New AI tool predicts population mobility during and beyond Covid-19 restrictions

Mar 11, 2021 | Ad tech, Online advertising

New AI tool predicts population mobility during and beyond Covid-19 restrictions
Posterscope has launched PSMind, a new tool that uses AI and machine learning to analyse more than five million data combinations in real-time to forecast and track population movement, to inform and deliver the most effective OOH campaigns for clients.

The tool ingests data from sources including Oxford University, Google, the Department for Transport and Three Mobile, and analyses everything from weather forecasts, international travel and Government restrictions to enable Posterscope to forecast and understand National (England, Scotland, Wales) Mobility levels, POI visitation and Traffic indicators with up to a 90% accuracy rate. Mobility forecasts will be published on a weekly basis from today.

At 1st March 2021, PSMind predicts that national mobility will increase as follows at each point in the Government’s roadmap to lifting lockdown:

• 8th March- 69%
• 29th March- 73%
• 12th April- 83%
• 17th May- 95%
• 21st June – national audience mobility predicted to be at 111%

Christopher Ho, Posterscope Innovation Director and creator of PSMind, says: “Throughout the pandemic we have tracked mobility levels and witnessed significant changes in people’s movements and behaviours, but in order to create plans that capitalise on the increased mobility we expect to see as lockdown restrictions ease, we wanted to be able to predict not just how many OOH impacts will be available to advertisers, but where the audience movement is taking place at each stage of the Government’s roadmap.”

The launch of PSMind follows the launch in May last year of Posterscope’s weekly “Mobility Index”, a weekly barometer providing advertisers with a headline picture of the movement of audiences in the OOH space, and Posterscope planners with the industry’s most detailed understanding of population mobility. Using first-party telecoms data from Three Mobile, Posterscope analyses every postcode sector up and down the country on a weekly basis to gain a barometer of peoples’ movement, and understand the journeys they are taking out of home. The ‘mobility index’ uses Three Mobile’s first-party telecoms data which enables Posterscope to robustly segment by key buying demographics and with no ‘lag’ time.

Gill Huber, Chief Client Officer at Posterscope, added: “It is more important than ever for brands to be able to understand consumer behaviour, what changes are permanent and what will change over time. We are constantly developing solutions to better understand what people are thinking, feeling and doing when out of home and PSMind is a great step for us to allow our clients to forward plan with confidence.”

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