With circulation counts alone, we knew how many people had the opportunity to see any given out of home panel in America, but didn’t know who they were or where they live.

To achieve the level of demographic measurement needed for out of home, a single survey alone could not account for the degree of granularity needed to give accurate measures of audience for any given out of home panel. In order to get reliable audience metrics, Geopath needed detailed information on the origins and destinations of Americans’ weekly trips and the characteristics of the people making them. 

To do this, Geopath started by obtaining applicable data from the U.S. census. All of the information obtained from the census can be tied to the areas where participants live, called census block groups. The census information that Geopath used for the ratings system includes demographic data and work destination and frequency information available for the residents in every block group in the United States. 

The information obtained from the census along with circulation information already in use by Geopath provides an enormous volume of data that is fully utilized by studying, in greater detail, how Americans travel on a day to day basis. Geopath conducted over 50,000 travel surveys in fifteen markets. These surveys provide a wealth of data on the types of trips Americans of different demographics make and the frequency of these trips, providing a supplement for non-work trip activity.

With the purpose, origin, and frequency of the trips made by the residents in each block group, millions of trips are generated using the latest mapping software to find the most likely paths taken. The data that comes from these trips allows Geopath to get an accurate breakdown of the people seeing any panel in a market.