Real estate leader embraces ICT students’ app

Winners of the 2015 Opmantek Prize, from left, ICT students Roshan Lyons, Aaron Bailey, Daniel Rigby and Amrit Maharjan, holding their certificates
Winners of the 2015 Opmantek Prize, from left, ICT students Roshan Lyons, Aaron Bailey, Daniel Rigby and Amrit Maharjan

A property management application created by Griffith University students has so impressed Australia’s largest real estate firm it has agreed to develop it further.

As part of their final-year project, School of Information and Communication Technology students Roshan Lyons, Daniel Rigby, Aaron Bailey and Amrit Maharjan designed and developed the app for industry client Ray White Real Estate.

The app provides a complete property management suite across multiple platforms, aiding real estate agents by streamlining the processes required for property inspections and general reporting.

The student team behind the app last week won the 2015 Opmantek Prize for high-achieving final year ICT students.

“When we considered the design of the app and its functions, we wanted a product that would allow the immediate input of information needed by agents when creating and conducting property inspections and communicating with landlords and clients,” says team member Roshan Lyons.

Runners-up for 2015, from left, Mathew Sayed, Matthew Shipman and Jack Lewis, and below, Lizzie King and Dale Majid
Opmantek Prize runners-up for 2015, from left, Mathew Sayed, Matthew Shipman and Jack Lewis, and below, Lizzie King and Dale Majid

“Currently, agents need to fill out a lot of paperwork and that is very time-consuming. With this app, information can be entered, accessed and delivered much more efficiently.

“As well as practical features such as a 2015 Opmantek Prizecalendar for scheduling, we included functions such as an image carousel that allows instant comparison of, for example, before and after repair or renovation work in a property.

“We actually went beyond the brief given to us by Ray White and it was a thrill when they told us they were going to take the app, refine it further and use it for their operation.”

The Opmantek Prize was launched in 2013 to link Griffith ICT students to industry clients and is sponsored by internationally renowned Gold Coast software company Opmantek. The 2015 judging panel comprised CEO Mr Danny Maher, City of Gold Coast’s Councillor Glenn Tozer and Head of the School of ICT, Professor Michael Blumenstein.

Two of the judges, Opmantek CEO Mr Danny Maher and City of Gold Coast's Councillor Glenn Tozer
Two of the judges, Opmantek CEO Mr Danny Maher and City of Gold Coast’s Councillor Glenn Tozer

“The award gives students a taste of the real world of product development, tendering, commercialisation and marketing,” says Mr Maher. “Given the standard of entries this year, these students have very bright futures in the IT industry.”

Runners-up were —

Time-On-Site (Matthew Shipman, Mathew Sayed, Jack Lewis): for a web-based app providing complex event processing, particularly with regard to employee shift patterns. Client: RightCrowd.

Exam Invigilation (Lizzie King, Dale Majid): for an application that strengthens protocols and markedly reduces the time taken to authenticate students in the examination environment. Client: RightCrowd.