Targeting Content with GeoIP Information

GeoIP support lets you target your messaging to specific audiences based on current geographical location. Ektron uses a site visitor’s IP address to detect the location.

Ektron maintains GeoIP information in a cookie while visitors use the site. When they exit, Ektron deletes the cookie.

For example, your eCommerce website is having a special on snow blowers. That information is relevant to people in Northern climates but of no interest to those living in the tropics. As another example, a site visitor uses a cell phone to find the nearest store location. In this case, Ektron Map server controla server control uses API language to interact with the CMS and Framework UI to display the output. A server control can be dragged and dropped onto a Web form and then modified. displays a map of nearby stores based on the user's current latitude and longitude.

IP address location information

IP Address Location Information

Ektron obtains the following information from the IP address of your site visitors. (Values are examples.)

IP Address—208.32.120.10
Country code and name—United States
Region—NH (New Hampshire)
US area code—603
US metro code—506
City—506
US zip code—Nashua
Latitude and longitude—42.7551/-71.4853
Organization—Sprint
Domain name—www.example.com

Retrieving IP address information

Retrieving IP Address Information

Ektron retrieves the IP address information from a site visitor's IP address via 3 databases. The databases are installed to your site root's App_data folder and listed in your site's web.config file.


<add key="GeoIpCityDatabase" value="~/App_Data/GeoLiteCity.dat"/>

Returns the following information, based on IP address:
- Area code
- City
- US State
- Country code and name
- Latitude and Longitude
- MetroCode
- PostalCode
- Telephone area code

<add key="GeoIpOrgDatabase" value="~/App_Data/GeoIPOrg.dat"/>

Returns the organization name, based on IP address.
<!-- GeoIP Domain Database -->
<add key="GeoIpDomainDatabase" value="~/App_Data/GeoIPDomain.dat"/>
Returns the domain name, based on IP address.

If you want to move the databases to another folder, you must update their web.config value elements to the new location.

NOTE: The tilde character (~) in the value element represents the site root folder.

Best Practice

You should keep the GeoIP databases in the App_data folder, since this folder prevents unauthorized copying of the database.

Choosing a GeoIP database

Choosing a GeoIP Database

Ektron includes GeoLite data created by MaxMind. You can purchase more accurate GeoIP databases from MaxMind.

Using GeoIP information in Ektron

Using GeoIP Information in Ektron

The following Ektron components provide access to GeoIP information.

Using GeoIP Information in the Targeted Content widget

Using GeoIP Information in the Targeted Content Widget

Among the Targeted Content widgetWidgets are mini-applications that you place on a Web page using PageBuilder; a widget provides either specific functionality (calculators, search, social bars, etc.) or areas into which you can add content (content blocks, list summaries, collections, and so on).'s criteria is User Regional Info, which has 2 options: Country and US Regions.

If you choose US Regions, you can select from states in the United States.

User Regional Info data uses GeoIP information. See Also: Using Widgets

Using GeoIP information in the Map Server Control

Using GeoIP Information in the Map Server Control

You can center a map on a specific location by using the Map server control's latitude and longitude properties. You also can use GeoIP information to obtain a user's latitude and longitude, based on IP address. For example, if a site visitor searches for a chain restaurant, the map can indicate restaurants near the user.

The following code shows how to set up the Map server control to populate latitude and longitude with GeoIP information.

Sample .aspx page, showing the placement of the Map server control.

<cms:Map ID="uxMap" runat="server" />

Code-behind page in C#

Ektron.Cms.UserLocationData userLocationData = 
  Ektron.Cms.UserContext.GetCurrentUserLocationInfo();
        if(userLocationData != null)
        {
        	uxMap.Latitude = userLocationData.Latitude;
        	uxMap.Longitude = userLocationData.Longitude;
        }

Accessing GeoIP Information via API

The following API code demonstrates the retrieval of a user's GeoIP information. Note that Ektron.Cms.UserContext.GetCurrentUserLocationInfo() returns the Ektron.Cms.UserLocationInfo() object, which provides access to all elements listed in Retrieving IP Address Information except IP address.

To obtain IP address, use Ektron.Cms.UserContext.IP.

Show sample code.

Ektron.Cms.UserLocationData userLocationInfo = 
  Ektron.Cms.UserContext.GetCurrentUserLocationInfo();
   //If GeoIpCity.dat/GeoIpLiteCity.dat file is present in webconfig
     int AreaCode = userLocationInfo.AreaCode;
     string City = userLocationInfo.City;
     string CountryCode = userLocationInfo.CountryCode;
     string CountryName = userLocationInfo.CountryName;
     double Distance = userLocationInfo.Distance(userLocationInfo);
     int DMACode = userLocationInfo.DMACode;
     double Latitude = userLocationInfo.Latitude;
     double Longitude = userLocationInfo.Longitude;
     int MetroCode = userLocationInfo.MetroCode;
     string PostalCode = userLocationInfo.PostalCode; 
     string Region = userLocationInfo.Region;
     string RegionName = userLocationInfo.RegionName;
  // If GeoIpOrg.dat file and GeoIpCity.dat/GeoIpLiteCity.dat file 
  // is provided in web config
     string Organization = userLocationInfo.Organization;
  // If GeoIpDomain.dat and GeoIpCity.dat/GeoIpLiteCity.dat file 
  // is provided in web config
     string Domain = userLocationInfo.Domain;