Space Database: Technology and Strategy

What's in a name?

2009-07-07T09:25:00.001-04:00

We've given some thought to the names of our software and services and we've decided to make some minor alterations. The changes are reflected on our website and in our applications.

Software and Services

We used to list all the things we offered under one rubric: 'Solutions'. We've broken this into two sections:

'Services' describes the type of consulting work that we perform.
'Software' lists the web based software products that we offer.

Software Brands

Tru-Measure

Tru-Measure is the application that manages surveyed building drawings. It has sophisticated security controls; a work request ticketing system that integrates with the leasing process and it controls distributed content that appears in numerous marketing websites. We used to call this module 'Space Database' - this made sense when it was the only module, but recently it's been confusing to login to Space Database and then drill down to Space Database. Tru-Measure organizes your 'Measured' drawings and keeps them up-to-date and 'Tru'.

INDEXIO

INDEXIO is an application that will help you organize all of your old archived drawings. Original blue-prints, architectural, structural, mechanical drawings, new and old, can be archived in a single database. We scan paper drawings and format electronic ones. We then upload each file and tag it with a set of pertinent data fields. This information then acts as an 'index' so you will always be able to find what you are looking for.

Space Dashboard

Space Dashboard is our lease management application that links lease related data to the floors and suites in your buildings. It's a lease management tool, but it's also a summary reporting tool that gives you a 'dashboard' view of the performance of all of your 'space'. This module was originally called 'Lease Dashboard'. We substituted the word 'lease' with 'space' to strengthen the connection to Space Database and to emphasize our focus on space utilization as well as financial performance.

Website Resources

2009-06-17T09:16:00.003-04:00

We've added a new section to our website which users should find useful. Under the tab 'Services' there is now a new link called 'Resources' In this section we have provided some general advice and guidance for the use of measurement standards and help on interpreting survey documentation.

We have included a list of
area calculation standards that are commonly used in North America as well as links to the original sources.

We've included an explanation of the BOMA 1996 Standard and illustrations of how we present survey results to you.

A Worthy Cause

2009-06-10T20:44:00.002-04:00

Our friend and colleague (and sometime competitor!) Jon Walters of Accuspace Measuring is training for an Ironman competition in Penticton. As part of his effort he is fundraising for Kiva. Here's the details he sent us:

you donate to the region and person of your choice: you can see the activity that is being supported
loans can be very small
your loan is tracked
you are repaid: 97% repayment history
administration fees are not included in loans; they are by donation

So I am dedicating this year’s effort to raising loans for Kiva and, to that end, I have started “JW’s 2009 Ironman Quest” loan community at this link:
JW's 2009 Ironman Quest
Rather than just give money you’ll never see again, for as little as $25.00 you can extend a loan, not charity, to the entrepreneur of your choice in the county of your choice. Again, because the local people have a say in who gets the money and see to repayment, the repayment regime has been excellent.

Please take a close look at Kiva. It's a great site that enables the concept of 'micro-finance' - a concept in foreign aid that empowers entrepreneurs rather than corrupt governments. To learn more, Google Dambisa Moyo.

Slate Properties Website

2009-06-03T10:49:00.004-04:00

Slate Properties recently completed a redesign of their web site. It's a nice clean result. What makes it remarkable in my opinion is the innovative method they have developed for navigating the portfolio. They use a widget-like tool at the top of a the page. Select a city, and then horizontally scroll through the portfolio.

Click on a building and you'll see the details below. For the web savvy, its worth taking a look at the source code of this site - it's smart.

The availability list is pulled directly from Space Database. For the data integration that we provided, the web designer, Matt at komposit.ca, was very easy to work with. He knew what he was doing and made our job really easy!
Check out Slate Properties at http://www.slateproperties.ca/.

More BOMA FAQ

2009-05-25T21:49:00.002-04:00

As promised, here are another couple of BOMA questions and answers.

The first one is from Virge-Kai Lindaja. She had a client who asked the following question:

Question: "If after initial building construction is completed, a stairway is built between two single-tenant floors, both occupied by the same tenant, is this stairway considered Usable Area or a Vertical Penetration?"

Answer: The BOMA standard considers stairs built for the private use of a tenant occupying Office Areas on more than one floor as Rentable area. The stairway would also be part of the Usable Area of the tenant. (unless the stair gets put in as a code required fire exit)

The next question is from Jitesh Mandalia. It addresses and interesting case:

Question: "We have constructed a separate building as a second phase next to an existing one. The property manager’s office is part of the building common area of the first building. How can we assign this appropriately to both buildings?"

Answer: Shared spaced between buildings can be designated as “complex common area”. The area to be assigned to each building is fist calculated on a pro-rated basis. The area for Phase 2 has to be deducted from the gross measured area of Phase 1 and added to Phase 2. In the BOMA calculation summary, these areas are inserted as building common areas for each building. For clarity, it is best to show them on a separate row or floor.

Note that the gross-up factor and therefore the rentable areas for Phase 1 will decrease. The combined rentable area should be exactly the same as the total derived from a separate calculation.

Building Measurement Standards

2009-05-08T14:28:00.009-04:00

Although it is not the only one, the dominant standard that defines how to measure and calculate area in commercial buildings is published by BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association).

Other standards are occasionally used. For example, In Canada, the government (public Works and Government Services) uses their own standard. You can read it here. Even the term 'BOMA Standard' can be misleading as there is more than one in use! There is a 1980 standard, a 1996 standard and there are different methods for calculating office, store and industrial areas.

As a reference, here's a list of North American building measurement standards:

BOMA Standards:

Gross Areas of A Building: Methods Of Measurement

A new floor measurement standard from BOMA International details procedures for measuring construction gross area and exterior gross area for buildings, and provides unequivocal, direct measure of the physical size of a building. The link is to BOMA's online store where you can purchase this guide.

Standard Methods for Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings: BOMA 1980 (ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-1980)

This is the 'old' BOMA standard and has been replace by the BOMA 1996 standard. It is still important because area numbers based on this standard are in use on leases today. The standard is no longer available from BOMA.

Standard Methods for Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings: BOMA 1996 (ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-1996)

This is the 'new' BOMA standard. The main difference between the 1980 and 1996 standards is that the 1996 version includes a method to proportionally allocate building common areas as well as floor common areas to suite rentable areas. There are also so minor differences in how area lines are to be determined. The link is to BOMA's online store where you can purchase this guide.

BOMA / SIOR: Industrial Floor Measurement Standard 2004

This standard, developed by BOMA and SIOR (SOCIETY OF INDUSTRIAL AND OFFICE REALTORS) gives users the two alternative methods of measuring an industrial building. Users can choose one of the two dominant market practices observed in North America - the Exterior Wall Methodology or the Drip Line Methodology - depending on their specific building configuration.

Unified Approach For Measuring Office Space; For Use In Facility And Property Management

This publication reveals and harmonizes the differences between the IFMA floor measurement standard for spatial planning and the BOMA standard which is used for leasing purposes. It includes cutting-edge concepts and definitions that will be used by each organization as the basis for future floor measurement standard development. This publication is the 'Rosetta Stone' if you want to know the differences between measuring a building for space planning and measuring it for leasing purposes. A must for all in the real estate industry and for building and interior designers.

IFMA / ASTM Standard

ASTM E1836 - 08 Standard Practice for Building Floor Area Measurements for Facility Management

This is a standard used for facility management and should not be used for lease negotiations.
It provides a definitive procedure for measuring and classifying floor area in buildings for use in facility management, specifying occupant requirements, space planning, and for strategic facility planning.

PWGSC (Public Works and Government Services Canada) Standard

Generic Lease Documentation Package: Schedule 'B' - Measurement Instructions

The government in Canada leases a great deal of office space. They have their own definitions for area that are published online here.

REBNY Standard

Real Estate Board of New York

This standard is used in New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey. It is not available online, but can be ordered by phone: (212) 532-3100

GWCAR Standard

Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors

This standard is used in Washington D.C. It can be ordered by phone: (301) 590-2000

Office Move

2009-05-07T17:54:00.008-04:00

We've moved our office! We are now in suite 446 at 67 Mowat Avenue. We've moved within the building, but it was still a big project. We spent a full day packing everything in to boxes, two very long days over the weekend doing the actual move and another full day unpacking everything. Our moving bins are rented - the fact that they have to be returned ensured that we got everything done in a reasonable time-frame!
Goodbye old office.

The new space before we cluttered it up

Moving In

Here's a little video of the move:

We are grateful to everyone who pitched in on the project. Thanks to El Cheappo movers who helped us with the heavy furniture. Thanks also to Teledata Cabling and Beanfield who ensured that our data and telephone services were moved without incident. Our property managers at the Carpet Factory were great and had our new space in top notch shape in plenty of time.

At Space Database Virge-Kai Lindaja put in an incredible effort. Not only did she plan and project manage every detail of the move, she also recruited her husband Julius and they both put in fourteen hour days over the weekend. Wow!

Space Database YouTube Channel

2009-05-01T09:52:00.006-04:00

Space Database now has a YouTube Channel! Check it out here.

And here is an embedded version:

John Zsolt: BOMA President's Award

2009-04-24T11:04:00.003-04:00

On April 23^rd, 2009 the Toronto chapter of Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) held their annual awards dinner. We are very proud that John Zsolt posthumously received the President's Award. This award is granted to an individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to the industry and the organization.

Jonathan Fleischer, Executive Vice President of Redcliff Realty Management Inc. is the current BOMA president. Here are his words from the presentation:

The President’s Award was introduced in 2003 as a way of acknowledging an individual who, at the sole discretion of the President, has continuously contributed to the success, visibility and recognition of the BOMA organization in the real estate community.

As your new president I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to present this award.

Tonight’s recipient not only made a significant contribution to BOMA, but to the real estate industry in Canada. In the early 1990’s, he took an emerging technology, the CAD file, and designed a system that makes all of us in this room more effective at what we do. Not content with dominating the market in terms of calculating building areas, he was until recently creating new initiatives that will continue to improve our collective effectiveness long into the future. I am proud to say that we at Redcliff (or Emerald as we were in those days) were one of his early clients, and have every intention of continuing to support his company.
John Zsolt encouraged me to get involved with the board of BOMA Toronto and I had the privilege of serving with him in my early days on the board. John was a major contributor in charting a new course for this association in 2004, a course that has been so successful in getting us to where we are today.
In addition to serving on the Board John was active on numerous BOMA committees at the local, national and international level. He personally saw that his company sponsored, and he was involved with numerous BOMA events and activities. An expert in his field, he freely offered sage advice and guidance on technical matters.
John Zsolt (or “jaz” as he signed off on his emails) was an architect by training, a born entrepreneur, an accomplished sailor and an outstanding skier and snowboarder. He was devoted to his family, and a good friend to many in this room. I have listed many reasons why John is a deserving recipient. Most of all, I decided to award this to John so that his family, who are with us tonight, would know how widely respected and well liked he was.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present this year’s BOMA Toronto President’s Award posthumously to Mr. John Zsolt. I would ask Chris Gadula, president and CEO of Space Database to come up and receive the award on behalf of John’s family.

John would have been delighted. He got a standing ovation which is a true testament of his contribution - it showed how deeply he touched so many people. He hadn't just built a wide network of professional relationships, John had also built real friendships with many folks in the room.

Space Database Videos

2009-04-18T15:03:00.000-04:00

I am working on some videos to better explain our products and services. So far I have two early 'draft' versions. I've thrown them up on YouTube for review.

The first video is on the ad widget that we are now able to create for clients:

The next one is a movie that describes some of the services and benefits that we provide to leasing managers:

I will work on refining these and adding a few more. Soon we will have higher quality versions of these on the Space Database site. Eventually we will use these within applications as handy help files.

MindMeister

2009-04-09T11:21:00.001-04:00

We are in the process of moving our office within the building. The new space is beautiful. It's a double height space with a mezzanine in it. It's got a great view of the Toronto skyline.

The move will be well worth it, but it will be a hassle. There are so many things to look after when you are doing something like this. Fortunately we have found a great tool to organize and share all of these details. Check out MindMeister.

There are several great features:

Great interface: makes it really easy to record ideas quickly.
Collaborative environment: many people can work on a map at once.
Detailed history: you can scroll along a time-line and see when things changed.
Easy to share: use a link or embed the map in a web page.

Here's a copy of the actual embedded project: you can track our progress:

Technology for Marketing Commercial Real Estate

2009-03-26T09:30:00.002-04:00

Commercial real estate is now a tenants' market. As a landlord, how are you going to attract and keep the best tenants? How are you going to win lease deals against increasing competition?

Every leasing manager knows the three things that need to be done to attract new tenants.

First, when you advertise, prospective tenants need to be able to find out important information (price/sq.ft., sq.ft. available, location) about your building.
Next, you need to differentiate your offering from other properties. You have to help the tenant visualize themselves in the space.
Finally, you need to ensure that you have all the documentation and information to prevent any problem that could get in the way of closing the deal.

The good news is that there are several new web based tools that can help leasing managers in all three of these goals.

Advertise and Be Seen

You've got your listings online. Your building has a web page or even a website. But can anyone find you? How much traffic do you get? Here are three great ways to attract the traffic you want:

Search Ads are the little text ads that appear on Google when you conduct a search. They also appear on a large network of other sites based on the content of the ad and context of the page. In addition to targeting specific regions and search terms, you can precisely control the amount of money you spend. You only pay when someone clicks on the ad. Find out more here
Display Ads are the graphic ads that appear on websites such as newspapers. In the past, these types of ads have been prohibitively expensive for advertising real estate assets, but Space Database has figured out a way to 'sub-divide' the cost across several properties. click here to see how we helped Colliers advertise in the Globe and Mail.
Search Engine Optimization - this can be a complex art but there are some very basic things that will help search engines find and correctly index your content. There is a lot of SEO information on the web; here are some basic tips for real estate SEO.

Stand Out and Differentiate

To emphasize the unique nature of a building many landlords establish branded websites for a property. To enhance these sites even further, there are several web services that can add rich content.

A Graphic Stacking Plan is a feature that Space Database can provide for hosted clients. A detailed representation of your building is automatically populated with links to drawings of available space.
An Interactive Map helps your prospective tenants understand not only the location of the building but also appreciate the amenities in the vicinity. Google now lets you create very powerful interactive maps for free. It's simple. Find out how you can do it yourself.
3D Marketing Drawings help prospective tenants better visualize the space you have available. Find out how Space Database can help you enhance your marketing drawings.

Manage Information to Win

From the time that a prospect shows interest in a building up until they move in, it's critically important to maintain a flow of high quality information to support the process. Chances are that a tenant is evaluating more than one space. Any problems in providing data reflects poorly on the landlord and provides an advantage to the competition.

Feasibility studies are the first step in seriously evaluating a space. You can make sure this stage happens quickly by providing your prospect and their designer with accurate CAD files to work with. Landlords that host with Space Database have instant access to this information by means of the Distribution CAD File.
During the lease negotiation phase, it's essential to have quick access to the terms and lease conditions of other tenants in the building. When does the neighbour's lease expire? Are there options or encumbrances on the space? Are there spaces that you can offer an option on? Space Database worked with real estate executives to develop Lease Dashboard to support these needs.
When a project moves into the detailed design stage, landlords are asked for documentation of as-built conditions. What is behind those walls and ceilings? If you can provide the technical drawings for previous work, you can dramatically reduce the time and cost for new fit-out projects. INDEXIO is a web based software and service that organizes all of your existing paper and electronic drawings into a simple and accessible online database.

John Zsolt's Vision For Space Database

2009-03-24T21:21:00.001-04:00

Space Database was founded on the simple but powerful idea that something as basic as a CAD file could add value to a building.

John Zsolt came up with the idea for Space Database during the real estate recession of the 90's. No one was hiring newly minted architects at that time so John created his own job. As a self-employed designer, John worked on basic office interiors. Conventional wisdom dictated that a designer would measure a space and create a base drawing to work from - every single time there was a change in the building. John thought there had to be a better way.

Through his real estate connections, John observed how landlords struggled with the task of calculating area for rents. Property managers used measuring tape, grid paper and calculators. Was this accurate? There had to be a better way.

Around this time, CAD was becoming mainstream. Most architects used it simply to speed up the drafting process. John saw that it opened up new possibilities. What if a landlord had a complete set of accurate surveyed CAD files? What if these files could be easily distributed to designers? Once set up, these files would be easy to maintain even if there was a great deal of change in the building.

John's insight was that landlords did not just need buildings surveyed, they also needed tools to leverage the data created; tools to help them improve business processes.

Over the years we have built on this idea to the point where we support several aspects of commercial real estate through outsourced information management solutions.

We help managers make more informed decisions. Managing a portfolio of buildings as financial assets is very difficult. It requires quick access to complex interrelated data. Lease Dashboard presents data at every level of a portfolio, from overall performance metrics, to detailed stacking plans through to lease abstracts and floor plans. Using Dashboard helps Space Database clients make better investment decisions.

We save time and money for building operations. Tenant improvement work can be slow and expensive if documentation on technical systems is incomplete. INDEXIO organizes a myriad of old electronic and paper building documents into a simple, accessible and easy to use resource. Timely access to archival documents saves time for property managers and saves money on consulting fees.

We provide powerful marketing and leasing tools. In a competitive leasing market, it becomes increasingly difficult for leasing managers to stand out and engage prospective clients. Buildings hosted with Space Database benefit from accurate CAD files, 3D marketing drawings, data driven stacking plans and web ads in mainstream media. Space Database delivers a significant marketing edge by leveraging the information that landlords already have.

In each of these cases, we don't simply provide a service. We provide a service that integrates to, and supports a key business process. Just as John did when he came up with the idea of managing CAD files, we are thinking about how to make our clients more effective at what they do.

Space Database is far from finished. We still have lots of ambitious plans and ideas that we are working on. It is such a tragedy that John will not be here to see them through.

The Space Database team is dedicated to realizing John's vision. We are committed to building a company the way that John would have wanted it done.

John Zsolt

2009-03-08T13:19:00.004-04:00

It is now one week ago that my dear friend and business partner died suddenly in a snowboarding accident. John had a close and loving family who will miss him terribly. It's been a awful shock for all of us at Space Database as he was a friend to all that worked with him. He always had time for his colleagues and would always go out of his way to help in any way he could.

The kindness, helpfulness and goodwill that John spread around him was reflected in all the messages of condolence that we received but even more so in the sheer numbers that turned out at his visitation, funeral and wake. People lined up for an hour and half to pay their respects at the funeral home. The church was full beyond capacity and the wake filled a very large bar and restaurant - standing room only.

John touched so many people. He will be missed deeply; far and wide.

Frequently Asked BOMA Questions

2009-02-27T11:28:00.002-05:00

We have a lot of BOMA expertise in our company. We have been surveying buildings for over ten years. One of our founding partners, John Zsolt, has been involved in the creation of the measurement standard. Over the years we have come across every possible situation you can imagine.

In order to share some of this knowledge, I am starting a new feature on this blog. 'Frequently Asked BOMA Questions'. We'll do a couple at a time and then compile them all onto a separate page later on.

Here are the first two - along with the answers:

"What is the difference between usable and rentable areas?"
- Usable area refers to the area within the suite that the tenant has exclusive use of.
- The rentable area is greater than the usable. It takes into account a share of the common areas of the building that the tenant shares with other tenants. These areas include a share of corridors, lobby and washrooms that other tenants use.
- In simple terms, the usable area is the size of the tenant's private space while the rentable area is the area on which rent is charged. The landlord has the right to recover rent on all the area in the building including shared spaces- corridors and washrooms are not free!
“Why do I get a different number when I measure with a measuring tape?”
- The BOMA standard has rules that define where area is measured to. For example, measurements to walls that separate suites are deemed to be taken from the middle of the inside of the wall. Walls adjacent to corridors are measured from the suite side of the wall in most cases.
- When surveyors measure a building, they measure all the spaces and locate both sides of all walls. They then use the standard to determine where the area lines are located.
- When you measure the inside of space with a tape measure, you will find that the area is slightly less than the surveyor's calculated usable area. And your measured area will be significantly less than the rentable area because you are not including any share of the common areas.

Thanks to Virge-Kai Lindaja for these first two questions. Look for more FAQ soon!

SEO for Commercial Real Estate

2009-02-19T19:00:00.002-05:00

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of getting your content found on the internet. There is a vast amount of advice online on this topic so I won't repeat it all here. Google for more detail!

I'll just list some basic points that will help a page for a building be found on the web.

Put the building name and address in the < title > tag of the page. Google pays extra attention to this.
Put the name and address in the building in < h1 > (headings) tags on the page.
Don't use images or flash to display important text information as search engines won't see it.
Use the same words that people are likely to use in a search in your text description such as 'office space', 'commercial space', etc… Consider using a tool like Google Analytics to discover the search terms that your visitors are using.
Make sure you include the name of the city, street and neighborhood in text on the page.
Don't bother about the keyword meta tag. Search engines ignore these because they have been abused.

Now, that you've got someone to your site, how do you make sure they read what you have to say?

First of all, keep your text short and simple. Research shows that people do not read web content, they scan it.
Provide lots of pictures of the building inside and out.
Provide an interactive map with neighbourhood features and amenities. Let your prospective tenants explore the surroundings.
Show what space is available and let your visitors help themselves to information. Provide plans of available space.

The more you can help your prospect imagine moving into your building, the more likely they will be to go to the next step: pick up the phone and call!

3D Plans

2009-02-18T18:00:00.001-05:00

Do you know anyone who has trouble reading plans? It's a very common problem, but it's one of those things that people don't like to admit.

What do all those lines represent? Even for trained professionals it is hard to precisely judge what a space will be like. What if there were a better way to communicate the layouts of your available space?

Space Database can enhance your marketing drawings by including 3D renderings. These models translate sometimes obscure drawings into something more easily understandable. Because we already have your building documented in CAD, it is simple to expand it into a three dimensional view.

Make your available space stand out in 3D!

The Distribution CAD File

2009-02-17T17:16:00.004-05:00

This post is specific to Space Database users. It won't make sense to anyone else - sorry!

One of the key file types that Space Database manages for their clients is the Distribution CAD File. This can be a bit confusing because there is another CAD file under each floor called the Master CAD File. What's the difference?

The Master CAD File contains all of the information that is used to generate Space Database data. It contains area lines. It contains several title blocks and it contains tenant names and areas. It's a secure file that should not be distributed. You may have noticed that it is not visible to all users and the email feature is disabled on this type. You would never use this file outside the property management organization.

But CAD is very useful for other consultants. If your tenant needs to reconfigure a space or if a prospect would like their designer to work up a feasibility study. An accurate and up-to-date CAD file will speed up the process immensely.

We created the Distribution CAD File for this type of use. It is a file you can confidently distribute to help your tenants' consultants speed up work. It does not contain area lines, tenant names or anything else you need to worry about.

These drawings are very useful to designers. By providing these files, the landlord can drastically reduce the time required for the assessment and feasibility phase of the leasing process. Once a lease is signed, the time to develop working drawings is also reduced which means that the tenant will be paying rent sooner.

Make sure you distribute these files and get them working for you!

Google Latitude

2009-02-05T16:10:00.002-05:00

Google came out with this this new tool yesterday and I immediately signed up. Latitude is part of the latest version of Google maps for mobile phones. It allows you to share your location information with other Google users as well as see the location information that they share with you. I was skeptical it would work on my phone as it was an older BlackBerry Pearl without GPS functionality (as far as I knew). It was a very easy install. Click here for instructions. It works very well and apparently uses the cell network to approximate a location. The blue circle on the map indicates the area of estimation. It's very easy to invite other users and it's fun to watch them move around the city. A neat feature is that the app allows you to 'set' your location manually - you are not compelled to be honest!

You are not restricted to using Latitude on your phone. This screen-shot is from my iGoogle page where Latitude installs as a widget:

This is a great tool for friends and family to stay in touch and it will be a very handy tool in a business like ours where consultants move around a lot from site to site.

How to Create and Embed Custom Maps

2009-01-27T10:11:00.009-05:00

Map information has enormous value in real estate: location, location… A real estate listing or web page has to have a map and the map should contain features and highlights about the neighbourhood. For a commercial office listing one would require information on transportation such as highways, railways, the airport, and public transit. The map should also locate significant urban elements such as the financial core and other significant districts.

Google has made it easy to embed maps in web pages. You don't need any programming skills to do this. You do need access to the 'source code' of your web page, but you won't need to do anything more technical than cut and paste.

First, go to the Google Maps site at http://maps.google.com" . You will need to login or create a Google account in order to save maps.
At the top left, click on 'Create new map'. Select a name for your map, and an optional description. You can leave the map as 'Unlisted'.
Next, you will need to add some locations and landmarks to the map.
Click on the marker icon to drag new locations onto the map. You can change the description and icon in the details pop-up box:
Another way to add place-marks is to first search on the map using the search field at the top of the page. You can then click on each search result icon and add it to the map by using the 'Save to My Maps Link' in the pop-up.
You should also try the other map tools: 'Draw a Shape' and 'Draw a Line' to indicate other significant features on the map.
Once you have configured the map as you want it, it is time to 'Embed' it in your web page. Use the 'Link' feature at the top right and then select the 'Paste HTML...'
Use the 'Customize and preview embedded map' link at the bottom of this box to change the default size and layout of your map.
At the bottom of the page you will see the code that you can copy and insert into any website:

Paste this in to the source code of your website at the appropriate place and you're done! Here is an example of how I used this technique to add a map at our sailing club. Click here to see the page:

And here is another example from our office. Project managers are using a shared embedded map to coordinate site work in the GTA:

It's really very simple. You should know that it used to be more complicated. Google used to require a special key and access to their API. For more advanced features and configuration, you still need this. But for most applications, this simple method is all you need.

Let me know if this is helpful. Please share the maps you create and do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help!

Advertise!

2009-01-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Would you like to market your available space with interactive, animated ads? Would you like to place these ads in heavily trafficked main-stream media? We can help you!

Check out the ad that Colliers is running this month (Jan. 19 - Feb 16, 2009) in the Report on Business section of the Globe and Mail.

We put this ad together for Colliers. It's a database driven ad that fits the marketing content for six buildings into a single standard sized web ad. You can click on the pictures and get more detail. You can follow the links to more content.

We also created the landing pages for 901 King St. West and 6115 Edwards Blvd.

These new Space Database ads have several advantages:

First, by combining several buildings in a single ad, it is possible to sub-divide the cost between several buildings.
Next, by using interactive elements, we can include detailed content in a small ad space.
Finally, and most importantly, these ads allow you to reach a large audience and to engage with prospective tenants much earlier in the decision making process.

Did you see the ad? Let us know what you think!

Satisfaction Survey Results

2009-01-04T20:30:00.002-05:00

We recently concluded our annual customer satisfaction survey. This year we are making the results public. We are doing this for two reasons.

First, we really do value your opinion. We scrutinize this feedback and we gauge our progress according to your score of us. You took the time to contribute to the surveys so it's only fair that you see the results.

Second, we want to improve. We hold ourselves accountable to you. By showcasing not only our strengths but also our weaknesses we are compelling ourselves to work very hard on improving.

Here is the presentation that we traditionally only showed internally. For privacy reasons, It contains only aggregate data and does not disclose any individual comments or opinions. I would suggest you click on the 'Full Screen' button in the lower right in order to see the details.

Space Database Customer Satisfaction Survey 2008

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

For comparison, and to further emphasize our commitment to transparency, I have posted the results of last years survey too: here it is:

Space Database Customer Satisfaction Survey 2007

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

We thrive on your feedback. It is what shapes the development of our products and services. If you have any thoughts or opinions on what we are doing, positive or negative, please let us know.

Create your own Real Estate Email Newsletter

2009-01-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

There are a couple of popular email news letters that focus on commercial real estate news. Here in Canada I am thinking of Maurice Gatien's weekly email and the RENX news letter.

What if you could publish your own newsletter? What if you could select news items from a variety of real estate news sources and easily combine them into your personalized news source? And what if you could deliver this not only as an email but as and RSS feed, as a component or on a web page?

It's easy to do! The technology is online and the effort of 'publish' is less than what you spend on reading the paper each morning.

Here's a step by step process of how to build your personal news source:

Sign up for Google reader at http://www.google.com/reader
Next add some real estate related feeds. To get you started, here are a few that I use:
- http://www.globest.com/canada.xml
- http://www.globest.com/northeast.xml
- http://www.costar.com/News/RSS/RSS.aspx?ext=.xml
- http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/RealEstate.xml
- http://feeds.realestatejournal.com/wsj/realestate_journal_commercial?format=xml
- http://online.wsj.com/xml/rss/3_7401.xml
- And don't forget to add this one (which is the feed for this blog!) : http://feeds.feedburner.com/SpaceDatabaseTechnologyAndStrategy
Now you can scroll through the news really fast - I told you it was easier and faster than the paper!
To publish your news source we will use the share feature of Google Reader. At the bottom of articles you want to publish, select the share button at the bottom of the article.
All of your shared news items are available on a web page that you can find under "Your stuff/Shared Items" click on the link on the right "at this web page"
You can email this address to your colleagues, or you can simply select the content, paste it into an email and send it out periodically.
Congratulations, you now have a sophisticated email news letter with links to all the sources!

Give it a try right now. In twenty minutes, you will be an internet publisher and you won't be spending any more time to do it than it takes to read news online.

How We Designed Lease Dashboard

2008-12-17T17:22:00.006-05:00

Space Database recently launched a new product called Lease Dashboard which provides real estate executives with quick access to key metrics on the performance of commercial buildings.

In designing the application we worked very closely with Slate Properties here in Toronto. Senior VP Adam Lazier and Analyst Conor McBroom were very helpful in guiding the development process. Their input was extremely valuable and we learned a great deal from their insights about how this application would be used. Now that we have launched, I thought I would put some questions to them about their perception of the development process:

Mikael: "Originally, when you looked at our technology, you thought it could be better used to address some of the needs you had at Slate. What was the original vision that you had?"

Adam: "At the outset of this project the goal was to take your product from a drawing management tool to a business intelligence tool. We felt that the product was being under utilized and had more potential given that it was able to track information right down to the suite level of each building. The goal was to take this architecture and enhance it with lease specific information though the creation of a lease abstract thereby being able to monitor and share information on a real time basis. It has also become a powerful workflow tool allowing us to effectively distribute all aspects of documentation to brokers, lawyers, partners, lenders online. It has become a virtual filing cabinet."
Conor: " Having now completed the Lease Dashboard’s initial development phase, my vision for the service has become much broader. In the beginning, I merely saw a real-time hub for lease document access, and stacking plan and lease abstract generation. Going forward, I see the possibilities for the service as being far more open-ended and customizable. "

Mikael: "What was the reaction at Slate to the project? Did the vision change as you reviewed it with your colleagues?"

Adam: "Initially this concept was driven from the asset management side of our business. Given the nature of our portfolio, an extraordinary amount of time was spent tracking the vital statistics on a monthly basis in a very manual fashion. Now that the initial setup has been completed this provides accurate real time information with little effort. As this process evolved we have continually modified the application with input from the end users in our organization."
Conor: " The reaction was positive by-in-large. Excitement surrounding the service grew the more it was demonstrated to the team. Naturally, colleagues’ suggestions for the service were dictated by their specific roles and responsibilities at Slate. The project was also well-received in a meeting with our counterparts in the U.S."

Mikael: "How did you like working on this software project? What was most frustrating? What was most rewarding? "

Adam: "You have an excellent team at Space Database and this project has been an enjoyable experience from our side. The key to the success of this application has been your organizations ability to listen to what our business required then find a way to make this happen within your application. The most frustrating element of this project was the set-up process as we were hopeful that we could automate it but in the end, we had to abstract and upload documentation relating to 580 tenants/suites manually. The most rewarding part of this process is working with the finished product which has become an integral tool within our organization. Before this application, Space Database was just a place where floor plans were stored and now it is a valuable business intelligence and workflow tool.."
Conor: " There is a great amount of excitement in working on a never-before-been-done web-based asset management service for commercial real estate. Frustration was expected and typically stemmed from the various development challenges met along the way. Initial data entry and lease uploading can be a monotonous, albeit very crucial task."

Mikael: "The economic environment has radically changed since we started this project. Do you think the need and use for a tool like this has changed as a consequence?"

Conor: "Today’s economic uncertainty requires us, more than ever, to take a detailed, hands-on approach asset management; sustaining occupancy levels and thus, cash flow. The Dashboard allows us to better monitor our leasing program and existing tenancies. As such, it will hopefully be an effective tool as we batten down the hatches to brave the economic downturn."
Adam: "I agree with Conor!"

For us, working with Adam and Conor has been a great experience. Creating a business service and building a software is a design exercise. Design requires imagination, creativity as well as a deep understanding of the activities you are supporting. Adam and Conor contributed a great deal in all these areas.

Thanks guys!

PerfectForms

2008-12-08T09:41:00.004-05:00

In an earlier post I outlined a few Business Process Automation products that we were evaluating. Well, we've made out selection. We are now subscribing to PerfectForms. This product met all of our criteria:

We could easily model and implement an electronic version of our paper-based work flow processes.
We can integrate these processes into our existing applications on the front end (as flash based widgets) and at the back end (simple database integration)
It's easy for smart people who are not programmers (managers) to create forms and design processes. There is no IT bottleneck to getting things done.
The price is very reasonable and the licensing allows us to scale on a per user basis. The cost of entry is very low.
The more we work with this technology, the more we like it. It's intuitive and user friendly. It does everything the website claims it does and does everything you think it ought to do.

Here is a brief description of a process that we are automating with PerfectForms:

It involves the setup of a new building survey project. First, a sales person develops a proposal for a job. Before it is sent out to the client, it needs to be reviewed internally by a project manager. If it is not considered feasible, it must be revised. Next, the proposal is sent out for review and approval by the client. Only with evidence of client approval can it be set up as a job. At this point resources are assigned and timelines are established. Once the site work is completed according to specific standards, there are various checks that are performed. This process and these steps have been in place for years. The steps and control points are described in out ISO 9001 management control system. Tracking and controlling this workflow has been time-consuming. We've done this using tedious printed forms.

Until now. With PerfectForms, we can map out this workflow electronically. We can define workflow rules to control who gets which information and when. We can determine who approves work and what happens when it needs to be rejected.

From the users point of view, this all appears as simple, easy to use web-based forms. We are using email to pass work from one person to another with links back to the form. There is also a nice console interface that allows users to see the status and attention required for many different forms and processes.

PerfectForms might not be for everyone or every company. It's not be a full scale ERP solution. For us it hits the sweet-spot. It has the right balance of features and ease of use. If you need to automate; if you need to put some rules and controls around basic processes, this is a terrific product. If you want to do it without installing software and with low IT involvement, then it is ideal.