The system for auto detect region allows to obtain the information of geographical localization for Twitter users. This system works either for new specific sources or new search terms, the platform administrator want to add in the configuration.
How does it work?
The identification of the geographic location of twitter users is done using a mix of two techniques:
1 - The first technique uses the location information provided by the GPS of the mobile devices (mobile phones and tablets). This technique always work if the user has the GPS activated in his/her mobile device.
2- If the GPS is deactivated by the user, the system will use the second technique that it is based in the utilization of the location field (free text) of the twitter user profile.
How the system interprets the free text field?
Evaluates tweets and seeks for information to determine the location of those who sent the tweet.
1- The system search in the 'location' field if the tweet was made with a location (country, city, state, province).
2- Use different techniques of machine-learning to determine to which country a tweet (the user that has sent the tweet) belongs. Identifying abbreviations like USA, EEUU, EUA, etc. In the case of user who has information, city, state, province. The system can determine a link to the country to which belongs. Maping for example City - Country. Province - City - Country.
e.g Buenos Aires - Argentina, San Francisco - United States of America.
3- In case the system cannot detect a country, city, state or province, the analyzed tweet, will be classified as "unclassified" and will remain accessible unther the filter "without classification" in Source's Region filter of Socialmetrix Echo.
Failure to detect the field 'location' is that not everybody completes this field with real information. Many times, it is used to enter information that does not refer to a geographical location.
On what twitter accounts the system analyzes the geographic location?
Detecting the geographical location will be performed on the profile / twitter account of the person who made the tweet.
e.g: If the platform would capture a tweet from Barack Obama, then the detection of geographic location will be done on that profile.