessed the third set of resources, determine a projected number of unique visitors that accessed the common resources, and subtract the projected number of unique visitors that accessed the common resources from the projected number of unique visitors that accessed the third set of resources.

13. The system of claim 2 wherein, to determine the initial usage measurement data, the instructions include instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processing devices to determine an initial count of page views for the third set of resources during a time period by determining a total count of the beacon messages that identify the common resources.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a non-beaconed adjustment factor that reflects a number of page views for one or more resources in the third set of resources that are included in the second set of resources but not included in the first set of resources.

15. A method comprising:

accessing a first set of usage data for a first set of resources on a network, the first set of resources having been accessed by a first group of client systems and the first set of usage data being determined based on information received from the first group of client systems sent as a result of beacon instructions included with the first set of resources;

accessing a second set of usage data for a second set of resources on a network, the second set of usage data being determined based on information received from monitoring applications installed on a second group of client systems that accessed the second set of resources, wherein users of the second group of client systems are a sample of a larger group of users that use resources on the network;

determining initial usage measurement data for a third set of resources on the network based on the first set of usage data, wherein the third set includes one or more common resources that are included in the first set of resources and the second set of resources;

determining, based on the second set of usage data, one or more adjustment factors configured to correct inaccuracies in the determined initial usage measurement data;

applying the one or more adjustments factors to the initial usage measurement data to generate adjusted usage measurement data;

generating one or more reports based on the adjusted usage measurement data.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the information received from the first group of client systems includes, for each of the client systems in the first group that accessed the common resources, one or more beacon messages that identify the common resources and that include a beacon cookie with a unique identifier for the client system.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein determining the initial usage measurement data comprises determining an initial count of unique visitors that accessed the third set of resources during a time period by determining a count of the received beacon messages that identify the common resources and that include beacon cookies with different unique identifiers.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a cookie-per-person adjustment factor that reflects a number of beacon cookies per person that accessed the common resources during the time period.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining the cookie-per-person adjustment factor comprises determining a ratio of a projected total number of cookies set on client systems that accessed the common resources during the time period to a projected total number of people that accessed the common resources during the time period.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a person-per-cookie adjustment factor that reflects a number of persons that accessed the common resources during the time period per beacon cookies.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein determining the person-per-cookie adjustment factor comprises determining a ratio of a projected total number of people that accessed the common resources during the time period to a projected total number of cookies set on client systems that accessed the common resources during the time period.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a machine overlap adjustment factor that reflects a number of client systems that were used to access the common resources during the time period per person that accessed the common resources during the time period.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein determining the machine overlap adjustment factor comprises determining the machine overlap factor based, at least in part, on an incremental number of client systems per person used by people that accessed the common resources during the time period, a frequency of accesses per person that accessed the common resources during the time period, and an average number of accesses to the common resources per day during the time period.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the incremental number of client systems per person is determined based on a ratio of a total number of client systems that accessed the common resources during the time period to a total number of people that accessed the common resources during the time period.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a non-beaconed adjustment factor that reflects a number of unique visitors that accessed one or more resources in the third set of resources that are included in the second set of resources but not included in the first set of resources.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein determining the non-beaconed adjustment factor comprises determining a projected number of unique visitors that accessed the third set of resources, determining a projected number of unique visitors that accessed the common resources, and subtracting the projected number of unique visitors that accessed the common resources from the projected number of unique visitors that accessed the third set of resources.

27. The method of claim 15 wherein determining the initial usage measurement data comprises determining an initial count of page views for the third set of resources during a time period by determining a total count of the beacon messages that identify the common resources.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the one or more adjustment factors include a non-beaconed adjustment factor that reflects a number of page views for one or more resources in the third set of resources that are included in the second set of resources but not included in the first set of resources.