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Meetings Finder

Overview​

Meetings Finder identifies meetings between people or identifiers based on recorded positions in a time range. You select one or more target identifiers, set proximity parameters, and run the analysis to find co-located positions. Results appear on an interactive map and a timeline chart so you can review who was near whom, where, and when. Results depend on the available position data and require review before you treat a co-location as a confirmed meeting.

When to Use This Application​

  • You need to find which identifiers were physically near a target during a time range.
  • You need to check whether a group of selected identifiers met each other and when.
  • You need a map view and a time view to review co-location evidence quickly.
  • You need to rank neighbors by meeting count and meeting duration for triage.

Before You Begin​

  • Ensure position data exists for the identifiers you want to analyze.
  • Decide whether you want to discover unknown neighbors (single target) or test co-location between known targets (multiple targets).
  • Decide the time range and proximity settings you will use.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough​

Step 1 — Select target identifiers​

Select Search Entities and search for people or identifiers. Select the identifiers you want to analyze as targets. After you select targets, the app uses their position data during the selected time range to prepare the meeting analysis.

Step 2 — Set the time range​

Set a start and end time for the analysis. The app searches for positions for the selected targets within this time range. If the app finds no positions for a target in the selected range, the analysis cannot produce meetings for that target.

Step 3 — Choose analysis mode​

Meetings Finder runs in one of two modes, based on how many identifiers you select.

  • Neighbor discovery mode (single target)
  • You select exactly one target. The app finds other identifiers that were near the target during the time range.
  • Co-location mode (multiple targets)
  • You select two or more targets. The app finds meetings only between the selected targets.

Step 4 — Set proximity parameters​

Set the parameters used in both modes:

  • Max distance (meters)
  • Two identifiers count as near each other when their positions are within this radius. Default is 15 meters.
  • Time window (minutes)
  • Positions are compared only when they fall within this time window of each other. Default is 10 minutes.
  • Time granularity (minutes)
  • Positions are sampled at this interval to reduce data volume and speed up analysis. Default is 5 minutes.

Step 5 — Run the analysis​

Start the analysis after targets, time range, and parameters are set.

  • In neighbor discovery mode, the app scans position records in the time range and returns identifiers that match distance and time criteria.
  • In co-location mode, the app compares positions between selected targets only.

Step 6 — Review results in the visualizations page​

Open the visualizations page to explore the results. The page includes:

  • Identifiers legend
  • Map
  • Timeline scatter plot

Understanding the Output​

Meetings Finder presents results in three coordinated views.

Identifiers legend​

The legend is a scrollable list of identifier cards. Each card includes:

  • A color-coded label used across map and timeline
  • A role indicator (target or neighbor)
  • Meeting count
  • Total meeting duration with targets (for neighbors)
  • Show / Hide toggle
  • Focus toggle
  • Tags Use the legend to limit how many identifiers appear on the map and to filter the list.

Map​

The map shows meeting-related positions for visible identifiers:

  • Target positions use crosshair-style markers (hollow circle with inner dot).
  • Neighbor positions use filled circles. When you enable Focus for an identifier, the map draws its full trajectory as a line connecting all positions in time order, not only meeting positions.

Timeline scatter plot​

The timeline scatter plot shows positions over time:

  • Time appears on the horizontal axis.
  • Identifiers appear on the vertical axis. Drag on the plot to select a sub time period. The map, focused trajectories, and legend update to match the selected period. Select Clear time range to return to the full view.

Tips for Best Results​

  • Start with the default parameters, then tighten Max distance (meters) when you need stricter co-location.
  • Increase Time window (minutes) when position sampling is sparse and you want to catch near-simultaneous detections.
  • Use co-location mode when you already have a defined group and want meetings only among them.
  • Use the legend filters and identifier limit to keep the map readable.
  • Use timeline brushing to isolate a specific period, then review the map for that window.

Known Limitations​

  • Results depend on the quality and coverage of position data. Missing or sparse positions reduce recall.
  • Larger time ranges can increase runtime and produce crowded maps and timelines.
  • Time granularity sampling can omit short meetings in neighbor discovery mode when buckets are coarse.
  • In co-location mode, identifiers that never meet another selected target do not appear in results.