Patent ID: 8838586
Filing Date: 2014-09-16
Classification: G01C,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: assigning, by a server computer, a unique ID to each of a plurality of handheld communication devices, wherein the unique IDs are used to anonymously report location coordinates; transmitting, by the server computer, each respective unique ID to the handheld communication device assigned to each respective unique ID, wherein each of said plurality of handheld communication devices stores a received unique ID; receiving global positioning system (GPS) location coordinates reported from each of said plurality of handheld communication devices, wherein the GPS location coordinates reported from each of said plurality of handheld communication devices are associated with each received unique ID; mapping each of the GPS location coordinates to map objects, wherein the map objects are identified by map data describing their perimeters; determining whether a map object represents a location that will be searched upon by category; determining if a user associated with one of the handheld devices remained within the location for longer than a duration determined to indicate that the user visited the location; recording the visit of longer than the determined period of time by the user as visitor-location data; and aggregating the visitor-location data collected from the plurality of handheld devices.