Developing The Android and IOS Process of Real-Time Paperless,

DEVELOPING THE ANDROID AND IOS PROCESS OF REAL-TIME PAPERLESS, INTELLIGENT DATA GATHERING FOR REAL ESTATE APPLICATION

Associate Professor Dr. Buang Alias (Leader)

Associate Professor Mohd Safie Mohd
Dr. Chitrakala Muthuveerappan

[Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)]

ABSTRACT

Accurate and adequate data collection during property inspection is fundamental and a vital part of the property valuation process. During the inspection process, many elements will become apparent that may have an impact on the property value. Through proper inspection, we can capture information about the conditions and state of maintenance of the property, the type of furnished, the quality of finishes, whether any renovation has been carried out, any extension, and other relevant factors whether physical or non-physical, that can affect the value of the subject property.

However, in the age of technological advancement, conventional inspection techniques are tedious and not cost-effective anymore. The aim of this study is to utilise the state-of-the-art technology in property inspection amongst valuers by reducing time, costs, and manpower within a paperless while providing their services. The study focused on the details of a paperless property inspection system using smartphones (Android apps only) under a mobile computing-based environment since iOS apps require a fee for the service.

Methodology used starts with a proposed conceptual framework for paperless inspection prototype development. Software Configuration for System Development includes Operating System - Windows / Linux / Unix, NetBeans with JAVA SDK 1.2 - Programming language used to develop the Paperless Inspection System, MySQL version 5.0 - Database to store and retrieve the records, and AutoCAD - To create the building layout in CAD digital format to be stored in the database.

Hardware Configuration to run the System includes Operating System - Android smartphone with a minimum 2GB free memory, and Network Configuration to run the System - Operational hours WiFi Accessibility. The system runs the application in a tablet with a hyperlink to the database for online updating. Testing and verification have been carried out on 25 properties which are randomly selected to validate the Paperless Property Inspection. The result showed that the present valuation parameters are adequately transformed to assist manual valuation knowledge with provided data. The developed prototype, known as SmartInspector, can be enhanced further to suit with the requirements from industries.