Advanced information overlay technology has long been the preserve of futuristic film and TV fantasies. Here, United Lane’s VP of Communications, Peter Warren, reveals how a pioneering California-based company is turning science fiction into hi-tech reality for the masses via its online data-fusion system – with huge implications for the real-estate sector

Ten years ago, the now defunct 3D company Silicon Graphics put together a 3D astral model of the Milky Way for the American Museum of Natural History. Called the Digital Galaxy Project, the model allowed you to fly through our galaxy, marvelling at the sheer size and scale of the system to which our planet belongs, and of which it is such a tiny part.

As one visitor took off from an Earth still immersed in the Bosnian conflict, he commented to Carter Emmart, the researcher taking him through the Horsehead Nebula, that the one thing that was amazing about the system was seeing so many unnamed planets, and wondering when names and information would be supplied about them.

Emmart replied that the process of digitally pinning information against an object would first take place on Earth. This would be the beginning of an enormous and constantly changing encyclopedia that would eventually start to spill out into the stars, gradually tabbing data against the dots and giving them meaning. But he warned, ‘Just finding out what a planet or a star is will be a massive task.’

Fast forward to 2009. The information overlay technology that was first introduced to us in the futuristic TV series Six Million Dollar Man, and then refined in sci-fi blockbusters like The Terminator – which based their research on techniques developed by NASA and the like – is now forcing its way into the real-estate market. It’s still in its early stages – you may not see a data readout on your eyeball just yet – but by simply clicking on a building on a map, a data screen can now drop down and reveal huge amounts of information on a particular location – almost instantaneously.

One system developed in El Segundo by Geosemble – a California-based company that up till now has concentrated on supplying its artificial intelligence and geospatial data-fusion systems to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation, the US Air Force and other US government agencies including the CIA – can now pull together all the available data on a locality.

Within the last two years, the company has started to see real opportunities open up in the real estate market. ‘We have started to do work for cities that are undergoing redevelopment, who want to attract certain sorts of companies into an area,’ says CEO Andre Doumitt.

‘Up till now, you look on Google Earth and all you can see is rooftops. What we do is let you click on that rooftop and see who is in that building, and who are in the buildings around you, so that you can really get an idea of a neighborhood. We can deliver a lot of information.’

Just how much information is impressive. Go to one of Geosemble’s projects, the El Segundo website (www.elsegundobusiness.com), and you can home in on a particular area. By clicking on a roof you can drill down, uncovering information on the businesses you might be rubbing shoulders with, and all the restaurants, theatres and entertainment centers in the area.

The system depends on the ability of Geosemble’s technology to accurately overlay geospatial information on top of map data to achieve an absolute match between the two. When this is done, the system can then input information obtained from the web and other data sources to pinpoint a building and identify it.

This then allows the company to add other information gathered from the internet to a building’s data model. Precise data about what the companies in a block are doing, number of employees, recent news, etc, can then be displayed on a data readout.

So sophisticated is the system that it can also pull in information from social networking sites to present an even richer data picture. In the case of restaurants, you can even pull up menus if that information has been made available.

Geosemble’s business model is simple. The internet is changing, broadening and deepening; whereas once we expected a picture to be just that, now we want more information about what we are looking at than just a newspaper caption.

In the future, an image will be considered merely the entry point to somewhere in the real world.

This process is now gathering pace. With Google mapping streets in 3D, companies building interiors in 3D, and shopping centers and high streets developing websites about their services, a complex overlay of pictures and data is developing that mobile phone companies are now exploiting so as to be able to tell you where you are in that world, and what is around you.

‘If that information is open source or in the public domain, then we can display it. We can take geographic context and with our data-search techniques link that and other information to pinpoint content onto a particular location. In the old days, you would have to gumshoe it. Now, all you have to do is click on an image and you see a whole bunch of other information,’ says Doumitt. ‘A while ago, you would buy a computer that said ‘Intel inside’: well, now we’re the data inside when you tap on an image.’

This means that Geosemble can cut down on the time needed to research an area by presenting planning applications and development plans for an area alongside social and business information.

‘I see this as removing a lot of the fear that is involved in moving into an area,’ says Doumitt. ‘If you are looking to move into an area, it’s a bit awkward to go around and talk to people and ask them about what the area is like and what that gloomy-looking building is across the street. With this technology, you can determine if you want to make an investment decision very quickly.

‘For people investing in a home, that’s a big deal: they tend to only make those decisions three or four times in their lives. If it’s something like a business, then it can be crucial in being able to attract high-calibre staff.’

Costing around $10,000 to set-up for a small city, and with an annual maintenance fee of $2,000, Doumitt underlines the point made by Emmart 10 years ago about the model for the universe.

‘What can be accomplished all depends on the depth of the information and the frequency with which it is updated. We have got to the stage now with the internet when we are beginning to expect more and more from our images – we are aiming to be the data behind those images.’

• Geosemble Technologies provides automatic techniques for integrating and displaying geospatial information, including maps, aerial imagery, news, events, databases, businesses and more. For more information please visit: www.geosemble.com

Leading real estate writer, commentator and coach Professor Bernice Ross reveals how the latest hi-tech tools are changing the way properties are marketed and sold, and explains why 3D will be one of the major developments of the future

‘At the moment there are 2m Realtor licensees in the US and 1.2m members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). As an emeritus professor of psychology, one of my roles is to teach the companies that I work for how to perform better. I think that technology now plays a crucial role in that. Technology gives people a competitive edge, it allows them to simplify their business and not spend as much money on marketing. It also lets them know how best to serve their customers.

‘One of the things that those who are going to survive the recession have to understand is that the real estate market is now global. So the issue that they face is how do they reach that international buyer? It is not enough anymore to just go out and look at homes. The other challenge the real estate market faces is that, because of the buoyant market we have enjoyed for so long, there is a whole generation of people who are without negotiating skills and that we are now in a period when it is extremely difficult to get financing.’

Know your technology
‘What I am finding is that the people who are succeeding at the moment are those who have the wisdom to address those issues and they are doing that with a mix of technology and street knowledge. They are turning to technology because now 90 per cent of buyers are going online as part of their search.

‘But many of the people I talk to still do not know what is generating their online sales. Sites are getting a lot of hits, but the Realtors don’t know why. They don’t track leads and they don’t know what is governing their conversion ratios. They do not know what is generating their qualified leads: they think that technology is a substitute for connection.

‘Research recently carried out by the NAR has found out that 98-99 per cent of those people who view a property online will drive by and see it. The chief areas of technology that people should be concentrating on are Customer Relationship Management systems and a marketing set-up that allows them to carry out all of their marketing from just one place. With a one-stop marketing shop they should be able to carry out just one upload that places their listing on many sites and they should be able to do the same with their videos, etc: www.tubemogul.com is a good example of that.

‘It is something that the President of Nokia has referred to as “iPodification”. All of your services should be delivered to one point. Because of that there should be two variants of a real estate website – a full-blown version and a dot-mobi version which carries short, one-line descriptions for mobile.’

Sense of community
‘Mapping is one of those components that has been around for a long time and is now expected. One of the very interesting developments is www.rottenneighbor.com which lists bad neighbours, sex offenders and foreclosures. This is a development that I think is going to really pick up pace because at the moment anything that is pushing from the bottom up is gaining momentum.

‘So, what we are going to see is the growth of community information. That information will come from co-creation by users, word of mouth, the picnic and cocktail party circuit and from people who share common interests. Real estate agents are going to start drawing on that. The real estate companies that exploit this trend will be successful because they will become the “manager” of my zip code; they will become experts for that area and its lifestyle.

‘Two good examples of this are www.kevintomlinson.com and www.goarmyhomes.com – both are sites that are about “me and my lifestyle”. What these sites will start to do is become the basis for a search: people will be looking for people who have a similar lifestyle.

‘There are sites that are being put together now that are looking for people who are 35-50 and who either work on Wall Street or are involved in the media, film, TV and art. The idea is that they will form a community online and that they will also want to live near each other. It’s “where I’m doing business” and “what is my lifestyle”.

‘Into that you will get local information being factored in, so you will get the local restaurant owner and other people who have local businesses putting in information, and people buying a property will want to know all about that. People will be using Twitter and they will be blogging. In fact, I can see a growing market for journalists, because people will have to able to present this information in a professional way.’

3D – techno-tool of the future
‘I am making a presentation to the NAR, and one of the things that I have in it is that real estate goes 3D – I see that as a big trend. I also think that there will be an increased use of future creatures that will be able to walk around in those 3D models and give you a picture from wherever you are standing. I think 3D will expand into that community world.

‘The essential information that has to be on a website is listings, prices and community information – we are going to work towards what is being called “MLS 5.0”, which includes the traditional information, videos, interactive 3D and the community side.

‘One of the most interesting speakers at the last Inman conference was a man called Baynerchuk who was a wine merchant. He wanted to do a wine promotion over the holiday period and used radio and billboard advertising and Twitter. Both of the conventional methods generated 150 sales, while Twitter accounted for 1,700 because he made himself available as part of the local community and advised people on wine.

‘3D will have the same sort of role to play in providing local and specific information: it will also give people a competitive edge. I am involved in a real estate business in Beverly Hills, and if I were wanting to advertise a $3-5m listing, then I would do it in 3D – because that is what would give me the competitive edge.’

3D software and its associated hardware systems will be one of the key emerging technologies over the next two years, says one of the world’s leading technology forecasters

Burrus: 'The day of a fairly complete digital world is not far off.'

According to Daniel Burrus, founder and CEO of Burrus Research, two different applications of 3D technology are set to change the way we see the world.

‘The two different variations are, firstly, interspatial 3D of the sort that you can already see in Xbox and PlayStation, where you go into a 3D world,’ says the futurologist, whose research and consulting firm monitors global advancements in technology-driven trends.

‘This is going to be very big because you don’t need new equipment to view it; you will be able to access it via your home PC.

‘The other type involves 3D screens that you will wear augmented glasses to view, and the development of screens that you won’t need glasses to view. This area won’t grow as fast [initially] as the interspatial area.’

With interest in 3D now developing at an incredible pace, Burrus predicts that we will shortly see the development of 3D web browsers which will interface with other web sites, so that someone browsing the web will be able to interact with the products developed by a company.

‘What that means is that you will be able to visit an auto dealer, for example, and walk around looking at the cars, opening the doors, getting inside and playing with the controls.’

It’s a vision that was predicted around 10 years ago during the internet boom, when companies talked of a wonderful hi-tech future that was just around the corner. The difference now, according to Burrus, is that the timing is right.

‘We are at a stage now where users are only going to be limited by their own imagination,’ he says. ‘Processing is getting so powerful and readily available – so is bandwidth – and storage is also much less expensive. The timing is now.’

The fact that the timing is now has not been lost on the technology world’s biggest players.

‘When you combine what is being done on these new digital 3D worlds with the digital world being built by Microsoft and Google – and, believe me, they know this world is coming – then you realize that the day of a fairly complete digital world is not far off,’ says Burrus, adding that techniques for extracting 3D information from video have already been developed.

It’s a 3D world in which much of the work has already been done. With many modern buildings now being designed using CAD/CAM programs, many of the measurements have been digitally recorded, some are already in 3D.

It is a process that also involves many old buildings, with many museums and period houses already rendered into 3D by the architects entrusted with looking after them. In Dresden, Germany, researchers have even developed a way of recreating the streets fire-bombed out of existence during World War Two, by turning old photographs into 3D images and then mapping views taken from the opposite ends of a street onto each other.

In the future, the amount of 3D worlds and vistas that are fixed on a particular geographic point will only be limited by the amount of information that has been created on a particular point or object. (not sure what this means). It’s an idea that creates a novel – for some, perhaps frightening – image of a world where every location has the potential to be a massive 3D encyclopedia, full of information, sounds, images and memories.

As Burrus states, it is a world that knows no boundaries. But he also counsels that the application of this technology must be well considered.

‘I think one of the things that people will quickly realize is that there will be a need to integrate 2D and 3D together, and that you should not use one where the other will do a better job.

‘You should always use the right tool for the job. Why read a novel from a CD? The best reading material to put on a computer is reference material.’