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Placer presenter says mobile-location analytics show visitor patterns, emphasizes privacy safeguards
Summary
Aberdeen council heard a presentation from Gannon Lavens of Placer on July 8 about a mobile-location analytics product that uses an anonymized panel of devices to estimate visitors, workers and residents; Lavens stressed privacy protections and estimated an annual cost near $19,000. Council asked follow-up questions but took no immediate action.
Gannon Lavens, a representative of Placer, told the Aberdeen City Council on July 8 that his company uses an anonymized panel of roughly 30,000,000 mobile devices — about 10% of phones in the United States, he said — to estimate visitation, workforce flows and park or retail usage for small cities.
Placer’s product, Lavens said, draws geofences around properties and reports aggregated movement patterns. "All we would like is the bulk of their anonymized, location data," he said, and emphasized that Placer does not collect names, phone numbers or other personal identifiers. Lavens described the company’s approach as "privacy by design," saying certain sensitive locations (churches, K–12 schools, women’s health clinics, rehab centers and government buildings) are excluded from reporting under the firm’s policy.
The presentation focused on practical uses for economic development and parks management: Placer’s panel and algorithms can distinguish residents, workers and out‑of‑market visitors, produce historic baselines (the firm retains seven years of data), and generate heat maps showing which park amenities draw users. Lavens said Placer’s accuracy checks against private-sector ground truth (for example, ticket sales at movie theaters) typically return 92–97% agreement.
Council members asked about cost and access. Lavens gave a ballpark annual price "around $19,000" for a one‑year contract and said the platform offers unlimited users and reports for city departments; he also said Placer does not work with law enforcement or fire departments. Council staff and members raised whether the tool could help prioritize maintenance, track event attendance (Lavens pointed to July 4 as a peak visitation day at Morrison Park) and support retail recruitment decisions.
No contract vote was taken. Council members requested follow-up information on contract terms and privacy safeguards before any procurement decision.
The presentation began at the council meeting’s scheduled presentation time and concluded after questions from council members.
