The Valuation and Land Agency of Northern Ireland has awarded a contract to an ESRI Ireland-led conglomerate to implement a GIS- (Geographic Information Systems) based system which will enable it to re-evaluate all properties in Northern Ireland to gain a more accurate property valuation and to comply with industry standards. Geographic Information Systems combine layers of information -- often in form of a digital map -- about a location to provide an increased understanding of a specific place. The layers of information a user combines depends on the purpose of a project. Common uses of the technology include finding the best location for a new shopping centre or analysing environmental aspects of a particular location.
ESRI Ireland will deploy the EUR1 million Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system which will be charged with generating capital valuations of properties in Northern Ireland to replace 1970s-based rental valuations. These old valuations do not take into account location of properties which the VLA says is a key factor in determining a property's worth.
"This was a very ambitious project and an excellent example of the use of GIS," said Peter Lyon, managing director of ESRI Ireland. "The VLA had to completely overhaul its approach to the assessment of dwellings on a market value basis. Using GIS it can now determine the true value of a property and charge the appropriate rates."
Re-valuing the 700,000 properties listed in the Northern Ireland Valuation list is a daunting task according to Paul McGuckin, project director, from the VLA, "made even more challenging by the short timescales we have been set." All valuations will need to be completed by July 2005.
"The VLA's objective is to complete this domestic revaluation to industry standards, whilst achieving high credibility with all stakeholders including local administration and tax payers," said McGuckin. "To do this it must provide accurate capital values for domestic properties, thereby reducing the risk of large-scale appeals by homeowners."
ESRI Ireland has approximately 90 clients across 17 industry sectors using its GIS solution in Ireland, ranging from the Department of the Environment to the Dublin Transportation Office. According to Lyon, the insurance sector is the most recent sector showing an interest in deploying a GIS-based application which will allow it to assess its aggregated risks in insuring certain properties.
The ESRI-led conglomerate includes Causeway Data Communications, NovaLIS Technologies and AGJD Consultants.
Autor: Deirdre McArdle
Quelle: ElectricNews.Net, 26.11.2004
