Data version 2.1 - Feeds adjustments

Placer.ai is excited to announce the launch of Data Version 2.1. Below are the details you need to know to prepare for this transition.

Overview

Placer.ai is excited to launch Data Version 2.1 to feed customers, introducing a new dynamic model that improves accuracy and better aligns with external ground truth sources, along with up-to-date demographic information for all relevant feeds. Starting September 1st, this data version is rolled-out initially to feed customers who can enjoy a side-by-side view of both the current and new data versions until November 1, 2024. The full roll-out of the new data version across the platform is expected to take place on September 28th, 2024.

What’s new with Data Version 2.1?

To ensure Placer’s data is representative of the entire U.S. population, Placer’s debiasing model corrects various biases such as age, geography, and now also the distribution of mobile operating systems (iOS & Android) within Placer’s panel that change on an ongoing basis.

• Data Version 2.1 stabilizes daily operating system ratio fluctuations that vary significantly across different chains (even within the same category) with a dynamic debiasing model that identifies outliers and provides a logic that improves accuracy.
• The new data version introduces dynamic mechanisms to calculate daily ratios and applies the appropriate debiasing adjustment to stabilize daily fluctuations that occur within the same chain over time.

Feeds containing demographic metrics will also see the following changes:

• 2022 Census Dataset Update - The demographic data presented will be refreshed to show data for 2022 leveraging the Census 2022 American Community Survey (ACS).
• Trade Areas by CBG Boundaries - The demographic metrics delivered in feeds will now be calculated for Trade Areas by their Census Block Group boundaries, instead of polygons, accounting for 70% of traffic volume at those CBGs. The polygon-based Trade Area metrics will be deprecated in favor of the highly requested CBG-based metrics.

Premium Export schema changes:

In addition to the updates outlined above, the Premium Export feed will also reflect schema changes to simplify the schema with new naming conventions. Below is a preview of the changes, click here to explore all relevant metric name conversions.

Here, you can explore the full new Premium Export schema.

Data Delivery Changes:

If your feed is delivered via online data buckets, you will find an additional folder titled "dv_2_1" with the new data export. The files within this new folder will retain the file structure and naming conventions used previously. The version_code field will update to 2.1.0.

If your feed is delivered via Snowflake, a new feed view will be introduced that will present the updated schema. The version_code column will update to 2.1.0.

If your feed is delivered via email you will receive two separate emails, one showing the current data version and one showing the new data version as indicated in the body of the email. Please note that the two emails will be delivered until Oct 31, 2024 after which you will receive only one email with the new data version.

If you have any questions or wish to opt-out from receiving a side-by-side feed, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

Deprecated Columns

The following columns which are delivered as part of both the metrics and the POI metadata feed files schema will be fully eliminated from feed files from 2024-09-22 and onwards.