Oxford Data Consultancy joins SFHA as Commercial Associate
Oxford Data Consultancy is an expert in geographical information systems.
Oxford Data Consultancy (ODC) is pleased to support the SFHA by becoming a Sector Associate, having successfully helped Loreburn Housing Association benefit from a geographical information system (GIS).
SFHA members will be able to hear about the advantages ODC’s GIS Managed Service can offer them as well, benefiting from the experience ODC has gained from its work with over 40 housing associations across the UK, and enjoy the same cost savings and improvements to working practices that Loreburn is enjoying.
You can save between 10% to 15% on your grounds maintenance contracts if you hold your GM data in a GIS.
Loreburn Housing Association is based in Dumfries and has just over 2,800 properties. Chief Executive Lorraine Usher saw the benefits a GIS could bring to Loreburn, following a conversation with ODC at the Housing Show in Manchester. Capturing its grounds maintenance data will bring immediate cost savings, when the GM contract is next let, but Loreburn will also gain from the many other benefits GIS offers.
Buying a GIS and employing a GIS specialist can be a significant investment, so Loreburn has signed up for one of ODC’s Managed Services (the first in Scotland to do so), whereby Loreburn has access to ODC’s cloud-based GIS, allowing it to view its data, but its ODC’s GIS experts that run it. It’s a simple idea that allows social housing providers to piggy back on ODC’s GIS expertise, at a fraction of the cost of doing it all in-house, with the risk and expense that involves.
Lorraine Usher, Loreburn Chief Executive, said:
“This will improve our rent affordability by improving processes.
“I’ve been really impressed with the ease of use of the GIS and being able to view our data in such a clear way is going to help us in all manner of ways in the future. This will improve our rent affordability by improving processes, reducing our overhead costs and giving our tenants better value for their rent, something that is really important to Loreburn.”
ODC’s Managed Services using GIS can support this and much more.
ODC’s GIS Consultant Rick Thompson, himself a former GIS Officer at Trafford Housing Trust, said:
“It was always felt that unless a social housing provider had at least 10,000 properties, they wouldn’t be able to afford to run GIS. ODC now have a number of social housing providers with less than that number, and Loreburn is the latest example to prove that size is not a barrier to progress.”
ODC have worked for over 40 Social Housing Providers across England, Scotland and Wales, as well as numerous local authorities, for the past 25 years, offering a friendly service with an excellent reputation for high quality data capture and customer service.
ODC’s cloud-based GIS, branded GISMO (GIS Mapping Online) has been designed for social housing providers, cleverly laid out to be intuitive for the user, even for technophobes.
The mobile version allows field staff to record, for example, a fallen fence easily, and report it straight back, with an accurate location for a swift response from the repairs team. ODC’s flexible approach acknowledges everyone has slightly different requirements, some of the largest social housing providers, such as L&Q, use ODC to support their in-house GIS teams, a completely different requirement to Loreburn.
To arrange to meet Alan Smith at next month’s SFHA Annual Conference in Glasgow, or to register your interest, and to have a no obligation consultation to explore the benefits GIS could offer your organisation, please call 01993 851053 or email sales@odc.co.uk now.