"Ingress Photo Score Theory for New Gym Selection: 3 Months of Additional Data"

#PokemonGO: IntroductionOn 12th June 2018, I proposed a working model for how the algorithm selects which Pokestop will become a gym once the gym birth threshold is surpassed.Since then, I have been using this model to influence which portals in my local area become gyms with great success. In the last three months, I have had 75 portals approved and have created over 30 gyms, which provides me with a strong data set for testing my own model.The following is a short and long version of my findings from the last three months. Key Background InfoA POI will get converted into a gym will get added when a level 14 cell reaches 2, 6 or 20 POIs.I proposed that the POI which is selected to become the gym will be the POI with the greatest Ingress photo score, where photo score is equal to 'number of photos' + 'number of likes (across all photos)'The POI selection process occurs approximately 10 hours before the POI syncs from Ingress to PoGo, which means that photo votes occurring after this time do not count for gym selection. TL;DR - The Short StoryUsing photo scores, I successfully picked 35 portals to become gyms. So long as I met the criteria for the photo score model, the portal with the highest photo score became the gym without exception. The probability that those 35 gyms happened to be selected purely by random chance is 4.7x10-12 . The Long StoryThe following table shows the photo scores for the new POI and the existing POIs for all gyms created since 12th June 2018, plus three gyms from a few days before 12th June 2018 as I had saved the data about the photo votes for these gyms. The numbers after each gym name is the photo score as of 10 hours before each respective portal sync. DateNew POIOld POI 1Old POI 2Old POI 3Old POI 4New Gym08 Jun 18Queens Gardens: 2Heritage Gazebo: 1Gazebo By The Boats: 1Water Sensitive Urban Design - Demonstration Park: 1Red Mill Store: 1Queens Gardens08 Jun 18Tuart Plaque: 1Bunbury Soccerdrome: 4Des Ugle Indigenous Artwork: 3Boolkaala Plaque: 1Djiridji Plaque: 2Bunbury Soccerdrome11 Jun 18Fenian Park Playground: 1Glen Iris Skate Park: 2---Glen Iris Skate Park17 Jun 18Wildlife Way Twin Gazebos: 11Reformed Church of Southern River: 8---Wildlife Way Twin Gazebos18 Jun 18We Live in a Biodiversity Hotspot: 1Holmes Street Bushland: 1---We Live in a Biodiversity Hotspot19 Jun 18Ken Cantwell Park: 2Cute Little Gazebo: 1---Ken Cantwell Park21 Jun 18Green Dinosaur Slide: 2Gosnells Archers: 1---Green Dinosaur Slide22 Jun 18Bradley Street Playground: 2Silkie's Link Leaf Gazebo: 3---Silkie's Link Leaf Gazebo24 Jun 18Splash of Colour: 2Livingston: 1---Splash of Colour26 Jun 18Clifton Park Playground: 1Clifton Park: 2---Clifton Park27 Jun 18Robot Park BBQ Area: 1Robot Park's other fallen robot: 3---Robot Park's other fallen robot27 Jun 18Leipold Pavilion: 1Sutherland Playground: 1---Sutherland Playground27 Jun 18Masjid Ibrahim: 1Southern River Community Hall: 2---Southern River Community Hall29 Jun 18Robinson Park Playground: 1Robinson Park Gosnells: 3---Robinson Park Gosnells03 Jul 18Gosnells Golf Club: 1Nolan Avenue Reserve Playground: 2---Nolan Avenue Reserve Playground04 Jul 18The Billabong Community Centre: 1Central Park Avenue Reserve: 3---Central Park Avenue Reserve05 Jul 18Raeside Way Gazebo: 1Sanctuary Waters Gazebo: 3---Sanctuary Waters Gazebo05 Jul 18Burtonia Gardens: 1Piara Water Playground: 3---Piara Water Playground06 Jul 18Picton Ecoscape Trail Entrance: 2Picton Ecoscape Information Boards: 1---Picton Ecoscape Trail Entrance08 Jul 18Waterperry Reserve Gazebo: 2Waterperry Drive Reserve Sign: 1---Waterperry Reserve Gazebo08 Jul 18Pinaster Reserve Playground: 3Pinaster Boulevard Reserve: 2---Pinaster Reserve Playground09 Jul 18Rock Around the Croc: 2Spyglass Park: 1---Rock Around the Croc09 Jul 18Monticello Parkway Playground: 1Terracina Rope Pyramid: 2---Terracina Rope Pyramid11 Jul 18Lansdowne Park Playground: 4Fimister Parkway Reserve: 3---Lansdowne Park Playground14 Jul 18Harrisdale’s Colourful Birds: 1Heron Park: 3Harrisdale Post Office: 2Stockland Harrisdale Play Area: 2Victory Street Playground: 1Heron Park16 Jul 184 Paws B&B Mural: 2Jandakot Regional Park: 1---4 Paws B&B Mural16 Jul 18Cristal Rehabilitation Info Board: 1Daablone Park Playground: 2---Daablone Park Playground18 Jul 18Harwood Close Playground: 2Sikh Temple Perth: 1---Harwood Close Playground18 Jul 18Trent Street Reserve Playground: 13 Native Wildlife Pillar Art: ??---3 Native Wildlife Pillar Art24 Jul 18Lakeside Reserve Playground: 1Lakeside Reserve: 1Lakeside Reserve: 2Armstrong Park Sign Warton Road: 6Armstrong Park Playground: 1Armstrong Park Sign Warton Road27 Jul 18Mary Carroll Park Nature Reserve: 1Working With The Environment: 3---Working With The Environment27 Jul 18Chelsfield Street Playground: 2Brigham Court Reserve: 6---Brigham Court Reserve29 Jul 18Orlestone Street Reserve Playground: 1Nicholas St Park: 6---Nicholas St Park17 Aug 18Piara Central Park Playground: 1A-Mazing Courtyard: 4---A-Mazing Courtyard17 Aug 18Rusthall Way Reserve Playground: 1Isaacs Court Reserve: 1Balfour Street Reserve: 1Balfour Street Reserve Playground: 1Isaacs Court Reserve Rainbow Webs: 1Balfour Street Reserve28 Aug 18Wollaston House Historical Marker: 1Church of St. Mark: 14---Church of St. Mark30 Aug 18Tenterden Way Playground: 1Seaforth Train Station: 12---Seaforth Train Station02 Sep 18Rossiter Pavilion: 2Piara Waters Sound Garden - Balance Beam: 1---Rossiter Pavilion09 Sep 18Bindoon Loop Reserve Playground: 2Rosebud Close Reserve: 1---Bindoon Loop Reserve Playground For 35 of the 39 gyms on this list, I used the photo score model to influence which POIs would become gyms, based on factors such as EX eligibility and accessibility for large groups. The gym with the highest photo score became the gym 100% of the time.For two gyms (Biodiversity Hotspot, Sutherland Playground), I didn't care which POI became the gym as the alternative POI was in virtually the same location, so these two sets of portals were all left with a photo score of 1 and the gym was randomly selected.For the '3 Native Wildlife Pillar Art' gym, I didn't have a key and could not see the portal while remote viewing from Trent Street Reserve Playground. I was not worried which one would become a gym, so I left it to chance. Either 'Wildlife Pillar Art' had a greater photo score, or it also had a photo score of 1 and was randomly selected.For the 'Balfour Street Reserve' gym, I was busy that day and forgot to do a photo vote, resulting in a 5 way tie in photo score with the gym being selected randomly. This was unfortunate as it was not the most ideal candidate for a gym of the five.For the 'Brigham Court Reserve' gym, I actually wanted Chelsfield Street Playground to be the gym, but was unable to get enough votes in time. I eventually managed to get Chelsfield up to a photo score of 7 by ~5:30pm local time, but this is ~8 hours before portal sync. It would have had a photo score of 2 at the cut-off time 10 hours before sync.Some people still incorrectly believe that the oldest portal becomes a gym. From my data, 14/39 times had the newest portal become the gym. Concluding ThoughtsThe Ingress photo score theory is well supported with data. This is a documented 35 times out of 35 times when the gym with the highest photo score has been selected to become the gym. This is not occurring randomly. via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/2Nk4oeI