Situational Awareness System

Abstract

A situational awareness system providing geographic, personal characteristic and subject matter of interest awareness using information obtained from location reporting mobile devices. The system displays personal characteristic information for target member segments defined with a great deal of specificity, which may be followed by online queries to the target member segment. Member participation in online queries may require interested members to “opt-in” to limit query distribution to members that have indicated an interest in responding to online queries on the particular subject matter of interest. This increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the online queries, while reducing the cost and imposition on members who are not be interested in participating. Obtaining geographic, personal characteristic, and subject matter of interest awareness can be a free component provided as a benefit to registered members and customers, configured to occur prior to the payment screen required for online query distribution.

1 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a network device comprising a processor, a request for situational awareness information from a requesting device associated with a requester including a target demographic definition comprising multiple demographic categories and one or more topical areas of interest;   receiving, by the network device, one or more topical areas of interest reported by mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   receiving, by the network device, demographic data corresponding to the target demographic definition reported by the mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   identifying, by the network device, a target audience comprising a plurality of the mobile communication devices that correspond to one or more of the topical areas of interest;   wherein the situational awareness report comprises a statistical representation of a number of members in the target audience and a statistical representation of received demographic data corresponding to the multiple demographic categories of the target demographic definition;   qualifying selected members of the target audience for participation in a promotional offer comprising a reward for responding to an online query based on one or more of real-time location, personal data, and subject matter of interest data for the selected members obtained from data profiles associated with the members;   sending an online query to the selected members of the target audience together with the promotional offer;   receiving responses to the online query from one or more responding members; and   providing the reward to each of the responding members.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , after providing the situational awareness report, further comprising:
 receiving, by the network device, an online post from the requesting device; and   directing, by the network device, the online post to the target audience.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the online post comprises a survey, advertisement or promotion. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the network device, geographic location data reported by the mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   wherein the situational awareness report further comprises a representation of the geographic location data for the members of the target audience.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the network device, a direct contact information request from the requester seeking direct contact information for a member of the target audience;   transmitting, by the network device, an opt-in request to the member of the target audience requesting permission to provide the member's direct contact information to the requester;   receiving, by the network device, a response from the member of the target audience providing permission to provide the member's direct contact information to the requester; and   in response to receiving the permission, providing, by the network device, the member's direct contact information to the requester.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising charging an account associated with the requesting device for the electronic survey advertisement or promotion in association with the online post. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the network device, a political subdivision or a radius about a selected location defining a geographic area of interest; and   displaying a representation of a number of members of the target audience corresponding to the geographic area of interest.   
     
     
         8 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer system comprising a processor, cause the system to perform operations, comprising:
 receiving a request for situational awareness information from a requesting device associated with a requester including a target demographic definition comprising multiple demographic categories and one or more topical areas of interest;   receiving one or more topical areas of interest reported by mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   receiving demographic data corresponding to the target demographic definition reported by the mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   identifying a target audience comprising a plurality of the mobile communication devices that correspond to one or more of the topical areas of interest;   wherein the situational awareness report comprises a statistical representation of a number of members in the target audience and a statistical representation of received demographic data corresponding to the multiple demographic categories of the target demographic definition;   qualifying selected members of the target audience for participation in a promotional offer comprising a reward for responding to an online query based on one or more of real-time location, personal data, and subject matter of interest data for the selected members obtained from data profiles associated with the members;   sending an online query to the selected members of the target audience together with the promotional offer;   receiving responses to the online query from one or more responding members; and   providing the reward to each of the responding members.   
     
     
         9 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving the online post from the requesting device; and   directing the online post to the target audience.   
     
     
         10 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the online post comprises an electronic survey, advertisement or promotion. 
     
     
         11 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving geographic location data reported by the mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   wherein the situational awareness report further comprises a representation of the geographic location data for the members of the target audience.   
     
     
         12 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving profile data relating to the requester; and   providing the situational awareness request based on an analysis of access security rules, the profile data relating to the requester, and the situational awareness request.   
     
     
         13 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving a direct contact information request from the requester seeking direct contact information for a member of the target audience;   transmitting an opt-in request to the member of the target audience requesting permission to provide the member's direct contact information to the requester;   receiving a response from the member of the target audience providing permission to provide the member's direct contact information to the requester; and   in response to receiving the permission, providing the member's direct contact information to the requester.   
     
     
         14 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, by the network device, a political subdivision or a radius about a selected location defining a geographic area of interest; and   displaying a representation of a number of members of the target audience corresponding to the geographic area of interest.   
     
     
         15 . An online computer server comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer system comprising a processor, cause the system to perform operations, comprising:
 receiving a request for situational awareness information from a requesting device associated with a requester including a target demographic definition comprising multiple demographic categories and one or more topical areas of interest;   receiving one or more topical areas of interest reported by mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   receiving demographic data corresponding to the target demographic definition reported by the mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   identifying a target audience comprising a plurality of the mobile communication devices that correspond to one or more of the topical areas of interest;   wherein the situational awareness report comprises a statistical representation of a number of members in the target audience and a statistical representation of received demographic data corresponding to the multiple demographic categories of the target demographic definition;   qualifying selected members of the target audience for participation in a promotional offer comprising a reward for responding to an online query based on one or more of real-time location, personal data, and subject matter of interest data for the selected members obtained from data profiles associated with the members;   sending an online query to the selected members of the target audience together with the promotional offer;   receiving responses to the online query from one or more responding members; and   providing the reward to each of the responding members.   
     
     
         16 . The online computer server of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving the online post from the requesting device; and   directing the online post to the target audience.   
     
     
         17 . The online computer server of  claim 16 , wherein the online post comprises an electronic survey, advertisement or promotion. 
     
     
         18 . The online computer server of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving geographic location data reported by the mobile communication devices or obtained from social media files associated with the mobile communication devices;   wherein the situational awareness report further comprises a representation of the geographic location data for the members of the target audience.   
     
     
         19 . The online computer server of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving profile data relating to the requester; and   providing the situational awareness request based on an analysis of access security rules, the profile data relating to the requester, and the situational awareness request.   
     
     
         20 . The online computer server of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving a direct contact information request from the requester seeking direct contact information for a member of the target audience;   transmitting an opt-in request to the member of the target audience requesting permission to provide the member's direct contact information to the requester;   receiving a response from the member of the target audience providing permission to provide the member's direct contact information to the requester; and   in response to receiving the permission, providing the member's direct contact information to the requester.   
     
     
         21 - 26 . (canceled)