Pathcast™ Path Library
The Motionworks Path Library provides a comprehensive reference of all movement paths used in Pathcast™ by Date measurements, encompassing both vehicular and pedestrian segments within media viewsheds.
Understanding Paths in Media Measurement
Paths represent the linear movement segments where traffic volumes are measured to calculate media exposure within media viewsheds. A viewshed is the geographical area from which an advertisement can be seen by traffic or pedestrians - essentially the "visibility zone" around a media display. For detailed viewshed methodology, see Viewcast Methodology.
Unlike traditional transportation networks, these paths are custom-defined segments that correspond to specific viewing angles and approaches to media displays within their calculated viewsheds. Each path includes:
- Movement Geometry: The precise route along which vehicles or pedestrians travel
- Measurement Gates: Specific geographic markers where traffic volume is captured
- Directional Context: Cardinal direction and approach angle relative to media displays
- Audit Quality: Validation level ranging from customer-provided to professionally audited
Path Types and Quality Levels
The Path Library contains paths from different sources that undergo systematic processing and validation:
Source Categories
- Customer Paths (Status 0): Customer provided path assignments requiring validation
- System Paths (Status 9): Automated paths generated for all significant roadways within viewshed boundaries
Processing Results
Automated Processing:
- Published - Third Party (Status 12): Customer paths extended to viewshed boundaries with automated gates
- Removed from Publishing (Status 14): Customer paths or assignments that could not be published against the face
Professional Auditing:
- Audited Paths (Status 4): Professionally audited paths with highest confidence for critical measurements
- Removed from Audit (Status 7): Customer provided paths removed during professional audit process
Path Selection Priority
When multiple paths exist for the same assignment, the system selects based on quality hierarchy:
- Audited (Status 4) - Highest priority
- Removed from Audit (Status 7)
- Published - Third Party (Status 12)
- Removed from Publishing (Status 14)
- Assigned (Status 0)
- System (Status 9) - Lowest priority
This systematic approach ensures that both roadside billboard measurements and place-based digital display analytics utilize consistent, validated movement data for accurate opportunity-to-see calculations.
Path Audit Status Values
Every path carries an audit_status_id and its name in audit_status. These are the six values the field takes.
audit_status_id |
audit_status |
Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Assigned | Customer-submitted path assignment, not yet audited. |
| 4 | Audited | Professionally audited. Highest confidence. |
| 7 | Removed from Audit | Customer-provided path removed during the professional audit. |
| 9 | Automated | System-generated path. |
| 12 | Published - Third Party | A third-party assignment matched to a Motionworks automated path, which supplies the geometry and the measurement gates. |
| 14 | Removed from Publishing | A customer-provided assignment that could not be published against the face: it travels the wrong way, does not intersect the viewshed, or falls outside the field of view. |
Each table carries its own subset. paths_v1 holds 0, 4, 7, 12, and 14; status 9 appears only in paths_system_v1; and paths_customers_v1 is entirely status 0.
Schema
| Name | Description | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| viewshed_id | Motionworks identifier for the viewshed this path serves. In the Motionworks API the same identifier is the face's place_id. |
string | 166000341715 |
| path_id | Motionworks Path ID. A viewshed is composed of 1 or more paths. | string | 7d74af7f00482f37c4b76444e6cfa9d3 |
| audit_status_id | Motionworks audit status ID. See Path Audit Status Values. | int | 12 |
| audit_status | Name of the audit status. See Path Audit Status Values. | string | Published - Third Party |
| mode | Travel mode on the path. B=Ped+Veh, P=Ped Only | string | B |
| funcclass | HERE functional class associated with the path | int | 4 |
| path | The geographic representation of the path intersecting the viewshed. Expressed as Well-known text (WKT). | geography | LINESTRING(-87.208764011666 30.47801185661, -87.2063026269052 30.4802130746926, -87.206192536312 30.4803162852261) |
| gate_veh | The geographic representation of the vehicle gate used for the path. Expressed as Well-known text (WKT). | geography | LINESTRING(-87.2061389773948 30.4802860530818, -87.2062311678858 30.4803590878055) |
| gate_ped | The geographic representation of the pedestrian gate used for the path. Expressed as Well-known text (WKT). | geography | LINESTRING(-87.2060467870422 30.4802130182932, -87.206323358515 30.4804321224644) |
| modified | Last time the path was updated. | datetime | 2023-12-20 02:23:43 |
| total_segments | Total number of underlying road-network segments composing this path. | int | 7 |
| release_version | Motionworks release version associated with this record. | string | 20260602 |