Real time geodemographics: New services, business opportunities and risks from analysing people in time and space — Peter Furness, Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice Vol. 10 No. 2

Traditionally, geodemographics has been the description of people according to where they live, derived from the study of spatial information. New technologies such as GPS tracking and virtual worlds, however, provide an opportunity to describe people in much greater detail in terms of space and time. From the moment we wake up, our digital footprints provide a rich source of data for ‘real time geodemographics’, which can support some exciting new service and business opportunities — from pay-as-you-drive motor insurance to location-based social networking. This paper surveys the enabling technologies and illustrates what can be achieved with a series of case studies. Also examined are the downside risks, especially the data protection and privacy issues that will impact public acceptance. Closes with a few predictions for how real time geodemographics will develop over the next few years. (12 pages)

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1.  At 10:16:52 on 02 June 2009, Richard Webber, wrote:

This is an excellent paper but I am not sure that it is helpful to classify these developments under the heading of "geodemographics", whether "real time" or otherwise. Etymologically "geodemographics" means demographics for geographic areas and involves the collation of statistical data for neighbourhoods or higher level geographies. New sources of real time data have the benefit of being able to provide current data on the location of individuals. This is something different.

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