World's Top Panel Companies Join Forces with Imperium to Advance Data Quality Across the Market Research Industry

SHELTON, Conn., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The world’s major panel companies -- collectively accounting for more than 50% of global online sample -- have come together with Imperium, a leading technology development firm, to create Imperium Category Exclusion (ICE™), the first broad-based category exclusion program for the market research industry. Authentic Response, e/Rewards/Research Now, Global Market Insite, Inc. (GMI), Survey Sampling International, Toluna and U-Samp have formed an industry-wide ICE User Group -- which is open to any panel services company -- with the goal of driving optimal sample quality.

The ICE User Group is a complementary partnership that is focused on delivering major quality advances to the market research industry. The panel company members bring deep knowledge of sampling and research, while Imperium adds extensive experience in the design, development and execution of technology solutions. By collaborating to bring these capabilities together, the ICE User Group is working to drive significant improvements in data integrity that will benefit the entire industry. ICE is the third component in the suite of data quality offerings Imperium provides to the global market research industry, including the Verity™ respondent validation service and the RelevantID® digital fingerprinting technology. Available to all RelevantID users, ICE makes product category part of each respondent's digital fingerprint. As a respondent takes an ICE client survey, this data can be used to exclude those who have recently participated in similar surveys, helping to eliminate potential respondent biases.

"What's unique about the ICE offering is that it provides a broader approach to category exclusions," said Marshall Harrison, Founder and CEO of Imperium. "Companies often rely on multiple sources for survey respondents, and while respondent providers can exclude individuals that have recently participated in a study for a specific product category, ICE helps the industry look at respondent behaviors in full to make more educated sampling decisions.

"Many market research firms look to partner with a third-party provider for solutions to ensure the validity, uniqueness and responsiveness of survey respondents. Imperium is a provider for the industry's largest and most forward-thinking firms, including Toluna, Survey Sampling, e-Rewards/Research Now, Authentic Response, GMI and U-Samp. We are proud these panel leaders looked to us to help evolve their data quality with the creation of ICE™."

The panel companies taking part in the collaboration are equally pleased to be working with Imperium to broaden the industry's range of data quality tools. ICE User Group members agree that the solutions coming out of the partnership will ensure all panel companies can provide their clients with the highest standards of quality and accuracy.

"ICE is a major step forward in driving significant quality improvements throughout the industry," says Kees deJong, CEO of Survey Sampling International. "By partnering with our colleagues in a united cross-company team, we have radically advanced our shared objective of maximizing sample quality, faster and more efficiently than any of us could have on our own. We are honored to be part of the ICE User Group -- and excited about the benefits ICE will bring to our customers."

About Imperium

Imperium is a leading technology development firm specializing in the design, development, implementation and support of database systems for business intelligence and integrated e-business solutions. Imperium provides innovative products and services in the areas of market research, financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, marketing, advertising and web design.

Our brands include RelevantID® -- the leading industry digital fingerprinting technology for fraud prevention, Verity™ -- the data validation service that confirms the accuracy of a person's name, address and other demographics, and RelevantView® -- technology that captures user's online experience on websites and web applications. Imperium is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.

About Survey Sampling International

Survey Sampling International (www.surveysampling.com) is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI reaches respondents in 72 countries via Internet, telephone and mobile/wireless. Client services include questionnaire design consultation, programming and hosting, and data processing. SSI serves more than 2,000 clients, including 48 of the top 50 research organizations. Founded in 1977, SSI has 17 offices in 15 countries.

SOURCE Survey Sampling International