I'm administering a web platform and want to get some statistical data, where my users come from. I can store the remote IP and I know that there are localization services that map an IP to a geolocation.
How is this mapping done? Are there fixed tables, which IP address was given to which region?
Must I request the mapping in the moment of the access or can I request it days/months/years later? In other words: Is the mapping from IP to location fixed or does it change over time?
The mapping from IP to location change over time. I have read that the databases change 5% each month, even though its hard to know if they really change that much or if the database providers lie to sell their updates more often. But its a fact that these databases change. So you should obtain the location of an IP address asap, at least not later that a month after you captured the IP address.