As some readers know, I’ve been asked from time to time by members of the real estate industry to comment on the future of their industry, how technology might impact it and how open data (both the government variety, and the trend by regulators to make the industry’s data more open) may alter it.

It is with some interest that I point readers, as well as software vendors and others, to this Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Canadian Real Estate Association yesterday. The RFI is titled: A National Shared Development Platform and App Marketplace and this line from the RFI is particularly instructive:

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) to qualified service providers who may be interest in creating a National Shared Development Platform where certified, independent software vendors (ISVs) and data providers could develop, extract and combine data to generate new tools and services for REALTORS® and their clients.

In other words, from my reading it looks like the industry is seeking a data sharing portal that can serve as a platform for internally and externally driven innovation. It is very aligned with what I’ve been suggesting, so will be interesting to see how it evolves.

Intrigue.