Geospatial solutions improve accuracy and access to property information

VICTORIA, Esri Canada User Conference – April 16, 2015 – BC Assessment (BCA) received an Award of Excellence today from Esri Canada for using geographic information system (GIS) technology to improve property assessment and public access to property information in British Columbia. BCA was the first organization to pilot geospatial 3D modeling to conduct detailed condominium valuations without the need for onsite inspections. The organization also revamped e-valueBC, their online application, with mapping functionality that allows users to quickly search, view and compare property information on desktop and mobile devices.

“GIS enables us to deliver better services through innovation,” said Connie Fair, BCA President and CEO. “As the condo market in Vancouver continues to grow, we’re able to maintain accurate property assessments without increasing staff. It also allows us to leverage technologies – such as mobile and the cloud – to provide our customers with efficient access to property information.”

In 2014, BCA partnered with Esri Canada to be the first organization to use a prototype of the Assessment Analyst 3D solution. Built on Esri’s ArcGIS platform, it allows appraisers to conduct detailed valuations of strata properties, such as condominiums and townhouses, using 3D geoprocessing and analytics from their desktop. Through advanced 3D visualization, BCA has gained the ability to quickly identify outliers and patterns within their data which are not readily visible when using spreadsheets. Errors can also be easily fixed within the application. This has significantly improved their ability to maintain and audit data, increasing the accuracy of property assessments.

BCA has also applied GIS to improve their e-valueBC property search application. The new application features an interactive Web map that users can click on to quickly view property information and compare values with surrounding properties, a feature that was previously unavailable. This provides richer context for understanding property values by neighbourhood.

The Web map took approximately three weeks to develop using ArcGIS for Server and ArcGIS Online, which serves as a secure, cloud-based GIS infrastructure. BCA sources authoritative land parcel information and basemap content from local municipalities and publishes the information to ArcGIS Online, where the information is integrated with property value assessments into the Community Map of Canada; it is subsequently fed back into e-valueBC. Because the basemap is hosted in the cloud, BCA does not need to create and maintain their own basemap. This allows them to focus their efforts on maintaining accurate and up-to-date property information for BC residents.

“BC Assessment’s commitment to business innovation is truly remarkable,” noted Alex Miller, president, Esri Canada. “Their pioneering use of 3D GIS for more cost-effective property assessment is setting the direction for the industry. As well, by leveraging Web maps to communicate property information to the public, they’re able to achieve some incredible economies of scale.”

The current 3D GIS project covers two areas in Downtown Vancouver. BCA is looking to expand the scope of the pilot project to include a greater area of the Lower Mainland. They are also exploring the use of 3D GIS to analyze commercial properties and further improve e-valueBC with 3D maps.

Related resources:

BC Assessment Explores Innovative Geospatial 3D Modelling for Property Assessment

Interactive Web map gives property owners in BC a new perspective

About BC Assessment

BC Assessment is an independent, provincial Crown corporation trusted to provide accurate and uniform property assessments on an annual basis for nearly two million British Columbia properties with a total value of over $1.14 trillion. BC Assessment serves British Columbian property owners as well as all the property taxing jurisdictions. Its annual assessment roll provides the foundation for nearly $7 billion in property taxes each year that fund important community services including the public school system. For more information, go to bcassessment.ca. Follow BC Assessment on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission-critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography.  The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from Esri, Schneider Electric, Cityworks – Azteca Systems, Inc. and other technology partners.  Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada.  Esri Canada has joined the elite rank of Canada’s Best Managed companies and has been named to the Branham300.  Information about the company can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

Contacts:
BC Assessment:
Tim Morrison
1-866 valueBC
(1-866-825-8322) Ext. 00251
Email Contact  

Esri Canada:
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