Audience segment estimation

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for estimating segments from key values for advertising impressions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving, at a data processing apparatus, a segment definition for a publisher site, the segment definition defining a segment by one or more publisher key values of the publisher;   assigning, by the data processing apparatus, to the segment user identifiers having associated pageviews that satisfy the segment defined by the segment definition;   determining a first number of pageviews for the user identifiers assigned to the segment, the first number of pageviews equal to the number of pageviews associated with publisher key values that satisfy the segment definition;   determining a second number of pageviews for the user identifiers assigned to the segment, the second number of pageviews equal to the total number of pageviews associated with user identifiers assigned to the segment, wherein the second number is greater than the first number;   determining a segment quality measure for the segment that is proportional to a ratio of the second number of pageviews to the first number of pageviews; and   providing, in response to the segment definition, response data describing the segment quality measure for the segment   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein determining the first number of pageviews comprise determining the number pageview/key value maps that indicate publisher key values that satisfy the segment definition. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 generating segment population data, the segment population data being an association of user identifiers assigned to the segment defined by the segment definition data and data defining the segment; and   providing, in response to the segment definition, the segment population data to a publisher to facilitate advertisement targeting for future pageviews associated with the user identifiers assigned to the segment.   
     
     
         5 . A system, comprising:
 a data processing apparatus; and   a memory storage system in data communication with the data processing apparatus and storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:   
       receiving, at a data processing apparatus, a segment definition for a publisher site, the segment definition defining a segment by one or more publisher key values of the publisher;
 assigning, by the data processing apparatus, to the segment user identifiers having associated pageviews that satisfy the segment defined by the segment definition; 
 determining a first number of pageviews for the user identifiers assigned to the segment, the first number of pageviews equal to the number of pageviews associated with publisher key values that satisfy the segment definition; 
 determining a second number of pageviews for the user identifiers assigned to the segment, the second number of pageviews equal to the total number of pageviews associated with user identifiers assigned to the segment, wherein the second number is greater than the first number; 
 determining a segment quality measure for the segment that is proportional to a ratio of the second number of pageviews to the first number of pageviews; and 
 providing, in response to the segment definition, response data describing the segment quality measure for the segment 
 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the operation of determining the first number of pageviews comprise determining the number pageview/key value maps that indicate publisher key values that satisfy the segment definition. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating segment population data, the segment population data being an association of user identifiers assigned to the segment defined by the segment definition data and data defining the segment; and   providing, in response to the segment definition, the segment population data to a publisher to facilitate advertisement targeting for future pageviews associated with the user identifiers assigned to the segment.   
     
     
         8 . A memory storage device storing instructions executable by a data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 assigning, by the data processing apparatus, to the segment user identifiers having associated pageviews that satisfy the segment defined by the segment definition;   determining a first number of pageviews for the user identifiers assigned to the segment, the first number of pageviews equal to the number of pageviews associated with publisher key values that satisfy the segment definition;   determining a second number of pageviews for the user identifiers assigned to the segment, the second number of pageviews equal to the total number of pageviews associated with user identifiers assigned to the segment, wherein the second number is greater than the first number;   determining a segment quality measure for the segment that is proportional to a ratio of the second number of pageviews to the first number of pageviews; and   providing, in response to the segment definition, response data describing the segment quality measure for the segment   
     
     
         9 . The memory storage device of  claim 8 , wherein the operation of determining the first number of pageviews comprise determining the number pageview/key value maps that indicate publisher key values that satisfy the segment definition. 
     
     
         10 . The memory storage device of  claim 8  wherein the operations further comprise:
 generating segment population data, the segment population data being an association of user identifiers assigned to the segment defined by the segment definition data and data defining the segment; and 
 providing, in response to the segment definition, the segment population data to a publisher to facilitate advertisement targeting for future pageviews associated with the user identifiers assigned to the segment.