recording and reporting mobile metrics
With the user's permission, PACE campaigns can record and report handset usage statistics across a broad range of metrics
PACE campaigns can include rules that subscribe to a wide range handset events regarding network state, call state, signal and battery levels and app usage. With the user's permission, these campaigns can record and report usage statistics to create valuable mobile metrics.
gathering metrics
PACE campaign rule sets are both flexible and efficient. Explicit event subscriptions mean rules are only evaluated on an as-need basis. This means campaigns can be created that impose the minimum possible overhead on the handset, whilst gathering, aggregating and reporting valuable data on behalf of the mobile operator.
types of metrics supported
PACE can generate a wide variety of metrics including:
- Gross handset usage including uptime, activations, call and SMS counts.
- Network registration state, battery and signal strength and call-time.
- Call state transitions and associated network parameters.
- Handset location and network signal strength.
- Application usage (focus time on a per-application base).
- Data network usage (including GPRS vs WLAN).
- Installed applications.
- Handset hardware and firmware versions.
Since the gathering of data can have a detrimental effect on the handset performance and battery life, metrics campaigns are generally tightly-focused in order to answer specific questions without impinging on the core telephony/battery experience for the user.
reporting and aggregation
Data is collected either on an event basis (e.g. handset idle/active state transitions), or by sampling at a specific time interval (e.g. signal strength variation during a voice call).
PACE campaigns have the ability to write information to a secure area of the handset file system. When generating mobile metrics, this feature is used to aggregate data.
At a set interval, this data is summarised and anonymised, then sent to a server over the mobile network. The server then aggregates information from one or more handsets to provide meaningful metrics.
The example density plot illustrates the variation in the number of handset activations (wake from idle state) over a population of 40 handsets measured on a daily basis for a six week period in August-September 2008.
It can be seen that an average user (50th percentile), activates their handset approximately 45 times per weekday and slightly less at weekends. Some subscribers interact with their handset upwards of 100 times per day, or roughly once every ten waking minutes.
This plot also illustrates the power of PACE screensaver campaigns: for each transition from active to idle, the user is exposed to two minutes of screensaver campaigns. Even discounting for ‘pocket time’ this explains why campaign recall rates are so high.
privacy implications
As with all on-device mobile metric solutions, there are issues regarding the user's privacy.
Phidget does not create spyware. Our solutions may be used to gather metrics and we work with operators to ensure this is done with the user's permission and that the solution works within the appropriate legal framework to protect and anonymise data.
Every PACE campaign is managed by the client, including campaign validity, source, validity dates and automatic removal from the handset on completion.
clear benefits
PACE campaigns can assist operators in gathering a wide range of anonymous data from in-field handsets in real-world scenarios. The metrics derived from this data can assist in a range of service improvement use-cases.