Methods and apparatus to determine synthetic respondent level data using constrained Markov chains

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11115710-B2
Application number	US-201916526747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2019
Priority date	Jun 27, 2017
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to generate synthetic respondent level data. Example apparatus disclosed herein include a synthetic panel generator to (i) generate a synthetic panel corresponding to a duration of time, the synthetic panel to be generated based on (a) a seed panel and (b) duration constraints based on return path data reported by a plurality of media devices, the synthetic panel representative of audiences of media presented by the plurality of media devices during the duration of time, and (ii) generate synthetic respondent level data based on viewing data of synthetic panelists in the synthetic panel. Disclosed example apparatus also include an output file generator to generate an output file based on the synthetic respondent level data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a synthetic panel generator to:
generate a transition matrix corresponding to a first sub-duration of a duration of time and a second sub-duration of the duration of time, the second sub-duration different than the first sub-duration, the transition matrix to be based on a seed panel;
generate, based on the transition matrix, viewing data of synthetic panelists, the viewing data to correspond to the first and second sub-durations of time,
determine weights to apply to the viewing data of the synthetic panelists to satisfy duration constraints, the duration constraints based on return path data reported by a plurality of media devices;
remove ones of the synthetic panelists associated with one of the weights that do not satisfy a threshold to generate a synthetic panel corresponding to the duration of time, the synthetic panel representative of audiences of media presented by the plurality of media devices during the duration of time; and
generate synthetic respondent level data based on the viewing data of the synthetic panelists in the synthetic panel; and
an output file generator to generate an output file based on the synthetic respondent level data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transition matrix corresponds to a probability that a panelist will change stations during a sub-duration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the synthetic panel generator is to reweight the synthetic panelists after the ones of the synthetic panelists have been removed.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the duration constraints include reaches for the duration of time, the reaches determined based on the return path data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the synthetic respondent level data includes time records for viewing sessions by the synthetic panelists and corresponding demographic data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the output file includes the synthetic respondent level data.

7. A method comprising:
generating, by executing an instruction with a processor, a transition matrix corresponding to a first sub-duration of a duration of time and a second sub-duration of the duration of time, the second sub-duration different than the first sub-duration, the transition matrix to be based on a seed panel;
generating, by executing an instruction with the processor, viewing data of synthetic panelists based on the transition matrix, the viewing data to correspond to the first and second sub-durations of time,
determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, weights to apply to the viewing data of the synthetic panelists to satisfy duration constraints, the duration constraints based on return path data reported by a plurality of media devices;
removing, by executing an instruction with the processor, ones of the synthetic panelists associated with one of the weights that do not satisfy a threshold to generate a synthetic panel corresponding to the duration of time, the synthetic panel representative of audiences of media presented by the plurality of media devices during the duration of time;
generating, by executing an instruction with the processor, synthetic respondent level data based on the viewing data of the synthetic panelists in the synthetic panel; and
generating an output file based on the synthetic respondent level data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the transition matrix corresponds to a probability that a panelist will change stations during a sub-duration.

9. The method of claim 7 , further including reweighting the synthetic panelists after the ones of the synthetic panelists have been removed.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the duration constraints include reaches for the duration of time, the reaches determined based on the return path data.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the synthetic respondent level data includes time records for viewing sessions by the synthetic panelists and corresponding demographic data.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the output file includes the synthetic respondent level data.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
generate a transition matrix corresponding to a first sub-duration of a duration of time and a second sub-duration of the duration of time, the second sub-duration different than the first sub-duration, the transition matrix to be based on a seed panel;
generate, based on the transition matrix, viewing data of synthetic panelists, the viewing data to correspond to the first and second sub-durations of time,
determine weights to apply to the viewing data of the synthetic panelists to satisfy duration constraints, the duration constraints based on return path data reported by a plurality of media devices;
remove ones of the synthetic panelists associated with one of the weights that do not satisfy a threshold to generate a synthetic panel corresponding to the duration of time, the synthetic panel representative of audiences of media presented by the plurality of media devices during the duration of time;
generate synthetic respondent level data based on the viewing data of synthetic panelists in the synthetic panel; and
generate an output file based on the synthetic respondent level data.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the transition matrix corresponds to a probability that a panelist will change stations during a sub-duration.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to reweight the synthetic panelists after the ones of the synthetic panelists have been removed.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the duration constraints include reaches for the duration of time, the reaches determined based on the return path data.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the synthetic respondent level data includes time records for viewing sessions by the synthetic panelists and corresponding demographic data.

18. An apparatus comprising:
memory; and
processor circuitry to execute computer readable instructions to:
generate a transition matrix corresponding to a first sub-duration of a duration of time and a second sub-duration of the duration of time, the second sub-duration different than the first sub-duration, the transition matrix to be based on a seed panel;
generate, based on the transition matrix, viewing data of synthetic panelists, the viewing data to correspond to the first and second sub-durations of time,
determine weights to apply to the viewing data of the synthetic panelists to satisfy duration constraints, the duration constraints based on return path data reported by a plurality of media devices;
remove ones of the synthetic panelists associated with one of the weights that do not satisfy a threshold to generate a synthetic panel corresponding to the duration of time, the synthetic panel representative of audiences of media presented by the plurality of media devices during the duration of time;
generate synthetic respondent level data based on the viewing data of synthetic panelists in the synthetic panel; and
generate an output file based on the synthetic respondent level data.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the transition matrix corresponds to a probability that a panelist will change stations during a sub-duration.

20. The apparatus of

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Sheppard Michael
• Sullivan Jonathan
• Morgan Michael D
• Shankar Balachander
• Murphy Edward
• Downing Frank

Classifications

• H04N21/44213 Primary

  Monitoring of end-user related data (arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33) · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/25883

  being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address (arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52) · CPC title

• H04N21/262

  Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists {(scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62)} · CPC title

• H04H60/31

  Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services · CPC title