GIS (Geographic Information Systems) integrates database technology, digital maps, and spatial analysis capabilities. This is a powerful combination: databases provide the robust storage and processing capabilities needed to handle massive sets of data, maps provide an excellent way of visualizing and exploring data, and spatial analysis capabilities enable useful interactive map tools and sophisticated location-based data processing. And with so much data available that’s in one way or another related to the real estate market these days, this is indeed an exciting time to be launching RPR™… the possibilities are seemingly endless! Our mission is to aggregate as much data as we can that’s related to the real estate market, and combine it with powerful search tools, interactive maps, and community features to form a well-designed, user-friendly application that provides REALTORS®  information they need to be local area experts, wherever that area may be.

In a few weeks I’ll follow up this post with more information on our search capabilities, map layers and tools, and share some of our plans for the road ahead.  In the meantime, it would be great to hear what you think is important to include in the RPR, with respect to data, search capabilities, map layers and tools.