[lug] ip geotarget accuracy

[Zan Lynx]

On Wed, 2008-05-14 at 16:30 -0700, karl horlen wrote:
> I've looked into doing some ip based geotargeting.  Searching online
> and visiting vendor db sites reveals that it is supposedly 95%
> accurate depending on what db you use.  The more you search and read
> leads you to believe this figure is a lot less.
> 
> I recently conducted my own very unscientific experiment using some
> simple online ip to zip code lookups at different computers to see
> just how accurate this stuff is.  I use a local isp, so my ip lookup
> ids my city correctly.  My dad uses qwest and his ip lookup says he's
> in denver when he's really twenty minutes away.  That's good for
> metropolitan targeting but really fails to narrow down his city.
> 
> I've read that AOL uses proxies so anyone using AOL will be
> geotargeted incorrectly.  
> 
> I guess ip accuracy boils down to where your ISP is located and or
> whether or not they use proxies.
> 
> I've probably answered my own question in that ip geotargeting
> accuracy isn't that reliable.  I'm still not sure what "level of
> accuracy" is really available and what definition of "accurate" is
> acceptable or not.  Ideally it would give you x percentage of
> confidence at the city level.
> 
> If anyone has some relevant insight into the topic, please share.
> 
> Thanks

I live west of Boulder and use SpeakEasy for my ISP.  I've seen my IP be
located in Denver, Colorado Springs and once somewhere in Washington
state!

I didn't offer to correct it.  It's a static IP but why give anyone ICBM
coordinates? :)

In the absence of any other info a geo-IP result is probably a good
location to start with.  If you're doing some kind of web app, give your
users a way to override it.

I could see it as a good way to get time zone info (although you can use
JavaScript to get that exactly) or to give priority to local events or
locations.
-- 
Zan Lynx <zlynx at acm.org>
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