Abstract: A system and method for using inverse mathematical principles in the analysis of compatible datasets so that correlations and trends within and between said datasets can be uncovered. The present invention is tailored to the analysis of datasets that are extremely large; result from passive, privacy-secure, or anonymous, data collection; and are relatively unbiased. Correlations and trends uncovered by such analysis can be further examined by data mining and prediction portions of the present invention, which uncover and make use of interrelated rules that determine data structures. An embodiment directed toward analysis of television viewership and marketing data that does this while still respecting privacy concerns is disclosed.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of determining the effect of content attributes on content ratings. The method may include obtaining content attributes, recording set-top box events as content is experienced without knowing individual-specific demographic information, correlating set-top box events to content attributes, and analyzing the correlations of set-top box events to content attributes over time to estimate the effect of content attributes on content ratings.