Ipsos iris uses a hybrid measurement approach, combining data from site and app tagging with findings from a metered single-source multi-device respondent panel.

Measures derived from tagging tell us which devices have been used to access which content, but only by coupling this with panel data can we produce the full picture, including demographics, of the human reality of the online audience. Panel and tag data are collected in different ways.

PANEL DATA COLLECTION

To capture data from panellists, Ipsos iris uses metering technology from RealityMine, a UK-based company with a global reputation in device-metering technology.

The RealityMine metering technology, RealityMeter, tracks activity on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops of opted-in research participants, supporting both in-home and out-of-home data capture from the following Operating Systems and Versions:

• Android (5+)

• iOS (10+)

• Windows (7, 8,10)

• Mac (10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14)

Sensitive personal information such as email addresses, passwords, financial details, documents and photos are not collected.

On smartphones, Ipsos iris deploys a mobile SDK built into Ipsos’ own proprietary MediaCell mobile app. The SDK configures an on-device VPN (‘Virtual Private Network’) on the smartphone which routes all network requests via Ipsos servers, which record these requests and process them to produce engagement and duration metrics. On Android smartphones, the OS’ Accessibility API is also used in conjunction with the VPN.

On desktops, plug-ins for all Chrome, Firefox, IE/Edge and Safari browsers are downloaded to devices – and these plug-ins act as meters, tracking sites visited in the browsers while recording engagement and duration metrics.

On tablets, a combination of browser plug-ins, VPN and Accessibility API are used to ensure that all web browser (site) and app activity are collected.

SITE-CENTRIC DATA COLLECTION

Site-centric measurement in Ipsos iris involves placing on participating websites a short, device-agnostic JavaScript tag which identifies and logs all visiting devices. Consumption of all content including page (text, picture), video and audio is measured via this tag script. Active time spent by the user on each content element is also recorded.

Similarly, app-centric measurement for mobile apps involves incorporating an SDK into the source code of participating applications. This logs the time of each app start event and the amount of time the app remains open, alongside details of event triggers which allow Ipsos iris to measure different behaviours within the app.

UKOM and Ipsos strongly advise all online content owners to tag their websites and apps to ensure the most accurate possible measurement of all their digital assets. Owners can sign up for Ipsos iris tagging by emailing the tagging team here and more information on tagging may be found in our FAQ here.

DATA COLLECTION FOR SMALLER SITES AND APPS

Websites and apps that are tagged will be reported regardless of the number of visitors. However, Ipsos advises small websites to launch the web intercept in order to calibrate the demographic representation as this likely to be minimal in the panel

Websites and apps that are not tagged will only be reported if they are visited by at least 20 panellists in a calendar month 

COLLECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Demographic details are collected via a recruitment questionnaire administered by Ipsos to all panellists when they join. Demographics available for analysis include: gender, age, social grade, working status, household composition and geographical area.