In total Route measures in excess of 350k out of home ads. These are distributed across the length and breadth of GB. In order for inventory to be measured by Route there are a series of steps which much be completed by submitting media owners.
SPACE
The first stage Is to register the inventory on the SPACE database. This is a repository of all OOH inventory which can be bought and sold in Great Britain and includes a range of helpful categorisations. These include the “environment” (roadside, rail, malls, airports etc), the format (posters, screens), size (6-sheet, 48 sheet etc), region, town, and exclusion areas (located in proximity to schools etc).
The SPACE database is owned by Outsmart and operated by Ad Wanted.
Inventory information needs to be supplied to the SPACE database by media owners in order for the Route process to commence.
The SPACE database produces daily extracts.
A licence for SPACE is included with a membership to Outsmart, or available at cost directly from Ad Wanted. Contact Ad Wanted for more information.
Inventory Mapping System
The extract from SPACE is parsed into a second system called the Inventory Mapping System (IMS). This is a system owned by Route but operated by Ipsos. The function of the IMS is to accurately position the inventory on the correct geometry, ensuring it’s in the correct location and has the correct azimuth (it’s facing the right direction).
Beyond being a labour-intensive quality control mechanism, the IMS is also responsible for calculating the visibility areas for all frames and establishing all the active links which can contribute audience for each frame.
Media owners are required to check and approve the locations of all inventory before they are accepted and processed by Route.
There is a significant lead time ahead of publication owing to the significant amount of processing undertaken by Ipsos ahead of the publication date, so media owners are reminded to check mindfully the IMS “cut-off” deadlines else risk having to wait until the next quarter to receive their audience data.
To get set up with a licence for IMS, contact us at Route.
Current Inventory Map
The map below enables you to view the inventory which Route currently measures and filter the output according to various categorisations. You can also export the location information using the download bottom at the foot of the dashboard.
