Last updated: May 30, 2024
Why does BC Assessment want to capture data?
BC Assessment maintains a provincial database of over 1.9 million property records. To keep pace with the growth of development in B.C. and to ensure accurate assessed values, BC Assessment staff use Geographical Information System (GIS) applications and a variety of map sources to assist in the audit and maintenance of our property inventory database.
What types of data does BC Assessment want to capture?
Types of data that support database maintenance are orthographic imagery, oblique imagery, satellite imagery, street front photographs, building footprints, electronic building plans and permits, administrative boundaries, infrastructure and topology.
What are the benefits of data sharing and collaboration?
Collaboration leads to cost-savings, purchasing power, leveraging each other’s emerging technologies and a reduced carbon footprint.
Imagery data sharing
Data capture is expensive. Many organizations are looking for solutions to maintaining high-quality services at reduced costs. BC Assessment is exploring models for cost-sharing partnerships where the business needs of each partner are being realized. As examples, BC Assessment has shared the costs of orthographic imagery with Westbank First Nations, the District of West Kelowna, the City of Kelowna and the City of Kamloops. Please contact us for further information regarding data sharing.
Leveraging technologies
Working in collaboration with others gives organizations exposure to emerging trends or technologies that your organization may not have considered or that have been out of reach due to cost. Partnerships open discussions about emerging trends and technologies.
The potential for further partnerships becomes greater as our relationships develop.
Managing quality while reducing our carbon footprint
The number of properties in the province has more than doubled since BC Assessment’s inception in 1974 while our staffing levels have decreased. To keep up with the growth in parcels and to perform assessments in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way, BC Assessment is examining methods of capturing relevant data other than from onsite field inspections.
Desktop Review roll-out
Between 2009 and 2010, BC Assessment successfully piloted an innovative way to capture and update property data by integrating our property inventory data system (valueBC) with high-resolution oblique imagery, street-front photos, geographic information system layers and orthographic imagery with geo-referenced sketches.
The pilot projects (performed in Nanaimo and the Districts of North and West Vancouver) demonstrated that this ‘Desktop Review’ initiative reduced the total reassessment costs, reduced the per-folio processing cost, reduced assessment time and also increased accuracy and consistency.
Subsequently, BC Assessment has adopted the Desktop Review process as part of its standard operating practices, and has been rolling this initiative out across all regions over a multi-year period. In fact, every region of the province has now had a variety of communities updated through this process with many more communities continually being added.
BC Assessment has also committed to acquire the oblique and street-front imagery required to support the Desktop Review process, and is developing a multi-year data acquisition plan across the province. This provides opportunities for imagery data sharing with other partners.
Where can I find more information?
For questions related to data capture or sharing, please contact
Property Information
or call: 1-866-valueBC or 1-866-825-8322 (local 00119).
Disclaimer: Where information presented is different from legislation, legislation shall prevail.
