The MOU was signed by EdgeProp CEO Bernard Tong (left) and SLA chief executive Colin Low. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
On Nov 17, EdgeProp Singapore and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) signed a significant memorandum of understanding on their ongoing collaboration in geospatial information and technology.
The agreement, signed by EdgeProp CEO Bernard Tong and SLA chief executive Colin Low, details several collaborative activities between both organisations. This is the first time SLA has signed this public-private partnership with a local real estate property portal.
“In addition to being the custodian of State properties in Singapore, we are also the national mapping and geospatial agency,” says Low, adding that deploying geospatial technology in the local real estate sector empowers consumers to make informed property decisions independently.
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Users of EdgeProp Singapore's property platform — which features news, market insights and real estate data — will see SLA’s OneMap deployed throughout EdgeProp’s suite of analytical tools.
Moreover, integrating OneMap-related features like SchoolQuery throughout EdgeProp Singapore’s website and mobile applications means homeowners and buyers can tap into the most accurate publicly available geospatial information. For example, this will help families find out which properties lie within the 1km radius of a primary school.
The MOU on geospatial technology and information between EdgeProp Singapore and SLA formalises an existing relationship between both organisations. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
“This marks the start of a long-term collaboration between SLA and EdgeProp Singapore. I see new opportunities for both companies to explore how we can utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a more frictionless consumer experience,” says Tong.
EdgeProp Singapore has already made strides in this domain by introducing a new AI product called EP Buddy. This consumer-facing tool provides personalised property data. Tong continues: “This allows users to layer a variety of property-related information, such as transaction prices and rents, so that each result generated is served to you based on exactly what you need and are looking for.”
He adds that through such public-private partnerships, working with data custodians like SLA and property platforms like EdgeProp Singapore can help bring geospatial information and technology into the mainstream.
“We look forward to deepening our relationship with EdgeProp and seeing how our OneMap features in their property tools uncover new ways we can utilise our wealth of geospatial data. At SLA, we remain proactive in building a vibrant geospatial ecosystem and finding new avenues to seed future opportunities,” says Low.
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