A wealth of information is available about our real estate heritage. As part of “Flanders Radically Digital,” the Flemish government is making a spirited commitment: to make this data digitally available to everyone.
The desire
The Flemish Government’s commitment stems from a great need. After all, finding your way back through the vast amount of data on real estate heritage was a real challenge. Information about a protected building or landscape, for example, was not easily accessible and was mostly scattered across different applications. So an intuitive and fairly user-friendly web application is no luxury.
Geo Solutions in action
One real estate heritage platform that links to all relevant, up-to-date information.
Linked data
We used the principles of linked data in building the Geoportal immovable heritage. The original heritage data sources are linked to several applications (such as the protection database, inventory of heritage objects, management plans, etc.).
We establish links to these original data sources via URIs. These links are provided by the original sources themselves and therefore do not need to be maintained by us. The resources can also be maintained or modernized separately without the need for us to modify the geoportal. Thus, behind the scenes there is a self-regulating network of referrals, guaranteeing up-to-date and accurate information.
Best of all, the user gets all the information he needs in a few clicks and has no idea about the complex underlying technology.
Geoportal real estate heritage: intuitive and easy way through a maze of information sources.
Always up to date
The Geoportal consists of a convenient map view: search can be done by map, by address or by parcel number. Using map layers, you can see where protected areas, management plans, etc. are located. A sheet is available for each parcel, with administrative data and an indication of whether it is an established architectural heritage, whether it falls within management zones, etc. At a glance, you should be able to find out whether a building or parcel of land is included in a protection or in one of the established inventories.
Geographic overlap with project areas or archaeological zones may also be of interest. After all, this is relevant information for (re)buyers, notaries, owners, local authorities, … as it has certain legal consequences.
Above all, it is important that you as a stakeholder can always access the latest version of the data in an intuitive way
