Methods and apparatus to estimate demography based on aerial images

• US 9,082,014 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Himmelfarb, Michael, Miller, David, Donato, Paul, Terrazas, Alejandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nirav G
• Application Number:
  US13/829,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20140270355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to estimate demography based on aerial images are disclosed. An example method includes analyzing a first aerial image of a first geographic area to detect a first plurality of objects, and estimating a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing, using a processor, a first aerial image of a first geographic area to detect a first plurality of objects;

analyzing, using the processor, web search terms for searches performed in the geographic area; and

estimating, using the processor, a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects and the web search terms.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising classifying the first plurality of objects.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein classifications of the first plurality of objects comprise at least one of a swimming pool, a first type of roof for a structure, a green space, a distance range to a reference location, a landmark, or a roadway width range.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising analyzing a second aerial image of a second geographic area to detect a second plurality of objects, wherein the estimating of the demographic characteristic of the first geographic area is based on associating sampled data for the second geographic area to the second plurality of objects and comparing the second plurality of objects to the first plurality of objects.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising identifying a second geographic area by comparing a first signature of the first aerial image and a second signature of a second aerial image.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein estimating the demographic characteristic of the first area comprises imputing ground truth characteristics of the second area to the first area.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining a density of the first plurality of objects, wherein estimating the demographic characteristic of the first geographic area is based on the density of the first plurality of objects.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the demographic characteristic comprises household income, population density, population age, or a family size.

9. A method as defined in comprising:

analyzing, using a processor, a first aerial image of a first geographic area to detect a first plurality of objects;

estimating, using the processor, driving traffic originating and terminating in the geographic area; and

estimating, using the processor, a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects and the estimate of the driving traffic.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

an object detector to detect a first plurality of objects in a first geographic area by analyzing a first aerial image of the first geographic area;

a search analyzer to analyze web search terms for searches performed in the geographic area; and

a demography estimator to estimate a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects and the web searches.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising an object classifier to classify the first plurality of objects by analyzing features in the first aerial image corresponding to the first plurality of objects.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein classifications of the first plurality of objects comprise at least two of a swimming pool, a first type of roof for a structure, a green space, a distance range to a reference location, or a roadway width range.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the object detector is to analyze a second aerial image of a second geographic area to detect a second plurality of objects, the demography estimator to estimate the demographic characteristic for the first area by associating sampled data for the second geographic area to the second plurality of objects and comparing the second plurality of objects to the first plurality of objects.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the object detector comprises a signature generator to generate a first signature of the first aerial image and a second signature of a second aerial image, the second aerial image corresponding to a second geographic area different than the first geographic area, the object detector to identify the second geographic area by comparing a first signature of the first aerial image and a second signature of the second aerial image.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a density calculator to determine a density of the first plurality of objects, the demography estimator to estimate the demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the density of the first plurality of objects.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the demographic characteristic comprises population income, population density, population age, or a family size.

17. An apparatus comprising:

an object detector to detect a first plurality of objects in a first geographic area by analyzing a first aerial image of the first geographic area;

a driving traffic analyzer to estimate driving traffic originating and terminating in the geographic area; and

a demography estimator to estimate a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects and the estimate of the driving traffic.

18. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

analyze a first aerial image of a first geographic area to detect a first plurality of objects;

analyze web search terms for searches performed in the geographic area; and

estimate a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects and the web search terms.

19. A storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to classify the first plurality of objects.

20. A storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein classifications of the first plurality of objects comprise at least one of a swimming pool, a first type of roof for a structure, a green space, a distance range to a reference location, a landmark, or a roadway width range.

21. A storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to analyze a second aerial image of a second geographic area to detect a second plurality of objects, wherein the estimating of the demographic characteristic of the first geographic area includes associating sampled data for the second geographic area with the second plurality of objects and comparing the second plurality of objects to the first plurality of objects.

22. A storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to identify a second geographic area by comparing a first signature of the first aerial image and a second signature of a second aerial image.

23. A storage medium as defined in claim 22, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to estimate the demographic characteristic of the first area by imputing ground truth characteristics of the second area to the first area.

24. A storage medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to determine a density of the first plurality of objects, wherein estimating the demographic characteristic of the first geographic area is based on the density of the first plurality of objects.

25. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

analyze a first aerial image of a first geographic area to detect a first plurality of objects;

estimate driving traffic originating and terminating in the geographic area; and

estimate a demographic characteristic of the first geographic area based on the first plurality of objects and the estimate of the driving traffic.