Thinknear analysed data from over one billion ad impressions and 500,000 consumer ad experiences during Q4 2014. It found that while there has been a growth in the availability of location data, there had been a 7% decrease in location accuracy from that seen in the third quarter of 2014.

The report suggested that app developers are “either not placing an emphasis on ‘getting data right’ or are playing ‘fast and loose’ with location data to capture higher monetisation rates”.

An observed increase in volume of mobile web traffic could also have contributed to the decrease in location data quality, the report added.

“The good news is that the overall volume of high-quality location-enabled mobile ad inventory is increasing,” said Loren Hillberg, president of Thinknear.

“The main takeaway here is that the opportunity to leverage location data to reach audiences and drive consumer engagement is fully in place, but marketers need to be vigilant with their vendors to ensure the accuracy of that location data.”

More information can be found here.