Location types
Location types say where the geographic data in a Geo object came from: the device's location services, an IP address lookup, or something the user typed in. OpenRTB 2.x sends the value in Geo.type on both device.geo and user.geo. Buyers use it to judge how precise latitude and longitude are and which targeting the location can support.
Values
| Value | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
1 | GPS/Location Services | The device reported its position through the operating system's location services, such as GPS, Wi-Fi or cell positioning. |
2 | IP Address | The location was estimated by looking up the request's IP address in a geolocation database. |
3 | User Provided (e.g., registration data) | The user supplied the location, for example a postal code or city entered at registration. |
Fields that use this list
How to use it
Set Geo.type whenever you send Geo.lat and Geo.lon, and keep the coordinates honest to the source. With 1, add Geo.accuracy in meters and Geo.lastfix in seconds since the fix. With 2, add Geo.ipservice to name the lookup provider. The specification asks sellers to send coordinates only when they match the precision the type implies, and never to send the center point of an area such as a postal code. device.geo is the device's current location; user.geo is the user's home base, which is where user-provided data (3) usually belongs.
Common mistakes
- Sending IP-derived coordinates with
type1. Buyers running proximity campaigns will target the wrong places, and measurement vendors flag the inventory. - Sending
latandlonwith notype, so the buyer cannot tell a GPS fix from a city centroid. - Putting registration data in
device.geo. A home ZIP code describesuser.geo, not where the device is now. - Sending 1 without
Geo.accuracy, which leaves the buyer unable to tell a 10 meter fix from a 5 kilometer one.
Validation
On OpenRTB 2.6 snapshots, RTBlint reports a value outside this list as openrtb.value.invalid. Paste a request into the tester to check the values you send.
Related lists
All lists are on the enumerated lists index.