July 18, 2012
Media tips & leads
UVic Map Tool Targets Renter Scramble
A new online map tool, created through the University of Victoria’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, which could conceivably be developed for any region that has listed rentals, can be viewed online here.
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Media Contacts:Jamie Starke (UVic Computer Science) at 778-977-3465 or jrstarke@gmail.com
Phil Saunders (UVic Communications) at 250-721-6139 or psaunder@uvic.ca
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