Property NSW report highlights use of data to improve asset management

The NSW government, which has a property portfolio of $134 billion, is seeking to improve the way it manages property through use of data and analytics.

The use of data to drive better performance is a key theme in a new report, Data Analytics in the Property Sector, which looks at how data is transforming the way property is created, built and maintained around the world.

Global cities such as New York and London are already using technology to collect data to plan and create buildings and public spaces that meet the needs of the community, it notes.

The report, released by Property NSW, encourages a broader rethink on ways the NSW government can better leverage data.

Research shows that 80 per cent of NSW residents surveyed support the government using its existing data to better inform decision-making on new services and better infrastructure.

It highlights a number of case studies on how the property industry is using data to better understand customers, tenants and users to improve planning, design, building and maintenance solutions.

The report suggests ways industry and government can work together to improve cities. 

For example, a public, open GIS-based service could be used to collect information from bank systems that process debit and credit cards and offered to a property developer to tell them about the sort of products that are popular in a particular geography.

It cites the example of Machvisor, in the US, an analytics tool that helps “real estate investors properly assess housing market conditions, price forecasts, risk metrics, demographic shifts and market fundamentals in any given neighborhood throughout the United States”. 

Property NSW CEO Brett Newman said the government owns more than 270,000 properties across the state, but “ownership is fragmented and data often sits in siloes across agencies”. 

“By improving the way we collect, distil and present our property data, we can ultimately deliver greater transparency and better outcomes across the portfolio,” he said.

As a case study of government initiatives in Australia, it cites the example of Land and Property Information (LPI) which made property sales information freely available for the first time via NSW Globe in September 2015 to help buyers and investors make more informed decisions when buying and selling property. 

Previously, anyone wishing to access this information had to purchase it from the LPI website or via a third-party provider.

Property NSW is collaborating with the NSW Data Analytics Centre on options to bring cutting edge changes to the way the state government manages its $134 billion property portfolio.

Dr Ian Oppermann, chief data scientist, NSW Data Analytics Centre, said the report provides insights on the way governments can use data to better manage their assets which is particularly relevant in NSW given the government’s significant and diverse property portfolio.