Online map tool targets renter scramble

Are you in a mad scramble to find rental accommodation in Victoria’s tight real estate market? Help is at hand. A new online map tool, created through UVic’s Computer Human Interaction Software Engineering Lab (CHISEL) group by computer science PhD students Jamie Starke and Lars Grammel, is aimed at helping people looking for rentals in Victoria find the right place to live.

The pair, who work on creating online tools that gather data in a visual and user-friendly format, have created a mapping application that allows prospective renters to see where a home is for rent in proximity to work, school and transit routes in Victoria, while allowing them to conveniently get rental details with just the click of a mouse.

“When I was looking to rent a place here, I was frustrated by the amount of time I had to spend talking to property management companies to make sure I was aware of everything on the market,” says Starke. “Then I had to look at a map and sort out whether the location works for me. That’s when I decided to take matters in my own hands and create something that would allow users to do both easily and in one online location.”
The mapping tool could conceivably be developed for any region that has listed rentals.

Victoria online rental map: http://bit.ly/vicrentalmap