When searching for a location intelligence provider, it is important to ask the right questions to ensure that the provider fits all your needs and manages data responsibly and resourcefully. We’ve compiled a list of some of the questions you want to ask to ensure you find the best fit for your business.
1. What process do you use to validate location data accuracy?
Accuracy is key when it comes to location data, location insights and targeting are misguided if the location data is not accurate. When vetting providers, it’s important to ask about their data scrubbing techniques in order to dispose of the inaccurate data points.
TIP: Check if the incoming location latitude/longitude coordinates have at least four decimal points of precision. Values less precise than this will automatically produce errors of hundreds of meters or more.
2. What sources do you use, and where does the data come from?
A location is only as good as its source. When asking where the data comes from, it’s important to look for a combination of data from Wi-Fi, GPS and cell for more precise location than what GPS and cell towers alone can provide.
TIP: The larger the data pool, the better.
3. What is your methodology?
With this question, you are looking to understand how they convert latitude and longitude into actionable location, and how that is shared with customers.
TIP: Some things you want to look out for are a unique device ID, a time-stamp and a latitude and longitude with at least four decimal places.
4. How do you convert raw location data into a store or location visit?
Accurate venue positioning is just as important as the location data itself, you want to understand how they confirm actual store visits, as opposed to counting someone who is just walking in the parking lot or on the sidewalk outside a store.
TIP: Ask whether they have quality controlled and curated venues, and if they accurately position venues to filter out inaccurate data.
5. How do you navigate areas with highly clustered and dense venues?
Highly clustered or dense areas like cities can be difficult to navigate from a location perspective. A common issue with venue stacking is inaccuracy stemming from multiple venues are in close proximity to each other, which can wrongly place the device in a nearby location.
TIP: It’s best to work with a provider whose venues go through a robust venue curation process to determine exactly where users are.
By asking these questions and evaluating the answers compared to your needs, you can establish trust and have full awareness of how the provider handles the data throughout the process, from how it comes into how it’s transformed and then delivered to your business.
