The “Run Radius” function is one of the most popular selection tools our customers use for Residential Lists. This completely flexible tool allows radius runs by distance, quantity, or drive time. The origin can be specified as an address, center of a route or a latitude/longitude coordinate. In addition, we recently added a “Run Multiple Radii” option that saves literally hours of time for multi segmented orders!

Over the years we have fielded many questions on this feature and I thought it would help to compile them all in one location for everyone’s benefit. Following is a collection of the most frequently asked:

Q: How does the radius calculation work?

A: Our address data is organized by carrier route within zip code. The radius tool determines which whole routes are applicable for a given radius by running a ranking process that measures the distance from the origin to the center point of possible routes. Those with the shortest distance receive the best ranking result. The Radius tool may include routes that seem to be further away than the desired distance, especially in very rural instances. However, the tool has determined the most densely populated portions of a route and if at least 80% is within the requested zone, it may be selected.

Q: Should I run my radius by Distance or Quantity

A: It depends on the requirements for the specific radius request. Some radius runs need to reach a certain quantity regardless of distance, so the “Quantity” select will compile the closest number of records to the origin address or route using whole routes. The Quantity radius will select the farthest route to cut off to the desired quantity. In other cases “Distance” may be a more important factor rather than quantity. The radius tool will run distances of anywhere from 0.10 miles to 99 miles.

Q: How does the Drive Time radius work?

A: Rather than determining the closest records to an origin by estimating distance “as the crow flies”, the Drive Time radius uses a navigation technology database behind the scenes to calculate addresses within the shortest drive time of an origin. For instance: a long curvy residential road may result in a longer drive time than a straight thoroughfare. Drive Times can be anywhere from 1 minute to 30 minutes from the origin.

Q: What does “Origin Route Rank Not in Top 3” or “Origin Route Not in file” mean?

A: During the Radius processing, each potential route receives a ranking which is based on a measurement between the origin of the radius and the center point of each route. Sometimes the origin route itself does not receive a ranking that is in the top 3 shortest distances. In some cases, selections for the radius run may result in the originating route not be included in the radius result. For instance: a radius select is run excluding business listings but the only listings in the origin route are businesses.

Q: Why won’t the Radius Tool find my address?

A: In order for the radius tool to perform on the address level, a given address needs to be considered valid by the USPS. It also needs to be currently receiving postal delivery to be included in our system. In addition, zip+4 and latitude/longitude coordinates for each address must be available behind the scenes for our processing to function. If any one of these variables is not in place, the address may not be able to be used. Often the best solution is to find a nearby address or to run the radius from the zip & appropriate route instead of an address.

Q: Can I drop duplicates between my radius segments?

A: If multiple radius segments have been set up in an order a “Dedupe” button will appear in the top box on the Job Summary screen. Using “Dedupe” will eliminate duplicate route listings between radius segments by determining which segment using the route has the shortest distance and keeping the route in that particular segment.

Q: Can I use demographic selects to narrow down my radius?

A: Yes, a radius can be filtered by our available median route demographics of age, income, home value and % of households with children.

Q: Can I edit the results of my radius?

A: Once a radius has been run, it can be rerun at any time. Also, the results may be modified using the standard Job Summary interface used in all list orders.

Let us know if your radius question wasn’t answered here… we would be happy to cover any additional questions you may have or provide further demonstration!

Mary McCarty

List Services Manager