Audience Deduplication Using Marginal Union Graph Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for tracking digital media viewership, such as server logs and third-party cookies, are susceptible to over-counting and under-counting due to caching and the limitations of first-party data access, leading to inaccurate audience metrics and duplicate impressions across multiple platforms.
Innovation Solution
A method using marginal union graphs (MUG) with enhanced calibration through panel data to deduplicate census audience sizes, incorporating maximum entropy principles and sufficient statistics to improve accuracy, while leveraging database proprietor data without relying on third-party cookies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If server logs and third-party cookies are used to track digital media viewership, then audience metrics can be obtained, but duplicate impressions are counted and accuracy deteriorates due to caching and first-party data access limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces database proprietor data as an intermediary layer between first-party server logs and third-party cookie tracking. This intermediary provides a trusted source of audience information that resolves the contradiction by offering a reliable measurement mechanism that is not subject to the caching issues of server logs or the access limitations of third-party cookies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If third-party cookies are used for tracking, then cross-platform audience data can be collected, but accuracy deteriorates in environments where third-party cookies are limited or unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of data collection from relying on third-party cookie availability to using database proprietor data that is accessible through standard web requests. This parameter change maintains cross-platform tracking capability while eliminating the accuracy deterioration that occurs when third-party cookies are blocked or limited.
3Measurement precision
If maximum entropy principles and sufficient statistics are applied with panel data calibration, then audience size estimation accuracy is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calibrating the maximum entropy model using panel data to establish sufficient statistics before actual audience measurement. This preliminary calibration creates a ready-to-use framework that improves measurement precision while reducing the computational complexity during actual deployment, as the heavy lifting of model calibration is performed in advance.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture to perform computer-based monitoring of audiences of network-based media using information theory to estimate intermediate level unions are disclosed. An example apparatus to determine a deduplicated, census-based audience metric of media includes panel union calculator circuitry to calculate a threshold statistic corresponding to an intermediate union of a panel hierarchy, and census union calculator circuitry to calculate a deduplicated audience value corresponding to the intermediate union of the census hierarchy based on the threshold statistic.