Abstract:

The collection of information is a fundamental part of any research project, and a correct decision in this respect will reflect in a very important way on its success. When implementing the People Meter system to measure the TV audience in Santiago, Chile, we detected a reality that affects all of Latin America: the limited penetration of the telephone service. It was therefore necessary to look for an alternative information collecting mechanism. The solution was to use a data broadcasting system via radio frequency terminals connected to a X.25 network. This paper describes the main aspects of its implementation: - Architecture of the system - Communication between People Meter and the radio POSNET. - Architecture of the radio POSNET - The packet X.25 network. - The data concentration. - Control and calculus software - Rating results on-line. The potentialities of the system allow basic problem solving on the following continuous studies: sample rotation, interaction with the informative houses, etc. Additionally, it makes data immediately available -rating-on-line. This setting has been in use since 1992 in Santiago, Chile.