METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ESTIMATING VISITOR TRAFFIC AT A REAL PROPERTY LOCATION

• US 20160117688A1
• Filed: 10/22/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mastercard International Incorporated (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ghosh, Debashis, Shuken, Randy
• Granted Patent: US 10,586,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for estimating visitor traffic at a real property location based on interrogation signal data is provided. The method includes receiving, by one or more processors, a real property location, defining a geographic region that includes the real property location, receiving, by the one or more processors, interrogation signal data for a group of mobile devices included within the plurality of mobile devices, determining a location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices over the selected period of time based on the received interrogation signal data, and estimating visitor traffic for the real property location over the selected period of time based on the location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for estimating visitor traffic at a real property location based on interrogation signal data associated with mobile devices, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a real property location;

defining a geographic region that includes the real property location;

receiving, by the one or more processors, interrogation signal data for a group of mobile devices included within the plurality of mobile devices, the group of mobile devices being located in the geographic region of over a selected period of time;

determining a location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices over the selected period of time based on the received interrogation signal data; and

estimating visitor traffic for the real property location over the selected period of time based on the location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the interrogation signal data includes a location identifier for identifying the location of each of the plurality of mobile devices as each of the plurality of mobile devices emit a respective signal over the selected period of time.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the group of mobile devices is a first group of mobile devices, the selected period of time is a first selected period of time, and the interrogation signal data is a first set of interrogation signal data, the method further comprising:

receiving a second set of interrogation signal data for a second group of mobile devices included within the plurality of mobile devices, the second group of mobile devices being located in the geographic region over a second selected period of time;

designating the location of each of the mobile devices of the first group of mobile devices over the first selected period of time as first locations;

designating the location of each of the mobile devices of the second group of mobile devices over the second selected period of time as second locations;

comparing the first locations and the second locations; and

updating the estimated visitor traffic for the real property location based on the comparison, the updated estimated visitor traffic including each of the mobile devices included within the first group of mobile devices, and each of the mobile devices included in the second group of mobile devices that are not also included in the first group of mobile devices.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising displaying a direction of movement of each of the mobile devices included within the first group of mobile devices and the second group of mobile devices from the first locations to the respective second locations.

5. The method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

calculating a speed at which each of the mobile devices traveled from the respective first location to the respective second location;

comparing the calculated speeds of the mobile devices with a pedestrian threshold level speed;

identifying each of the mobile devices that have a calculated speed above the pedestrian threshold level speed as a mobile device within an automobile; and

adjusting the estimated visitor traffic for the real property location to account for the mobile devices identified as being within an automobile.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the real property location comprises a plurality of merchant stores, and wherein the method further comprises rating each of the plurality of merchant stores based on their proximity to the determined location of each of the mobile devices over the selected period of time and the estimated visitor traffic over the selected period of time.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising calculating a location value of each of the plurality of merchant stores based on the rating.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

receiving payment transaction data for the real property location;

determining a number of payment transactions over the selected period of time based on the received transaction data; and

estimating customer traffic for the real property location over the selected period of time based on the estimated visitor traffic and the determined number of payment transactions over the selected period of time.

9. A computer system for estimating visitor traffic at a real property location based on interrogation signal data associated with mobile devices, the computer system comprising:

a probe database comprising interrogation signal data representing signals emitted from a plurality of mobile devices; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a real property location;

define a geographic region that includes the real property location;

receive, from the probe database, interrogation signal data for a group of mobile devices included within the plurality of mobile devices, the group of mobile devices being located in the geographic region over a selected period of time;

determine a location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices over the selected period of time based on the received interrogation signal data; and

estimate visitor traffic for the real property location over the selected period of time based on the location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the interrogation signal data includes a location identifier for identifying a location of each of the plurality of mobile devices as each of the plurality of mobile devices emit a respective signal over the selected period of time.

11. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the group of mobile devices is a first group of mobile devices, the selected period of time is a first selected period of time, and the interrogation signal data is a first set of interrogation signal data, and wherein the processor is further programmed to:

receive, from the probe database, a second set of interrogation signal data for a second group of mobile devices included within the plurality of mobile devices, the second group of mobile devices being located in the geographic region over a second selected period of time;

designate the location of each of the mobile devices of the first group of mobile devices over the first selected period of time as first locations;

designate the location of each of the mobile devices of the second group of mobile devices over the second selected period of time as second locations;

compare the first locations to the second locations; and

update the estimated visitor traffic for the real property location based on the comparison, the updated estimated visitor traffic including each of the mobile devices included within the first group of mobile devices, and each of the mobile devices included in the second group of mobile devices that are not also included in the first group of mobile devices.

12. The system in accordance with claim 11, further comprising a display device, and wherein the processor is further programmed to display a direction of movement of each of the mobile devices included within the first group of mobile devices and the second group of mobile devices from the first locations to the respective second locations.

13. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

calculate a speed at which each of the mobile devices traveled from the respective first location to the respective second location;

compare the calculated speeds of the mobile devices with a pedestrian threshold level speed;

identify each of the mobile devices that have a calculated speed above the pedestrian threshold level speed as a mobile device within an automobile; and

adjust the estimated visitor traffic for the real property location to account for the mobile devices identified as being within an automobile.

14. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the real property location comprises a plurality of merchant stores, and wherein the processor is further programmed to calculate a location value of each of the plurality of merchant stores based on their proximity to the determined location of each of the mobile devices over the selected period of time and the estimated visitor traffic over the selected period of time.

15. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising:

a payment network that receives a plurality of payment transactions for processing; and

a transaction database for storing the plurality of payment transactions, wherein the processor is further programmed to;

receive, from the transaction database, payment transactions associated with the real property location;

determine a number of payment transactions over the selected period of time based on the received payment transactions associated with the real property location; and

estimate customer traffic for the real property location over the selected period of time based on the estimated visitor traffic and the determined number of payment transactions.

16. A computer system for estimating a number of views of an outdoor advertisement by a viewer based on interrogation signal data associated with mobile devices, the computer system comprising:

a probe database comprising interrogation signal data representing signals emitted from a plurality of mobile devices; and

a processor programmed to;

receive an outdoor advertisement location;

define a geographic region that includes the outdoor advertisement location;

receive, from the probe database, interrogation signal data for a group of mobile devices included within the plurality of mobile devices, the group of mobile devices being located in the geographic region over a selected period of time;

determine a location of each of the mobile devices included within the group of mobile devices and a direction in which each of the mobile devices is moving over the selected period of time based on the interrogation signal data; and

estimate a number of viewers of the outdoor advertisement over the selected period of time based on the location and direction of each of the mobile devices over the selected period of time.

17. The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein the outdoor advertisement location includes information representing a geographic direction in which the advertisement is directed.

18. The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein defining a geographic region that includes the outdoor advertisement location includes defining at least one vantage point boundary about the outdoor advertisement location, wherein each vantage point boundary is defined to measure a likelihood that any one of the group of mobile devices is associated with a viewer of the outdoor advertisement.

19. The system in accordance with claim 16, wherein the selected period of time is a first selected period of time and the interrogation signal data is a first set of interrogation signal data, and wherein the processor is further programmed to:

identify each mobile device of the group of mobile devices associated with a viewer of the outdoor advertisement as a viewer mobile device;

receive a real property location associated with the outdoor advertisement;

receive a second set of interrogation signal data for the group of mobile devices over a second selected period of time;

designate the location of each viewer mobile device over the first selected period of time as first locations;

designate the location of each viewer mobile device over the second selected period of time as second locations;

compare the second locations to the real property location;

determine a number of viewer mobile devices at the real property locations over the second selected period of time; and

estimate a location value of the outdoor advertisement based on the number of viewer mobile devices at the real property location.

20. The system in accordance with claim 19 further comprising:

a payment network that receives a plurality of payment transactions for processing; and

a transaction database for storing the plurality of payment transactions, wherein the processor is further programmed to;

receive, from the transaction database, payment transactions associated with the real property location;

determine a number of payment transactions and a transaction volume over the second selected period of time based on the received payment transaction associated with the real property location;

determine an average transaction amount based on the number of payment transactions and the transaction volume; and

update the estimated location value for the outdoor advertisement over the second selected period of time based on the number of viewer mobile devices at the real property location and the average transaction amount.