Methods and apparatus to measure market statistics

• US 9,129,293 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Perez, Albert, Lu, Shi, Younge, Michael F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell, Beth V
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEACHER, LORENA R
• Application Number:
  US12/695,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20100191723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.29, 705/7.3, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to measure market statistics are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes retrieving a service penetration value from a managed data source, retrieving an Internet protocol (IP) address from a convenience data source, and identifying a household identification number associated with the retrieved IP address. The example method also includes retrieving household data associated with the household identification number, verifying a service provider name provided by the convenience data source, and adjusting a weight value of the retrieved household data when the service provider name provided by the convenience data source is different than a current service provider name. Additionally, the example method includes calculating service provider flow share based on the adjusted weight value and the service penetration value, and generating a report including the calculated service provider flow share.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to calculate flow share of a service provider, comprising:

identifying, with a programmed processor, a household identification number associated with an IP address retrieved from a convenience data source;

retrieving, with the programmed processor, household data from the convenience data source that is associated with the household identification number, the convenience data source including a service provider name;

invoking, with the programmed processor, a reverse resolve network command using the IP address retrieved from the household data to extract labels from a hostname, the labels indicative of the service provider name;

when a threshold number of labels match a plurality of resolution keywords stored in a database, confirming a current service provider name as associated with the household identification number;

identifying a nomenclature match by comparing, with the programmed processor, the service provider name provided by the convenience data source with the current service provider name;

adjusting, with the programmed processor, a weight value of the retrieved household data in response to the comparison, the weight value decreased when the service provider name provided by the convenience data source is different than the current service provider name, and the weight value increased when a match occurs between the service provider name and the current service provider name; and

calculating, with the programmed processor, service provider flow share based on the adjusted weight value and a service penetration value from a managed data source.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further including retrieving at least one of dial-up service penetration, broadband service penetration, video service penetration, or fiber-based service penetration information from a managed data source.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further including identifying a household service provider change by comparing the service provider name at a first time with the service provider name associated with the household identification number at a second time.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further including identifying the service provider name by initiating a ping command to the retrieved IP address to identify an active status of the IP address.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further including initiating a port scan when the ping command is unsuccessful, the port scan to identify the active status of the IP address.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further including identifying the service provider name by querying a registry database with the retrieved IP address to obtain the service provider name.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein calculating service provider flow share further includes retrieving indications of IP address status from the convenience data source.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the indications of IP address status includes at least one of a new subscriber ISP, an unchanged ISP with a new address, or an alternate service type.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, further including retrieving survey response data from the convenience data source.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the survey response data includes at least one of a prior Internet service provider name, a subscriber move date, or a service type.

11. An apparatus to calculate service provider flow share, comprising:

a registry manager to retrieve a service penetration value from a managed data source;

a data source locator to identify a convenience data source associated with a household identification number and obtain an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with the household identification number, the convenience data source including a service provider name;

a network interface to retrieve data from the convenience data source associated with the household identification number;

a hostname resolver to invoke a reverse resolve network command using the IP address to extract labels from a hostname the labels indicative of the service provider name, and to confirm a current service provider name as associated with the household identification number when a threshold number of labels match a plurality of resolution keywords;

a data source weight calculator to compare the service provider name provided by the convenience data source with the current service provider name, and adjusting, by decreasing a weight value of the retrieved data from the convenience data source in response to the comparison, the weight value decreased when the service provider name retrieved from the convenience data source is different than the current service provider name, and increasing the weight value when a match occurs between the service provider name and the current service provider name; and

a test manager to calculate service provider flow share based on the adjusted weight value from the convenience data source and a calculated market share based on the service penetration value, the registry manager, the data source locator, the network interface, the data source combiner, the data source weight calculator, or the test manager comprising a logic circuit.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the convenience data source further includes at least one of a survey pool or diary data.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, further including a ping manager invoked by the data source combiner to initiate a ping command to the IP address associated with the household identification number to verify an active status of the IP address.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, further including a port scan manager invoked by the ping manager when the ping command is unsuccessful, the port scan manager to initiate a port scan to identify the activity status.

15. A tangible machine readable hardware storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to, at least:

identify a household identification number associated with an IP address retrieved from a convenience data source;

retrieve household data from the convenience data source that is associated with the household identification number, the convenience data source including a service provider name;

invoke a reverse resolve network command using the IP address retrieved from the household data to extract labels from a hostname, the labels indicative of the service provider name, and when a threshold number of labels match a plurality of resolution keywords stored in a database, confirm a current service provider name as associated with the household identification number;

compare a service provider name provided by the convenience data source with the current service provider name to identify a nomenclature match;

adjust a weight value of the retrieved household data in response to the comparison, the weight value decreased when the service provider name provided by the convenience data source is different than the current service provider name, and the weight value increased when a match occurs between the service provider name and the current service provider name; and

calculate service provider flow share based on the adjusted weight value and a service penetration value from a managed data source.

16. A tangible machine readable hardware storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to retrieve at least one of dial-up service penetration, broadband service penetration, video service penetration, or fiber-based service penetration information from the managed data source.

17. A tangible machine readable hardware storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to identify a household service provider change by comparing the service provider name at a first time with the service provider name associated with the household identification number at a second time.

18. A tangible machine readable hardware storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to identify the service provider name by querying a registry database with the retrieved IP address to obtain the service provider name.