In order for buyers and sellers to transact connectivity, they both need a foundation of information about the geographic sites involved. We call this “location truth.” But just how is location truth established and whose version of location truth can you trust?
Let’s explore the gold standard model created by Connectbase.
How does Connectbase create its global location truth?
To start, Connectbase divides the world into a grid of 57 trillion 3-by-3 meter (10-by-10 feet) squares. Next, we conform that grid with right-of-way, parcels, and building footprints, giving each structure and property a unique ID to associate with a specific address and location. We call this ID the GLID within the Connectbase platform.
CEO and Founder Ben Edmond explains, “By assigning a unique GLID, we can achieve great specificity even for addresses that have high-rise buildings with multiple tenants or shopping centers and office parks with multiple buildings.”
The GLID process is called “conformity” and it is the first of three steps in our location truth protocol. Once all addresses in a transactional query are conformed to a singular format, they are validated against local postal standards. This validation assures accuracy. The final step is attribution. In this step, we assign all the data we have collected for each address, enabling supply and demand forces to come together and conduct business. To date, Connectbase has fully mapped 2.4 billion locations worldwide.
What makes Connectbase location truth unmatched in the industry?
Other data sources provide only bits and pieces of the total information needed, forcing those who seek information to “swivel chair.” In other words, they must rely on multiple programs and providers to get the full picture. This takes time and human resources, extending the process into days or weeks.
By contrast, Connectbase has assembled all this information into one single platform and automated the search operation, reducing the process to mere seconds or minutes. And no other organization can provide the depth of location attributes we do, including serviceability, pricing, competitive intensity, tenancy and more.
How does Connectbase maintain the accuracy of its location truth?
“In the US alone, there are more than 2,300 network service providers,” noted Edmond. “It is a challenge to keep up with who is on-net or near-net for any single location. So, we knew we had to develop a complex, multi-source maintenance protocol to keep our data current.”
Connectbase network intelligence is thus curated from three different categories of sources, cross-referencing both public and private data.
- Providers – The network providers who participate in our system feed us directly from their serviceability, inventory, and data stores on locations, routes, and products.
- Government – We cross-check against multiple government sources, with a preference on municipal data sourcing network information from personal real estate, permits, licenses, and other related filings.
- Device IP Data – Our largest source comes from the IP data generated by active devices (including 400 million mobile devices) and isolating instances when a device connects with Wi-Fi at a specific site.
Concluded Edmond, “Location truth is dynamic. It changes every second of every day. If you are going to make significant business decisions based on location truth, make sure you’re getting the deepest, most accurate, most up-to-date information available. Connectbase has committed significant resources to ensuring that’s what we offer – every second of every day. We invite you to compare our location truth against any other source and see if you agree.”
Want more information? Attend Ben’s upcoming live webinar. Register here.
