Teranet

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Teranets GeoWarehouse

• May 5, 2009
• Timothy Hu
• Senior Program Manager - eServices

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Agenda

• History of Product
• Opportunities with redesign
• Project Challenges
• Overview of Technologies Implemented
• Questions

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GeoWarehouse Brief History

• GeoWarehouse Online first deployed in October
  2001.
• Title database Map Database
• 25 pilot users we monitored every login.
• Team of 5 people worked on the project
• Functionality Find Subject property Sales
  History
• Continued to add functionality/products over the
  years
• Neighbourhood Sales / Dynamic generated mapping
• Financial Suite including Automated Valuation
  Modelling and Fraud Checks
• Partnership with First Base Solutions for Zoom2It
  Plus application for aerial imagery and parcel
  data mash-up
• Monitoring and Registration Tracking b2b web
  services
• Access to documents / plans through web services
• eLearning Module with product simulations

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GeoWarehouse Product Overview

• The GeoWarehouse online service provides land
  information resources and applications for
  appraisers, realtors, land surveyors,
  environmental consultants, property tax
  consultants, financial institutions and other
  land professionals.
• GeoWarehouse users have access to both Land
  Registry and Mapping information packaged
  specifically for professional user groups and
  industries. This service provides a wide range of
  reports that are designed to simplify information
  gathering tasks.
• Information contained in the GeoWarehouse online
  service is updated regularly from the POLARIS
  database, the automated land ownership records
  management system for the Province of Ontario.
• GeoWarehouse has been a successful product for
  Teranet which was launched in 2001 and now
  serving close to 50,000 users in various markets
  and industries.

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GeoWarehouse Redesign - Overview

• Over time we have added features and
  functionality to the application leveraging the
  infrastructure and interface that existed in 2001
• 3rd party value added services has been the main
  focus of expansion of GeoWarehouse in the last
  few years
• Core functionality and enhancements to Teranet
  modules in GeoWarehouse has remained fairly
  static
• New Mapping and GIS websites are coming online
  and the old GeoWarehouse was outdated and
  required change to keep up with the market
• Teranet investing in the future of GeoWarehouse
  by re-designing the application in Spring 2008 to
  better serve our customers today and to build a
  versatile robust environment for tomorrow.

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GeoWarehouse 2008 Concept
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GeoWarehouse Project Challenges

• GeoWarehouse is a web application which has pros
  and cons
• Mapping usage is likely to increase 10 fold from
  current system
• Need to link to internal / external data sets but
  make it seamless for the end user
• Users are not GIS users they require a simple
  and intuitive interface
• Training and user adoption is key to the success
  of the system but many users are unwilling / not
  receptive to changes
• Some of the technology being used is unproven for
  large scale deployments
• Need to maintain privacy and other regulatory
  requirements
• Coordinate with multiple internal departments as
  well as partners to work in parallel
• A map is worth a thousand words

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Biggest Challenge! User Migration

• Migration and introduction of new site is a
  nightmare no matter how you deal with it
• Phased in migration over 1 month timeframe
• Operation of dual environments to allow users to
  migrate themselves
• Key Components to help manage
• Interface needs to be simple and intuitive
• Site needs to fit within workflow and make
  things easier
• Site needed to flow seamless between property /
  neighbourhood data sets and allow user to look at
  a property in many different ways
• Data can be interpreted in many ways
  presentation must be clear and easy to understand
  visualization where possible
• Majority of users are not computer people
• Training both online, in person and through
  documentation and help at the time it is needed
  is available.

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Key Features of Redesign and the Power of Spatial

• Map Centric interface utilizing a Map viewer
  (Virtual Earth)
• Utilize Commercially available Ortho Imagery and
  Road Maps
• Access to Pictometry (Birds Eye) imagery
• Simple Familiar Interface realtor.ca / mls.ca
• Creation of a Map Tiling service for Ontario
  Parcel data to be used by the Map Viewer
• Needed to create tiles of varying map scales of
  parcel data (both assessment and ownership) for
  the Province over 300 Million
• Needed daily update and publishing (change
  detection and tile re-generation)
• Integration of MPAC report directly into
  GeoWarehouse for single view of property
  information
• Using a spatial lookup process to generate PIN /
  ARN correlations
• Use map functionality to Get ARN and associated
  information

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Key Features of Redesign and the Power of Spatial

• iLookabout imagery linked to PINs to show the
  Property from Street View
• Using parcel data and coordinates of images a
  correlation process was developed to link PINs to
  Images.
• Privacy was an issue to deal with
• Generation 5 demographic data elements
• Summarized in tables and graphs
• Correlated using address data (postal code) and
  aggregation to minimum of 25 households
• Zoom2IT Plus
• Provides access to larger geographic coverage and
  currency than what is available commercially
• Ability to purchase aerial photos

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The House with the Golf Course View that you
dont want to buy!
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Questions ?