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FAQs - Geoframes
FAQs - Geoframes

Geoframes, Creating Geoframes, Creating Geoframe Audiences

Bill Joscelyn avatar
Written by Bill Joscelyn
Updated over 2 years ago

Can I create a Geoframe of any location in the U.S.?

Yes, but some caution should be noted. We do not monitor or restrict what users Geoframe, and users are creating their own audiences using our tools at their discretion. However, you may want to get legal advice if Geoframing sensitive areas such as hospitals, courthouses, etc. for targeting.

Will Geoframing also capture devices belonging to foreign travelers (non-US)?

Yes, our system will capture and report on any mobile device, regardless of where that phone was purchased or “lives”. However, we cannot match those foreign phones to households outside of the US, but you can capture them for analysis or to serve those devices advertising.

What is the largest size Geoframe I can build?

If the area being Geoframed is too big, an error message will appear asking you to use a smaller area. If you are trying to target a larger demographic area, consider using the Trade Area Audience tool from a single Geoframe audience, or entering zip codes into the Demographic Selector. Additionally, the "best practices" size of the Geoframe depends on a variety of factors, including the population density of the area. Read here for more Geoframing Best practices.

Does OnSpot see every device at a location? Why are device counts at larger events unusually low?

There are some limiting factors that reduce the number of devices we receive for large events (think concerts, festivals, conferences, sporting events, etc.) These factors include weak or spotty cell signal, venue construction (i.e. cement and structural steel), visibility to GPS signals, user’s use of mobile apps, length of time the user is physically at a location, times or dates of collection, etc. Additionally, virtually all major sporting arenas and concert venues back-haul the cellular traffic away from the venue, to avoid network congestion and allow for availability of E911. Lastly, keep in mind certain locations restrict the use of cellphones while at the event (schools, theaters, dispensaries, etc). Since we use multiple providers and various types of collection methods for device observations, OnSpot typically gets far more penetration of devices than any of our competitors.

How do I use Rapid Geoframe Builder?

This tool lets you upload a .csv file of multiple locations all at once, including the audience names, tags, lookback date range, etc. and then quickly be able to manually draw those Geoframes in rapid succession without having to search and build out the Geoframe information one by one. This information will be pre-populated for you, and all you need to do is process each Geoframe by drawing it. This is perfect when you have many locations to Geoframe. (For “Extra Large” audiences, we have a third-party company that is trained in building Geoframes that your company can contact and hire separately from OnSpot. Contact your support representative for more information.)

Which is better, Geoframed locations or polygon/radius generated locations?

Using our exclusive Geoframing tool you can draw the exact location of the building and parking lot you want to get an audience from.  This is much more accurate than generating the audiences using our radius tools (Quick Select and Creating Address Audiences), but it is a little more time consuming, especially if you have a large number of locations you need to include. Radius drawn audiences are quickly generated and will include the audience you want, but sometimes the number may be too small or too large depending on the radius.  We suggest you always choose a larger radius, as this way you don’t arbitrarily cut off some of the audience. The devices observed just outside the desired boundaries have seen or know where the target business location is, so you may want to include them in the audience anyway.

What is OnSpot’s Insight and Demographic Report data based on?

The Insight report is based on data from devices observed at your Geoframe location(s) including date and time stamp of the visit, and a few data points about the household associated with the device (city & zip code). The Demographic report is based on household level data we can associate with devices observed at the location. We utilize the associated demographic profiles based on the household to display on the visual report. Demographic reporting comes from several different data points, including self reported (survey) data, web browsing, and shopping behavior. Note that the Demographic reporting is not based on individual devices, but includes the devices within the Household. For example, if a device is associated to a household and that household has 2 females and 1 male, those are the numbers used in the reporting. This is why the numbers displayed on the Demographic report are likely to be higher than the total device count in the audience.

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