Want to be the Expert in Your Market? Start Mapping!

February 14, 2012 Christina Coggins, Marketing Manager No comments

Be the Expert in Your MarketAs you’ve heard us say before in this blog, we love maps and mapping! Mapping is all around us and has permeated our world in ways that many of us don’t even realize. Industries like health care, government, transportation, utilities, and more all use mapping to effectively and successfully conduct business. But for real estate, mapping has a special connection. Mapping and real estate are a match made in heaven and we are going to share some tips on how you can exploit this relationship to become the expert in your market.

Let’s start off by discussing why mapping is so great. Besides being pretty to look at, maps provide an opportunity for deeper analysis. With maps you can view patterns and trends that might be missed in their tabular form. Maps provide people with context; you can look at a map and immediately understand where you are in relation to everything else. And that’s just scratching the surface; we could easily write another post on why we love maps so much but we’ll save that for next time.

So how can you leverage the benefits of mapping to show off your market expertise and win more listings? Data! Data is everywhere and when mapped effectively highlights your market knowledge. Some important datasets that you can track and showcase on your map include transactions, property values, distressed assets, and inventory. Collect, map, analyze, repeat. This process establishes credibility and reinforces your market expertise.

But don’t just stop there, you are reading this because you want to be the market EXPERT right? Emphasize your market knowledge by adding your unique perspective to the map. You can do this by combining various datasets that illustrate interesting relationships and might otherwise be hard to capture. In addition, styling your data is an excellent way to provide meaning and take the data to the next level.

Finally, you’ll want to present your map in a way that asserts your market expertise. Clients have different needs; tailor your map to present what is relevant to each one whether it be property values, past sales, hazards, or retail locations. For your short-list why not create a “custom” collateral piece? They’ll appreciate the time and you’ll solidify yourself as the market expert.

By following these tips you’ll be the market expert in no time but in case you want to learn more here are some additional resources for your convenience:

Webinar: The Mapping Advantage
Whitepaper: Leveraging Technology to Better Market Your Listing
Learn More: Digital Map Products Real Estate Solutions

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What We Learned at Real Estate Connect New York

January 20, 2012 Christina Coggins, Marketing Manager No comments

Well, Real Estate Connect New York has come and gone but not without leaving its mark on the real estate world. While attending the show last week the Digital Map Products team had the delight of exploring the expo floor, hosting a “Technology Preview” session and attending some educational sessions. Here’s our recap of the key trends and takeaways from the show, we’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

Real Estate Search is an Evolving Art
Real estate search continues to evolve and is keeping the industry on its toes. As consumers grow savvier we need to know how to keep up. Today’s tech savvy consumer wants it all from a streamlined user interface to advanced search options like school zones, lifestyle, neighborhood boundaries, and even traffic information. Your site has to be able to offer all of this and more or the consumer will leave. Yes, it’s cruel but it’s the truth. And we’re not done yet, they also want to access this information on the fly meaning search needs to be mobile. The trajectory of real estate search is clear: more functionality available on any device and easier to use.

The Local Craze Continues
Hyperlocal may be as ubiquitous a buzz word as “the cloud” these days but being hyperlocal can and does pay off. As those tech savvy consumers mentioned above become more familiar with the advancements in real estate search and as mapping technologies and geo-location apps continue to grow it will be vital to offer consumers localized information on your site. Remember, consumers are not just searching for a home; they are searching for a community.

Don’t be Overwhelmed by Data Overload
It’s no secret that big data has permeated the world we live in and the real estate industry is no exception. But big data can be a bit overwhelming and figuring out how to capitalize on all of the information can be just as frustrating because a number without context is meaningless. One way to provide context and make data easy to digest is to display it visually. Data displayed visually is a very basic yet powerful way to share information that might otherwise be overwhelming. In addition, displaying big data visually can help expose trends that might otherwise be obscured. Consumers are already familiar with map-based search so why not integrate all of your great data into your map?

While there were a lot of other notable trends being discussed at the conference the ones mentioned above most resonated with us and seemed like they would be helpful to share with our blog readers.

In addition to the thought-provoking ideas buzzing around the conference we also had a great time in our “Technology Preview” sessions. During these sessions we invited conference attendees to take a sneak peek at some exciting new technology we will be unveiling in 2012. We received invaluable feedback and have lots in the works that we look forward to sharing with you!

For more information on how to keep up with the advances in real estate search, hyperlocal information and displaying big data in an impactful way see the resources below:

Webinar: The Business Case for Search & Display at the Neighborhood Level
Video: Rollups: Making Sense of Large Data Sets
Whitepaper: 7 Tips for Developing a Great Mapping App

DMP Events, Mapping, Real Estate

Welcome to the Cloud Mapping Era: The New Rules for Mapping Success

January 5, 2012 Annie Schwab, Director of Marketing No comments

A new breed of location technologies powered by cloud services is overtaking the consumer web. These new location apps and geodata are taking mapping into the mainstream through their ease of implementation, maintenance and use. We’re now seeing that users once timid with mapping are now demanding interactive spatial features and further innovation from sites employing mapping and location data.

Cloud computing has permanently transformed the mapping sector and is creating new rules for success, along with tremendous opportunity for those attuned to these changes. By better understanding what lies ahead for cloud-based mapping, organizations and individuals can best capitalize on this technology revolution and make their sites and products stand out with mapping.

• New Users, New Markets: Web mapping has an army of new users, most of whom are nontechnical and have exceedingly high expectations for their user experience. These new users are impatient and have a very low learning curve. They’re interested in mapping so far as it helps them accomplish their immediate task at hand. However, they are not GIS groupies who will wait for a map to load or tolerate inaccurate data because they think GIS is cool. For these new users, location technology will be interwoven into their everyday tasks, many times in ways they don’t even realize. You must understand and design for these new users to succeed in the mapping of tomorrow.

• The New Face of Geodata: One of the benefits cloud computing brings to mapping is the simplification of acquiring, integrating and maintaining data! With the cloud, getting the data’s the easy part which frees up significant time to meet the needs of those demanding new users you have. With the proliferation of mapping APIs, location data has become even cheaper, easier to implement and keep current, and more plentiful. Even better, data quality is improving significantly which should lead to fewer user complaints. One of the most exciting developments on the location data front is with user sourced data. Users are moving from merely being data consumers to data creators. They’re tagging their current locations so friends can find them, correcting attraction locations, pinpointing breaking news and offering their opinions on everything from restaurants to homes for sale.

• Pervasive Mapping: With new users and data come new applications for mapping, and none are more significant than the rise of mapping in the mobile environment. Mobile and mapping are a natural fit and because of this, mapping is becoming pervasive, being integrated into any device, any where, any time. The question you need to continually ask yourself is this: “Is your mapping mobile friendly?” We used to rely on maps to help us understand “where am I?” or “how do I get to my destination?”  With mobile mapping, a whole new world is exposed, one where the dominant question becomes “where am I in relation to everything else?” Pervasive mapping gives us new tools to explore our immediate locations and discover people, attractions, businesses, and new experiences.

• Blending of Real and Virtual Worlds: As spatial technology empowers us to better explore and understand our environments, there’s a critical need to display information; sadly the traditional world of 2D is no longer sufficient. Thankfully, by blending standard maps with augmented reality and 3D images users can instantly get a better sense for their surroundings and more easily locate the information they desire and navigate unknown areas. Augmented reality will be particularly effective in the mobile and hyperlocal spaces.

• Increased Innovation and Speed to Market: One of the things we like best about cloud services is that they free developers from many of the back-end headaches of mapping development and maintenance affording them precious time to focus on innovation and improving the user experience. This free time is much needed to make mapping applications intuitive and easy to use. Companies that recognize this and take advantage of this shift in focus will deliver apps that meet the needs of the new web mapping users.

• The Increased Need for Data Visualization: With more demanding users, increased data, and more sophisticated mapping features, future mapping success is predicated on good data display. The use of correct and innovative data visualization techniques is essential to improving the usability of location-based products. We need to adhere to solid data visualization principles like summarizing large data sets and using geographies that make sense to users, such as neighborhoods not census tracts. Also, we need to push the limits of tools to help users explore data. As data and analysis gets more complex, users will need to quickly drill into and out of maps. And don’t forget the time element – we love playing around with animated maps as a means to easily understand the temporal component of trend data.

There’s no question a new era of mapping has arrived, and it’s unmistakably tied to the cloud. We encourage everyone to embrace these new mapping norms and begin exploring the many facets of spatial cloud computing to take your mapping to the next level. We’ve been thrilled to see the rapid evolution of our favorite technology and are excited to see what the future of mapping holds in store for all of us.

Check out the links below to learn more about where mapping technology is headed in the cloud era:

Webinar Recording: Top Mapping Faux Pas & How to Avoid Them
Video: What’s Next for Real Estate & Mapping Panel Discussion

Cloud Computing, GIS, Mapping , , , , ,

Avoiding Minefields in Mapping Application Development

December 15, 2011 Annie Schwab, Director of Marketing No comments

While the benefits of maps are widely known, developing robust, user-friendly mapping applications is still a challenge. Based on over a decade of experience building spatial solutions, our team at Digital Map Products has identified five of the most common minefields that stymie geo-development projects and cause mapping application “mission impossible”.

By employing the strategies listed below, developers can avoid minefields and bring an intuitive application to market in less time and with far greater ease.

  • Have a Plan to go Beyond Points on a Map: Today’s users expect more than just points on a map so your plan should include integrating and linking multiple data sets, building interactive features, and incorporating advanced data visualization tools.  Plus mapping applications can be notoriously difficult to extend, so invest in a flexible back-end and think carefully about desired future capability.
  • Be Realistic About Time Estimates – Getting the Data’s the Easy Part: Many developers think once they’ve sourced data for their new mapping application the hard work is done. In reality, the work has just begun. Allocate significant time to processing, linking, displaying, and updating your data.
  • Form an Obsession with Performance: In the online world, your application can never be fast enough, so it’s paramount that you exploit every trick in the book to optimize your data and features for rapid display on the map. Users waiting for a map to load is as antiquated a thought as dial-up connections.
  • Hide the Spatial Technology and your Users will Thank You: Because most of your users won’t know GIS from XYZ you need to ‘hide’ the spatial technology so it is intuitive for users and available when they need it, but not overwhelming. Styling your data and linking related data sets can go a long way towards enhancing usability.
  • You Don’t Need to do it all Yourself: With the explosion of mapping and geodata web services, you don’t have to recreate the wheel when developing your spatial application.  Leveraging the cloud translates to substantial time and cost savings on development, infrastructure, and maintenance, as well as minimal capital outlays and best-in-class reliability. Plus, it means you don’t need to become a GIS expert to leverage location technologies.

We have always believed that spatial technology should be easy to use and implement.  Armed with an awareness of common mapping application development minefields and the strategies needed to avoid them, you can be successful in leveraging all the exciting new mapping technologies.

 
Visit the links below for more information about developing a successful mapping application:

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Mapping Faux Pas #6 – Treating Your Map as a Store Locator!

December 7, 2011 Skip Cody, Product Manager No comments

Adding a map to your real estate site is now easier than ever, so easy in fact that it is rare to come across a site without one. But a common Faux Pas that many fall into is adding a location, showing the street view, and calling it a day. Here at Digital Map Products we love maps (as you can probably tell) and are always elated to see a map on any site but when a website stops at the property location and treats their map as a store locator we are always a little crestfallen.

A map is a perfect medium to tell the local story of a location. There is so much information around a location that can be presented on the map that it is a shame to ignore it. And it’s not just the map savvy that want more, the lion share of your users now expect a rich mapping experience and limiting them to the store locator style map is the fastest way to lose a user that was so difficult to capture in the first place. Take a look at your competitors, if they are presenting a simple point on the map then here’s your chance to one-up them. If they have gone beyond that simple point then they are the one-upper and you need to do something to catch up. Keep in mind that your competitors are just a click away, so dive in head first and take your map to the next level.

There is a whole host of cloud-based companies out there, including Digital Map Products, to help you create a map that stands out and gives your consumers what they are looking.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Add data that helps tell your spatial story, examples of this data include points of interest, parks, public transportation, schools, and churches
  • Add demographic data to help create a mental picture of the people that live in and around the property of interest
  • Display boundaries that make sense to your end user such as neighborhood and city boundaries. Don’t add information that you don’t know yourself, for example, do you know where your postal code ends? If you don’t know neither will your users.
  • If you are adding thematic maps to display trends in the areas, make sure to display the data in the familiar boundaries your users know.
  • Add local reviews to your site to give your end user an idea of what people are saying about the local establishments.
  • Only add data to the map that helps the user. Adding data and features just to add them can detract from your application and cause confusion for the end user.

With so many options in the market it can be difficult to attract users to your site but once you do you want to keep them coming back. Don’t fall into the Store Locator Faux Pas; go beyond the simple point on the map. Elevate your map by adding data and functionality that WOWs your end user and keeps them engaged with your application. Your end users will thank you!

If you like this post have a look at the entire series.
Mapping Faux Pas #5: Bad Data Visualization
Mapping Faux Pas #4: Loading Map Syndrome
Mapping Faux Pas #3: Dumb Maps
Mapping Faux Pas #2: Street Level Geocoding
Mapping Faux Pas #1: Where’s the Map?

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