Standards Deep Dive Inside the six-layer system

DOOH & Place-Based Media Standards.

The place-based execution layer: DOOH inside OpenRTB 2.6, venue taxonomies, impression multipliers, proof-of-play, audience estimation, location privacy — and what all of it means when agents do the buying.

This is a deep dive inside the six-layer standards system, not a seventh pillar. DOOH runs on the same transaction rails as the rest of programmatic — OpenRTB 2.6 carries it natively — but almost every assumption imported from the web breaks at the screen: there is no user, the impression count is a modeled estimate, delivery is scheduled, and proof is an operational concept rather than a standard. This page maps what is actually standardized, what is guidance, and what is still a contract term.

The DOOH execution layer — in DOOH, the impression is not just a screen: it is a place, a moment, a venue, an audience estimate, and a proof problem. DOOH — THE PLACE-BASED EXECUTION LAYER INPUTS — WHAT DEFINES THE IMPRESSION OUTPUTS — WHAT THE BUY MUST PRODUCE Venue — where the screen lives. Venue context is described via the OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy (three-tier hierarchy, 11 parent categories; spec 1.2.1 finalized February 2, 2026). AdCOM recognizes multiple venue taxonomies — OpenOOH, DPAA, DMI — so always declare which one a venuetypeid refers to. venue Screen — a physical display with real dimensions and capabilities. Physical display size is one of the DOOH-specific transaction challenges the OpenRTB integration was designed to address. screen Loop and slot — DOOH inventory is a slot in a rotation, not a solo page view. OpenRTB 2.6 added imp.dt, the timestamp when the impression is estimated to be fulfilled, because play time is scheduled, not instant. loop / slot Audience estimate — one play can reach many viewers, or fewer than one on average. The OpenRTB 2.6 qty object passes a decimal multiplier (fractional values such as 0.32 are allowed) that is statistically modeled, with a sourcetype enum (from AdCOM) and a declared measurement vendor. audience estimate Location context — where the screen physically is. The OpenRTB implementation notes cover publisher-provided geolocation on private networks; location is also where DOOH privacy review concentrates. location context Time and daypart — the moment matters in place-based media. imp.dt carries the estimated fulfillment timestamp in Unix milliseconds, and confirmations can be delayed — the implementation notes describe lead times up to about two hours. time / daypart Deal and bid — the transaction runs inside OpenRTB 2.6 (April 2022). A bid request with a dooh object must not contain a site or app object; there is no standalone "OpenRTB DOOH" spec. deal / bid Creative — formats vary by screen, and media owners commonly pre-approve creatives before play, another DOOH-specific challenge the OpenRTB integration addresses. OpenOOH has an early-stage creative-formats repo, but its activity has been low since 2021. creative Proof — evidence the ad actually rendered. No single cross-industry technical proof-of-play standard exists; the nearest spec-level analogue is OpenRTB burl, fired when the creative has rendered on screen and impressions are billable. proof The DOOH execution layer — there is no standalone "OpenRTB DOOH" spec. DOOH transacts inside OpenRTB 2.6 (April 2022) via the dooh and qty objects, with venue context from the OpenOOH taxonomy and billing anchored on the burl render event. One play, many estimated viewers — every number downstream is modeled. DOOH EXECUTION LAYER a place · a moment · a venue · an audience estimate · a proof problem OpenRTB 2.6 dooh + qty · OpenOOH venue taxonomy · burl billing event Programmatic transaction — cleared over OpenRTB 2.6 with cost = (AUCTION_PRICE / 1000) × AUCTION_MULTIPLIER via the AUCTION_MULTIPLIER macro. The multiplier is part of the price math, not a vanity metric. transaction Delivery proof — proof-of-play is an operational concept, not a single cross-industry standard. OAAA itself describes current reporting as variable, with self-verification still a big part of the ecosystem. Ask what a playout report contains and who verifies it. delivery proof Exposure model — estimated impressions, statistically modeled. In the US, Geopath (founded 1933, tripartite governance of advertisers, agencies, and media companies) supplies audience-location measurement; a modernization pilot with Ipsos was announced for the second half of 2026, with transition beginning 2027. exposure model Brand safety — in DOOH the context is a venue, not a page. Venue taxonomy data describes the environment, but adjacency and suitability remain implementation-sensitive — validate what a vendor actually checks. brand safety Measurement — the IAB DOOH Measurement Guide (July 2025) notes the channel is still challenged by inconsistent measurement standards and fragmented practices. Carry measurement confidence into every readout. measurement Privacy review — DOOH runs on location and presence data. Public specs transact modeled, aggregated audience estimates rather than one-to-one identity, but consent and location-privacy obligations differ by market — validate current status. privacy review The governance rail under everything: location privacy and consent obligations (market-specific — validate current status), aggregation of audience data, stated measurement confidence, and an audit trail from plan to playout. No DOOH standard above exempts a campaign from these. GOVERNANCE RAIL location privacy · consent · aggregation · measurement confidence · audit
The DOOH standards landscape: the OpenRTB 2.6 transaction rail, venue context, audience estimation, and the proof layer it all depends on.

In DOOH, the impression is not just a screen. It is a place, a moment, a venue, an audience estimate, and a proof problem.

Fast read

What it is
A deep-dive guide to the standards and concepts that make digital out-of-home and place-based media tradable — and to the estimation and proof mechanics that decide what a DOOH impression actually means.
What it covers
DOOH support inside OpenRTB 2.6 — the dooh object, qty multipliers, imp.dt, and burl — the OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy, OAAA and DPAA trade-body guidance, Geopath audience estimation, proof-of-play, location privacy, and agentic buying.
What it is not
Not a seventh standards pillar — a deep dive inside the six-layer system. And not a claim that a standalone “OpenRTB DOOH” specification exists: DOOH support lives inside OpenRTB 2.x.
Why it matters
Agentic buying can assemble a screen plan in seconds. Whether the play happens, who probably saw it, and what counts as proof depend on this layer — and most of it is estimated and modeled, not observed.
Best for
AdTech, media, agency, brand, retail media, and screen-network leaders building or evaluating DOOH and place-based execution in agentic workflows.
Best next read
Core AdTech Standards, Measurement & Media Quality, and the Retail Media Network ecosystem surface.
Orientation

Where DOOH fits in the standards stack.

DOOH is not a parallel universe — it is a child of the six-layer system with unusual physics. It transacts on the Core AdTech rails (OpenRTB 2.6 carries the dooh and qty objects natively); its privacy perimeter sits upstream, in the mobility and location data behind audience estimation rather than in a consent string on the screen; and its measurement inherits the trust layer’s principles while lacking much of its tooling — the web’s client-side verification assumptions do not transfer to a screen in a mall. This page is the close-up of that intersection.

Where DOOH sits — between the plan that picks the places and the privacy rail that governs the location data underneath. DOOH IN THE STANDARDS STACK Media plan — the plan decides which places, moments, and audiences matter. Everything below turns that intent into a transacted, provable screen play. MEDIA PLAN place-based goals · markets · audiences · flighting OpenRTB 2.6 transaction — DOOH was integrated into OpenRTB 2.6 (April 2022); there is no standalone "OpenRTB DOOH" spec. The dooh object is mutually exclusive with site and app; qty passes a decimal audience multiplier (fractional values allowed, statistically modeled); imp.dt carries the estimated fulfillment timestamp; burl fires when the creative has rendered and impressions are billable. OPENRTB 2.6 TRANSACTION dooh object · qty multiplier · imp.dt · burl billing event Venue and context layer — the OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy is a three-tier hierarchy (parent, child, grandchild) with immutable enumeration IDs and 11 parent categories; spec 1.2.1 was finalized February 2, 2026, while documented production adoption in the repo README is on versions 1.0–1.1. AdCOM recognizes multiple venue taxonomies — OpenOOH, DPAA, DMI — so declare which taxonomy a venuetypeid refers to. VENUE / CONTEXT LAYER OpenOOH venue taxonomy 1.2.1 · venuetax · venuetypeid Delivery and proof-of-play — no single cross-industry technical proof-of-play standard exists. OAAA itself describes current reporting as variable, with self-verification still a big part of the ecosystem. The nearest spec-level analogue is OpenRTB burl billing guidance; the UK market adds Outsmart Playout 2024 for media-owner playout data (UK-market, not global). DELIVERY + PROOF-OF-PLAY player logs · burl render event · self-verification today Measurement and attribution — audience numbers are statistically modeled: one play, many estimated viewers. In the US, Geopath (founded 1933, tripartite governance) supplies audience-location measurement; a modernization pilot with Ipsos was announced for the second half of 2026, with transition beginning 2027. The IAB DOOH Measurement Guide (July 2025) notes the channel is still challenged by inconsistent measurement standards and fragmented practices. MEASUREMENT / ATTRIBUTION estimated impressions · footfall · lift — modeled, not counted The privacy rail — DOOH runs on location and presence data. Public specs transact modeled, aggregated audience estimates rather than one-to-one identity, but location-privacy and consent obligations differ by market. Treat aggregation and auditability as a rail under every layer, and validate current status where you operate. PRIVACY RAIL location privacy · consent · aggregated audiences · audit
A deep-dive layer map: DOOH and place-based media positioned across the transaction, privacy, and measurement layers of the six-layer system.
Why it is different

Why DOOH is different.

Every DOOH-specific standard and field exists because a web assumption broke at the screen. Eight realities define the channel.

  • 01

    One play, many viewers

    A single play on a public screen can reach a crowd, not a browser tab. OpenRTB 2.6 models this with the qty multiplier — a statistically modeled count of impressions per play, fractional values allowed.

  • 02

    The impression is estimated

    Public documentation describes multipliers as statistically modeled values sourced from measurement vendors. A DOOH impression count is an estimate with a methodology attached, not an observed event log.

  • 03

    The screen is a place

    Venue context replaces page context: a gym, an airport concourse, and a pharmacy are different buys. Standardized venue taxonomies exist so that context can be transacted, not just described.

  • 04

    There is no user on the screen

    A passer-by presents no cookie, device ID, or consent string. Identity-based targeting logic does not transfer to DOOH — audience data enters through planning and measurement instead.

  • 05

    Delivery is scheduled, not instant

    Screens play loops and slots. OpenRTB 2.6 added imp.dt for the estimated fulfillment time, and the official integration guidance contemplates delayed confirmations — the play can trail the auction by a long lead time.

  • 06

    Creative may need pre-approval

    Many screen networks review creative before it can play. IAB Tech Lab’s integration work names pre-approval of creatives among the DOOH-specific challenges — instant creative swaps are not a safe assumption.

  • 07

    Proof is an open problem

    There is no single cross-industry technical standard for proof-of-play. Playout reporting is an operational practice, often self-verified — the trade bodies describe its current state as variable themselves.

  • 08

    Two industries, one transaction

    DOOH joins a trade with roots in the 1890s — OAAA dates to 1891 — to programmatic rails from the 2010s. The OpenRTB integration was a collaboration between IAB Tech Lab, OAAA, and Outsmart, and the seams still show.

The working set

Core DOOH standards and concepts.

Seven things carry the weight: one transaction rail, one venue vocabulary, one estimation currency, one proof gap, two kinds of trade-body guidance, and one national preview of where it may all converge.

  • The transaction rail

    DOOH inside OpenRTB 2.6

    There is no standalone “OpenRTB DOOH” spec — DOOH support lives inside OpenRTB 2.6 (released April 2022). The dooh object is a top-level distribution channel, mutually exclusive with site and app; the qty object passes an impression multiplier per play, fractional values allowed (0.32 as well as 14.2) because values are statistically modeled; imp.dt carries the estimated fulfillment timestamp; and burl is the billing event, fired when the creative has rendered and the impression or impressions become billable. The OpenRTB 2.x implementation notes (section 7.9) carry the working guidance — venuetax and venuetypeid usage, the multiplier vendor and sourcetype fields, and the AUCTION_MULTIPLIER macro, with cost computed as (AUCTION_PRICE / 1000) × AUCTION_MULTIPLIER.

  • Venue context

    OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy

    The OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy standardizes venue types for programmatic DOOH: a three-tier Parent/Child/Grandchild hierarchy with immutable enumeration IDs. The current specification is 1.2.1, finalized February 2026, with 11 parent categories spanning Transit, Retail, Outdoor, Point of Care, and more. The repository README documents production adoption — Broadsign, PlaceExchange, Vistar Media — on the 1.0–1.1 versions. AdCOM, OpenRTB’s companion, enumerates multiple venue taxonomies (OpenOOH alongside DPAA and DMI options), so a venuetypeid only means something once the taxonomy and version are declared with it.

  • Audience estimation

    Geopath and impression currencies

    Geopath is the US OOH audience measurement organization — founded 1933, governed by a tripartite board of advertisers, agencies, and media companies — and its location-based measurement is the planning currency behind much US OOH inventory. Per a March 2026 OAAA release, modernization is underway: Ipsos was selected for a pilot launching in the second half of 2026, with transition beginning 2027 and full adoption anticipated 2028. Every number in this chain is estimated and modeled — treat audience figures as methodology-bearing estimates and validate current status.

  • The proof gap

    Proof-of-play

    There is no single cross-industry technical standard for proof-of-play — it is an operational concept. OAAA’s own public discussion describes proof-of-play reporting as variable, with self-verification still a large part of the ecosystem. The closest spec-level analogue is OpenRTB’s burl billing-event guidance; the closest operationalized data standardization is UK-market work from Outsmart’s standards committee. Until that changes, what counts as proof is defined per media owner — in the contract.

  • Trade bodies and codes

    OAAA, DPAA, and joint best practices

    OAAA is the US OOH trade association — founded 1891, 800+ members — an advocacy and codes-of-practice body, not a technical spec publisher. DPAA self-describes as a global trade marketing association for digital out-of-home. Their joint technical-adjacent artifact is “DOOH Best Practices” (2019), a six-module compilation by five trade groups — DPAA, the Digital Signage Federation, IAB, Geopath, and OAAA. Best practices, not protocol.

  • Guidance, maturing

    IAB definitions and measurement guidance

    IAB published an official DOOH definition (December 2024) and a DOOH Measurement Guide (July 2025) that itself notes the landscape remains challenged by inconsistent measurement standards and fragmented practices. OpenOOH also hosts early-stage creative-formats and measurement-spec repositories, but both show low activity since 2021 — the venue taxonomy is the OpenOOH deliverable with documented production adoption.

  • Market-level standards

    The UK preview: Outsmart

    The UK shows what deeper standardization can look like. Outsmart’s Out of Home Standards Committee publishes OpenDirect (OOH) 1.5.1 for programmatic direct trading, an Impression Multiplier Standard with published methodology, and Playout 2024 — a centralized industry tool housing media-owner playout data in a published file format. These are UK-market standards, not global ones — but they preview where multipliers and proof may converge elsewhere.

From brief to readout

Programmatic DOOH decision flow.

A DOOH buy that survives scrutiny runs through eight stages — and the two that teams skip most often, creative pre-approval and proof-of-play definition, are the two that hurt most when skipped.

Programmatic DOOH, brief to proof — where the deal clears, where proof is operational rather than standardized, and where evidence is modeled. PROGRAMMATIC DOOH — BRIEF TO PROOF the buy clears — the campaign still has to run, be proven, and be measured Decide proof first — agree before buying what evidence will count: playout records, modeled impressions, footfall, or a designed lift study. In DOOH the proof question shapes the buy itself. DECIDE PROOF FIRST agree what evidence will count before you buy No standalone DOOH spec — DOOH transacts inside OpenRTB 2.6 (April 2022): the dooh object replaces site and app, and qty carries the audience multiplier. The implementation notes (section 7.9) hold the DOOH-specific guidance. NO STANDALONE DOOH SPEC the deal clears inside OpenRTB 2.6 — dooh + qty The brief — what outcome, which markets, what timing and budget. Decide up front what evidence will count as success; in DOOH that choice constrains everything downstream. BRIEF goal · budget · market Venue and audience need — translate the brief into venue types and audience definitions. Venue context speaks the OpenOOH taxonomy (three tiers, 11 parent categories); the audience is a modeled estimate, not a counted one. VENUE / AUDIENCE places · moments · people Inventory discovery — which screens, loops, and slots can deliver the venues and moments the plan needs. Availability is loop-based: a slot in a rotation, not an exclusive solo moment. INVENTORY DISCOVERY screens · loops · avails The transaction — open auction or deals over OpenRTB 2.6: the dooh object (mutually exclusive with site and app), the qty multiplier for one-play-many-viewers, and imp.dt, the estimated fulfillment timestamp. Cost = (AUCTION_PRICE / 1000) × AUCTION_MULTIPLIER. OPENRTB / DEAL PATH dooh + qty objects Creative and format check — DOOH screens vary in physical dimensions and capabilities, and media owners commonly pre-approve creatives, one of the DOOH-specific challenges the OpenRTB integration was designed to handle. Confirmations can be delayed — the implementation notes describe lead times up to about two hours. CREATIVE / FORMAT specs · pre-approval Proof-of-play — evidence the creative actually rendered. No single cross-industry technical standard exists; the nearest spec-level analogue is OpenRTB burl, fired when the creative has rendered on screen and impressions are billable. Ask what a vendor playout report contains and who verifies it. PROOF-OF-PLAY did the ad run? Measurement — estimated impressions via the qty multiplier (fractional values allowed, statistically modeled), audience-location measurement (Geopath in the US), and footfall or lift studies where commissioned. Estimated and modeled, not counted. MEASUREMENT modeled exposure Outcome readout — reconcile what was bought, what played, what exposure was modeled, and what evidence supports the outcome, with measurement confidence stated rather than implied. OUTCOME READOUT what counted, and why Proof is operational — no single cross-industry technical proof-of-play standard exists. OAAA describes current reporting as variable, with self-verification still a big part of the ecosystem; OpenRTB burl billing guidance is the nearest spec-level analogue. Ask what the playout report contains and who verifies it. PROOF IS OPERATIONAL no single cross-industry proof-of-play standard — ask what the playout report actually contains Modeled evidence — DOOH impressions, footfall, and lift are statistically modeled estimates: the qty multiplier can be fractional, audience-location measurement is modeled, and footfall correlates visits with exposure windows. State measurement confidence in the readout. MODELED EVIDENCE impressions, footfall, and lift are estimates — carry measurement confidence into the readout
The programmatic DOOH decision flow: brief, venue and audience need, inventory discovery, OpenRTB or deal path, creative and format check, proof-of-play, measurement, and outcome readout.
  • 01 — Brief: objective, geography, flight, budget — and the proof obligations the buyer will require.
  • 02 — Venue and audience need: which venue categories, dayparts, and audience definitions actually serve the objective.
  • 03 — Inventory discovery: screens, declared venue taxonomy IDs, formats, and the multiplier sources behind the audience claims.
  • 04 — OpenRTB or deal path: open auction, PMP, or programmatic direct — with the dooh and qty objects doing the describing on the RTB path.
  • 05 — Creative and format check: specs, aspect ratios, and network pre-approval lead times built into the flighting, not discovered after it.
  • 06 — Proof-of-play: defined per media owner — playout reporting, burl billing events, and what the contract says counts as proof.
  • 07 — Measurement: modeled audience delivery read against the planning currency, methodology attached.
  • 08 — Outcome readout: estimated outcomes reported as estimates — with the error awareness stacked models require.

The discipline

Stages six through eight are decided at stage one. Proof, measurement, and the outcome readout are contract terms and methodology choices — not reports that arrive on their own.

Estimates, honestly

Measurement and proof.

DOOH measurement is an estimation chain: a modeled multiplier on each play, a modeled audience currency over the inventory, and modeled outcome studies on top. None of that makes the channel unmeasurable — it makes precision about what each metric proves non-negotiable. The IAB’s own 2025 measurement guidance notes the landscape remains challenged by inconsistent standards and fragmented practices; the table below is the honest version.

MetricWhat it provesWhat it does not prove
Playout / proof-of-play reportThe media owner’s system logged the creative playing in its scheduled slotIndependent verification — much playout reporting is self-reported, and no single cross-industry technical standard governs it
burl billing event (OpenRTB)The spec-level billing event fired: the creative rendered and the impression or impressions became billableThat any particular number of people were present — the count comes from the multiplier, not from the event
qty impression multiplierA measurement vendor’s declared, modeled estimate of impressions per play, carried in the bid requestObserved exposure — multipliers are statistically modeled and can be fractional (0.32 as well as 14.2)
Venue taxonomy IDA standardized, auditable claim about venue type that buyers can target againstPhysical reality at play time — the ID is seller-declared metadata, not a sensor reading
Audience currency (e.g. Geopath in the US)Planning-grade, modeled audience estimates for measured inventoryPerson-level delivery or attribution — and the US methodology is itself being modernized through 2028
Outcome studies (footfall, brand lift)A modeled relationship between estimated exposure and an outcome, per the study’s methodologyDeterministic individual-level conversion — estimates stacked on estimates do not become observations
The DOOH proof ladder — proof-of-play, estimated impressions, footfall, lift: each rung answers a harder question, and none answers the one above it. THE DOOH PROOF LADDER How to read the ladder — proof-of-play says the ad ran; estimated impressions model who could have seen it; footfall correlates visits; lift and MMM design the evidence. Each step up answers a harder question, and every step rests on the modeled steps below it — decide before the buy which rung the campaign will be judged on. HOW TO READ THE LADDER each step up answers a harder question — and rests on the modeled steps below it Proof-of-play — evidence the creative rendered on a screen. An operational concept, not a single cross-industry technical standard: OAAA itself describes current reporting as variable, with self-verification still a big part of the ecosystem. The nearest spec-level analogue is OpenRTB burl, fired when the creative has rendered on screen and impressions are billable. PROOF-OF-PLAY the ad ran Estimated impressions — one play, many viewers, or fewer than one on average. The OpenRTB 2.6 qty multiplier is a decimal that can be fractional (for example 0.32) and is statistically modeled, with the source type and measurement vendor declared. In the US, Geopath supplies audience-location measurement; a modernization pilot with Ipsos was announced for the second half of 2026, with transition beginning 2027. ESTIMATED IMPRESSIONS modeled exposure Footfall — visits correlated with exposure windows, typically via modeled device-location panels. Implementation-sensitive: panel composition, dwell thresholds, and attribution windows all move the number. Ask the vendor for methodology and controls. FOOTFALL correlated visits Lift studies and marketing-mix models — designed evidence: control and exposed comparisons, or DOOH as an input to a mix model. The strongest rung, but it needs design, scale, and time — and the IAB DOOH Measurement Guide (July 2025) notes the channel is still challenged by inconsistent measurement standards and fragmented practices. LIFT / MMM designed evidence What proof-of-play does not prove: that anyone saw the ad. A playout record says the screen showed the creative — presence and exposure live on the next rung up, and they are modeled. DOES NOT PROVE that anyone saw it — exposure is the next rung What estimated impressions do not prove: who saw the ad, or whether anyone actually looked. Multipliers are statistically modeled audience estimates, not counted viewers — ask for the source type, the vendor, and the model behind the number. DOES NOT PROVE who saw it, or whether they looked — modeled, not counted What footfall does not prove: causation. A visit that follows exposure is a correlation inside a model — people near a screen were already near the store. Designed evidence lives one rung up. DOES NOT PROVE causation — visits correlate with exposure in a model What lift and MMM do not prove: a universal answer. Results hold within the study design, market, and period they were measured in — treat extrapolation beyond that as a new claim that needs new evidence. DOES NOT PROVE a universal answer — results hold within the study design and period
The DOOH measurement and proof chain: playout reporting, the burl billing event, modeled multipliers, the audience currency, and outcome studies — each proving one specific thing.
Privacy perimeter

Privacy and location constraints.

DOOH’s privacy story is structurally different from the web’s — and structurally different is not the same as solved. The screen collects nothing from a passer-by; the data questions live in the estimation and measurement supply chain behind it.

  • No user identifier

    The screen has no cookie

    A passer-by presents nothing to the screen — no cookie, no device ID, no consent string. The geolocation in a DOOH bid request describes the screen’s venue (public documentation notes publisher-provided location for screens on private networks), not a person.

  • Where the data lives

    Estimation runs on mobility data

    The privacy exposure concentrates upstream of the screen: audience estimation and outcome measurement typically rely on aggregated or modeled location and mobility data. That data is governed by location-privacy and consent law in each market — validate vendor methodology and legal basis, not just the output numbers.

  • The honest claim

    Aggregated is not automatic

    “One-to-many and anonymous by design” is a starting point, not a conclusion. Whether a DOOH measurement chain meets a given privacy bar is implementation-sensitive — it depends on the vendors, the data sources, and the jurisdiction. Nothing in this chain is privacy-safe by default.

Agents at the screen

Agentic implications.

An agent buying DOOH does not buy a pageview — it reasons about places, time slots, estimated crowds, and proof obligations. The standards on this page are the constraint set that reasoning has to satisfy. Six implications follow.

  • 01

    Discovery is a venue problem

    An agent buying DOOH reasons over venue taxonomies, dayparts, and formats — not URLs and app bundles. Which taxonomy and which version each seller declares is a capability check, not an assumption.

  • 02

    The cost math has a multiplier

    Budget and pacing logic must implement (AUCTION_PRICE / 1000) × AUCTION_MULTIPLIER — with fractional multipliers handled correctly. An agent that prices plays as single impressions misprices the whole channel.

  • 03

    Timing is part of the impression

    imp.dt is an estimated fulfillment time, and official guidance contemplates delayed confirmations. Agents cannot assume real-time render confirmation — reconciliation logic must tolerate the lag between auction and play.

  • 04

    Pre-approval breaks instant launch

    Creative pre-approval is named among the DOOH-specific challenges the OpenRTB integration addresses. Workflows that assume same-minute creative activation will fail on screen networks that review first.

  • 05

    Proof must be specified upfront

    Because no single proof-of-play standard exists, an agentic buying workflow has to encode what counts as proof per media owner — playout reports, burl reconciliation, audit rights — before spend, not after.

  • 06

    Estimates compound

    Modeled multipliers × modeled audience currencies × modeled outcomes: an agent optimizing on stacked models needs explicit error awareness and methodology checks, or it will optimize the noise.

Implementation lens

Implementation lens.

The same standards land differently depending on where you sit in the chain. Select your company type for the version of this page that applies to you.

Select your company type
What to demand

Require declared venue taxonomies and multiplier sources on every buy, proof-of-play terms in the contract, and methodology disclosure behind every audience number. Treat outcome studies as modeled evidence, and keep claims inside what the estimation chain actually supports.

  • OpenRTB 2.6 dooh / qty
  • OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy
  • Proof-of-play terms
  • Geopath
What to operationalize

Maintain a per-market capability matrix: venue taxonomy versions, formats, multiplier vendors, pre-approval lead times, and deal paths. Build multiplier-aware cost math into planning, and account for market-level differences — the UK’s Outsmart standards do not describe the US.

  • AUCTION_MULTIPLIER math
  • Venue taxonomy versions
  • imp.dt and flighting
  • OpenDirect (OOH) — UK
What to implement

Implement the dooh and qty objects correctly, declare venuetax and venuetypeid, fire burl at the billable render, and document playout reporting and multiplier methodology. Transparency about how your numbers are made is a sales asset — buyers increasingly gate spend on it.

  • dooh object
  • qty + sourcetype + vendor
  • burl
  • Playout reporting
What to engineer

Enforce the spec rule that dooh is mutually exclusive with site and app, carry multiplier and vendor fields faithfully, support PMP and programmatic-direct paths, and build creative pre-approval into the workflow rather than around it. Map venue taxonomies across versions explicitly.

  • OpenRTB 2.6
  • AdCOM venue lists
  • Deals / PMP
  • Creative approval flow
What to engineer

Implement multiplier-aware pricing and budgeting, imp.dt-aware pacing, and delayed-confirmation reconciliation. Remove web assumptions deliberately: no cookies, no client-side verification scripts, no real-time render guarantee. Venue-taxonomy targeting is the new contextual layer.

  • qty math
  • imp.dt pacing
  • Venue targeting
  • burl reconciliation
What to cover

Publish multiplier methodology and sourcetype, support taxonomy mapping, and be explicit about model error and coverage gaps. Track the US currency modernization — pilot in late 2026, transition from 2027 — and the IAB’s DOOH measurement guidance as it matures. Govern mobility data to the strictest applicable bar.

  • Multiplier methodology
  • Geopath / Ipsos pilot
  • IAB DOOH Measurement Guide
  • Mobility data governance
What to align

In-store screens are place-based media: the same venue-context, multiplier, and proof questions apply inside the store. Align in-store retail media measurement with DOOH concepts — declared venue types, modeled audience estimates, contractual proof — instead of inventing a parallel vocabulary.

  • In-store screens
  • Venue taxonomy — Retail
  • Proof-of-play
  • Retail media measurement
No Fluff POV

No Fluff POV.

DOOH is the proof that “programmatic” is not one thing. The rails are real — OpenRTB 2.6 carries DOOH natively — but the impression is an estimate, the context is a venue, and the proof is a contract term. Teams that treat DOOH as display with bigger screens automate the wrong assumptions; teams that respect its physics get a channel where context is honest and the estimation chain is at least visible.

  • Say it precisely: DOOH support lives inside OpenRTB 2.6 — dooh, qty, imp.dt, burl — there is no standalone “OpenRTB DOOH” spec.
  • Treat every audience number as a methodology-bearing estimate: multipliers are modeled, currencies are modeled, outcomes are modeled.
  • Define proof-of-play contractually, per media owner — no cross-industry technical standard will do it for you.
  • Declare and audit venue context: which taxonomy, which version, which IDs — documented adoption sits on 1.0–1.1 even though 1.2.1 is the current spec.
  • Watch the moving parts: the US audience currency is being modernized through 2028, and UK-market standards preview where multipliers and proof may converge — validate current status.

The point

In DOOH, the impression is not just a screen. It is a place, a moment, a venue, an audience estimate, and a proof problem.

Validate, don’t assume

Primary sources to validate.

DOOH, place-based media, measurement, and privacy references last validated: June 2026. Validate current official documentation before implementation.

Primary sources to validate 17 sources
  • IAB Tech Lab (GitHub) · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    The canonical OpenRTB 2.6 spec document. Object: DOOH (3.2.32) is a top-level distribution channel — 'a bid request with a DOOH object must not contain a site or app object' — and Object: Qty (3.2.31) passes a multiplier 'representing the total quantity of impressions for adverts that display to more than one person.' Also defines imp.dt, the estimated-fulfillment timestamp in Unix milliseconds. There is no standalone 'OpenRTB DOOH' spec — DOOH support lives inside OpenRTB 2.6. Supports: DOOH and Qty object definitions, dooh / site / app mutual exclusivity, imp.dt estimated-fulfillment timestamp, No-standalone-DOOH-spec framing.

  • IAB Tech Lab (GitHub) · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    Official DOOH implementation guidance: dooh request example with venuetax/venuetypeid, qty example (multiplier 14.2, sourcetype, vendor 'route.org.uk'), fractional multipliers (above or below 1, e.g. 0.32 impressions per play — statistically modeled), burl 'fired when the creative has rendered on screen and impression[s] are billable', and the AUCTION_MULTIPLIER macro with cost = (AUCTION_PRICE / 1000) * AUCTION_MULTIPLIER. Supports: How DOOH transacts in OpenRTB 2.6, Fractional multiplier mechanics, burl billing-event guidance (closest spec-level analogue to proof of play), AUCTION_MULTIPLIER cost math.

  • IAB Tech Lab · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    IAB Tech Lab announcement that DOOH was integrated into the OpenRTB 2.x spec, in collaboration with OAAA and Outsmart plus DSPs, SSPs, and media owners. Names the DOOH-specific challenges addressed: fractional/variable impression counts, physical display dimensions, publisher-provided geolocation on private networks, delayed confirmations (lead times up to ~2 hours), and creative pre-approval. The page does not state the announcement year — do not date it. Supports: DOOH-in-OpenRTB framing (integration, not a separate spec), DOOH transaction challenges addressed, OAAA + Outsmart collaboration.

  • IAB Tech Lab · checked 2026-06-12 · Supporting

    The official OpenRTB 2.6 release PDF on iabtechlab.com — establishes the April 2022 release of version 2.6, the version that introduced the DOOH and Qty objects. Supports: Dating OpenRTB 2.6 to April 2022.

  • IAB Tech Lab (GitHub) · checked 2026-06-12 · Supporting

    Where the DOOH enumerations referenced by OpenRTB live: 'List: DOOH Venue Taxonomies' (recognizing multiple taxonomies including OpenOOH, DPAA Device Venue Types, and DMI Categorization of Venues), 'List: DOOH Multiplier Measurement Source Types' (referenced by qty.sourcetype), a deprecated DOOH Venue Types list, and a Dooh distribution-channel object alongside Site and App. Exact ID-to-taxonomy mappings were not directly quoted — verify against the spec before citing enum values. Supports: Venue-taxonomy and multiplier source-type enum location, IAB recognition of multiple venue taxonomies (OpenOOH, DPAA, DMI).

  • OpenOOH · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    OpenOOH self-describes as 'Common standards for OOH advertising.' The active deliverable is the venue-taxonomy repo (Apache-2.0); creative-formats and measurement-spec repos exist but show low activity since 2021 — frame them as early-stage. The openooh.org website refused connections during validation; cite the GitHub org instead. Supports: OpenOOH existence and scope, Venue taxonomy as the de facto adopted OpenOOH standard, Early-stage status of creative/measurement repos.

  • OpenOOH · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    The OpenOOH Venue Taxonomy standardizes the list of venue types representing DOOH advertising screens for programmatic OpenRTB use. The README documents production adoption (Broadsign, PlaceExchange, Vistar Media — attribute to the README) on versions 1.0–1.1 and still described 1.1 as the current active version at validation time — do not claim platform adoption of 1.2.x. Supports: What the venue taxonomy is, Documented adoption (on 1.0–1.1, per README), Version lineage 1.0 → 1.1 → 1.2.x.

  • OpenOOH · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    Latest spec file: version 1.2.1, finalized February 2, 2026 (1.2.0 was a September 2025 public-comment draft). Three-tier hierarchy (parent / child / grandchild venue types) with immutable enumeration IDs and 11 parent categories: Transit, Retail, Outdoor, Health & Beauty, Point of Care, Education, Office Building, Entertainment, Government, Financial, Residential. Supports: Current venue-taxonomy version (1.2.1, final, Feb 2, 2026), Three-tier structure, The 11 parent categories.

  • About OAAA ↗ Official standards page

    OAAA (Out of Home Advertising Association of America) · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    OAAA is the US OOH trade association — founded 1891, 800+ members (media companies, advertisers, agencies, ad tech, suppliers). It publishes the OAAA Code of Industry Principles, advertising codes, and best practices; it is an advocacy/trade body, not a technical-spec publisher. Supports: OAAA role, founding (1891), membership, Advocacy-not-spec-body framing.

  • OAAA · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    OAAA article (May 10, 2019) on proof of play: DOOH playout reporting and verification is 'variable' and 'self-verification, therefore, remains a big part of the current DOOH ecosystem.' The honest source that no single cross-industry technical proof-of-play standard exists — guidance lives in the five-trade-group DOOH Best Practices, and OAAA calls for globally agreed third-party verification standards. Supports: Proof of play as operational concept, not a standard, Industry's own characterization of PoP variability and self-verification.

  • OAAA · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    March 2026 release: Geopath (founded 1933, governed by a tripartite board of advertisers, agencies, and media companies) and OAAA selected Ipsos via RFP for a measurement-modernization pilot launching H2 2026; transition from the current Geopath system begins 2027, full adoption anticipated 2028. Status is pilot — do not claim the transition has already happened. Supports: Geopath governance and 1933 founding, Measurement-modernization timeline (pilot H2 2026 → 2027 → 2028), OAAA–Geopath relationship.

  • Geopath — official site ↗ Official standards page

    Geopath · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    Geopath self-describes as 'the OOH industry standard... powering a smarter OOH marketplace through state-of-the-art audience location measurement.' OOH audience figures are estimated/modeled location measurement — attribute scale claims (e.g., 101+ billion weekly impressions from measured US units) to Geopath itself. The homepage does not state nonprofit status — do not assert it. Supports: Geopath role as US OOH audience-measurement currency, Estimated/modeled measurement framing, Insights Suite tooling.

  • DPAA · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    DPAA self-describes as 'the leading global trade marketing association driving the growth and digitization of out-of-home (OOH) media' — events (DPAA Summit), research, and member services. A trade/marketing association: it does not publish technical specs, although AdCOM's venue-taxonomy list references DPAA Device Venue Types. Supports: DPAA current name, role, global scope, Trade-association-not-standards-body framing.

  • IAB · checked 2026-06-12 · Supporting

    IAB's formal definition of DOOH, released with the IAB DOOH Committee (companion PDF dated December 2024): DOOH 'combines dynamic digital screens with data-driven marketing to engage one-to-one or one-to-many audiences in public and commercial spaces' — a definition 'for the entire industry to align to and build upon.' Note the URL's 'defintion' spelling is IAB's own. Supports: Official industry definition of DOOH (December 2024), One-to-many audience framing, IAB DOOH Committee attribution.

  • IAB · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    IAB (the trade body, distinct from IAB Tech Lab) measurement guide published July 8, 2025: how DOOH is currently measured, from data collection to attribution, created because the DOOH landscape is 'still challenged by inconsistent measurement standards and fragmented practices.' Guidance, not a technical protocol; full content gated behind an IAB account. Supports: IAB DOOH measurement guidance (July 2025), Evidence that DOOH measurement standardization remains guidance-level and fragmented.

  • IAB · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    March 26, 2019 announcement of DOOH Best Practices — a six-module joint compilation by five trade groups (DPAA, Digital Signage Federation, IAB, Geopath, OAAA): general overview, technology and infrastructure, buying and selling, creative and content, measuring success, glossary. The proof-of-play guidance OAAA points to lives here — best practices, not a binding technical standard. Supports: The five-trade-group best-practices compilation, Cross-body collaboration at best-practices level.

  • Outsmart (UK OOH trade body) · checked 2026-06-12 · Primary

    Outsmart's Out of Home Standards Committee publishes UK-market data standards: OpenDirect (OOH) 1.5.1, an OpenRTB profile for DOOH, the Impression Multiplier Standard (IMS, full and Lite), and 'Playout 2024' — a centralized industry tool housing media-owner playout data with a published file format. The closest operationalized playout/proof-of-play data standardization, but UK-market scope — do not present these as global standards. Supports: UK-market OOH data standards (OpenDirect OOH 1.5.1, IMS, Playout 2024), Nearest operationalized playout-data standardization (UK, not global).

Platform capabilities and naming change quickly. Last validated: June 12, 2026. Check current documentation before implementation.DOOH, place-based media, measurement, and privacy references last validated: June 2026. Validate current official documentation before implementation.

Next step

Building DOOH, retail media, or place-based workflows?

The operating work is to wire venue context, multiplier math, proof-of-play terms, and estimation-aware measurement into the buying path — before agents scale whatever the screen network actually reports.