The RICS, SCSI , TSA and GoReport worked together to produce a report which looked at the position and impact of Technology on the surveying profession also see https://lnkd.in/gFgbVTw

1. TECHNOLOGY
Its position and
impact on Surveying
2020

2. Anthony Walker FRICS FSCSI
PropTech Survey Lead
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors UK & Ireland World Regional Board Member
In 2018 the first survey report was published that focused on
the position and impact of PropTech on surveying, see here.
The responses provided useful intelligence that shaped future
content of events, conferences, journal articles, webinars
and training.
Over the last 2 years the pace of technological change that is
powering the digitisation of the built environment has continued
to increase, requiring us to think strategically about how we
deploy our expertise and resource. Surveyors need to be
positioned centrally to add credibility to bridge between the
technology sector and the surveying profession to ensure
technology is an enabler to augment their knowledge, skills,
expertise, and reflective thought. Technology is no longer an
optional extra, without it Surveyors may find it more challenging
to compete, be productive and add maximum client value.
As we highlighted in the last survey, technology presents both
opportunities and threats to those working within the built
environment. Circumstances and opinions can change rapidly
when it comes to technology, so we decided the time was right
to reach out to the industry to gain a fresh perspective of the
professions position on technology.
Comparing the headline figures of the 2018 and 2020 survey has
provided a positive picture of the direction of travel. In 2018 we
received 303 responses, this time we increased this by over 50%
to 476 providing a more full and robust set of data.
Those using PropTech has increased from 60% to 68%, those with a
digital strategy in place or working on one was 57% now it is 79%,
those with a good understanding of PropTech is up from 43% to
52%, those with the necessary skills and expertise to fully embrace
PropTech has increased from 40% to 48%, and those who see
PropTech as an opportunity has risen from 95% to 98% - almost all
of those who responded. Whilst there is still more to do across the
profession, the responses to the survey indicate there is an appetite
to increase adoption of technology.
The publication of the 2020 report gives clarity on the main
challenges ahead and provides a useful future reference point.
In addition, we have created a Business Intelligence dashboard
to enable more detailed analysis of the responses see here.
A huge thank you to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,
The Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and The Survey
Association who helped with the creation of the questionnaire and
to GoReport for their contribution and management of the survey
and for the production of the report and dashboard.
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this report, contact details
of all those involved can be found at the back of this document.
Introduction
02
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

3. 03
R E S P O N S E S
476
Executive Summary
U K
& I R E L A N D
A G E
2 5 - 5 4
95%
75%
M A L E
85%
F E M A L E
15%
M I C R O S M A L L M E D I U M
S I Z E O F O R G A N I S AT I O N
L A R G E
38%
14%
16%
32%
AGE
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

4. 01 What is the size of the
organisation you work for?
0 4
M I C R O < 1 0
38%
S M A L L < 5 0
14%
M E D I U M < 2 5 0
16%
L A R G E >2 5 0
32%
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

5. 02 What is
your gender?
05
M A L E
F E M A L E
85%
15%
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

6. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
03 What is
your age?
0 6
20
P E R C E N TA G E ( %)
0 40 60 80 100
- 24
25 - 34
35 - 44
45 - 54
55 - 64
65 +
5%
26%
25%
24%
16%
4%

7. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
AMERICAS
EUROPE
(OTHER THAN UK & ROI)
04 What is
your region?
07
EAST ANGLIA
EAST MIDLANDS
LONDON
NORTH
NORTH WEST
NORTHERN IRELAND
ROI
SCOTLAND
SOUTH EAST
SOUTH WEST
WALES
WEST MIDLANDS
YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE
2%
11%
5%
7%
3%
6%
6%
19%
12%
10%
6%
2%
1%
1%
1%
3%
AUSTRALASIA
SUB-SAHRAN AFRICA
5%

8. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
5a Are you a member of
the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors?
5b
08
If Yes what Professional
Group are you a member of?
25%
NO
75%
YES
65%
8%
<1%
<1%
B U I L D I N G
S U R V E Y I N G
C O M M E R C I A L
P R O P E R T Y
E N V I R O N M E N T
& R E S O U R C E S
FA C I L I T I E S
M A N A G E M E N T
<1%
<1%
<1%
<1%
G E O M AT I C S M A N A G E M E N T
C O N S U LTA N C Y
P L A N N I N G
& D E V E L O P M E N T
P R O J E C T
M A N A G E M E N T
4%
9%
2%
8%
Q U A N T I T Y
S U R V E Y I N G &
C O N S T R U C T I O N
R E S I D E N T I A L
P R O P E R T Y
R U R A L VA L U AT I O N

9. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
2%
YES
6bIf Yes what Professional
Group are you a member of?6a Are you a member of the
The Survey Association?
09
88%
12%
F U L L S U P P L I E R
98%
NO

10. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
20
P E R C E N TA G E ( %)
0 40 60 80 100
YES
NO
68%
32%
07 Are you using PropTech?
As defined as all aspects of innovation and how this
impacts the built environment. This includes software,
hardware, materials or manufacturing.
10

11. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
PERCENTAGE(%)
P R O P T E C H A D O P T I O N S C A L E
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
10%
15%
08 Where would you rank your
organisation with regards
to PropTech adoption
across every work stream
and service, on a scale of
1-10, where 1 is no adoption
and 10 is fully adopted?
11
20%
11%
12%
10%
7% 7%
4% 4%

12. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
09 Does the organisation
you work for have a
digital or data strategy?
12
21%
NO
26%
NO
but we are currently
working on one
we have no plans in
place to develop one
53%
YES

13. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
48%
NO
52%
YES
10 Do you feel you have
a good understanding
of PropTech?
13

14. 61%
NO
39%
YES
11 Does the organisation
you work for invest
heavily in PropTech
and related training?
14
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

15. 52%
NO
48%
YES
12 Do you have the
necessary skills and
expertise to fully
embrace PropTech?
15
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

16. PERCENTAGE(%)
13 In relation to your role
do you see PropTech
as an opportunity or
threat?
16
O P P O R T U N I T Y T H R E AT
0
20
40
60
80
100
2%
98%
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

17. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
20
P E R C E N TA G E ( %)
0 40 60 80 100
YES
NO
21%
79%
14 Do you use any Business
Intelligence software to carry
out analysis of your data?
17

18. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
15 Will PropTech increase
productivity?
18
31%
52%
4%
<1%
13%
S T R O N G LY
A G R E E
A G R E E D I S A G R E E S T R O N G LY
D I S A G R E E
D O E S N OT
A P P LY TO M E

19. 16 What are the challenges
holding back wider adoption
of PropTech?
19
39%
C O S T/ L A C K
O F F U N D S
40%
T I M E R E Q U I R E D
TO I M P L E M E N T
38%
U N S U R E O N R O I
( R E T U R N O N
I N V E S T M E N T )
12%
T R I E D I T
P R E V I O U S LY
& H A D I S S U E S
32%
U N S U R E
W H I C H S O L U T I O N
/ T O O M A N Y
O P T I O N S
22%
L A C K O F D I G I TA L
L E A D E R S H I P F R O M
M A N A G E M E N T
33%
F E A R O F
C H A N G E
47%
L A C K O F
T R A I N I N G
/ K N O W L E D G E
39%
H A P P Y W I T H
T R A D I T I O N A L
M E T H O D S
38%
L A C K O F
C L A R I T Y O N
T H E B E N E F I T S
26%
L A C K O F
C O M PAT I B I L I T Y
W I T H E X I S T I N G
I N - H O U S E
T E C H N O L O G Y
15%
L I M I TAT I O N S
O F T E C H N O L O G Y
5%
T H E R E
A R E N O
C H A L L E N G E S
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

20. 17 What do you think will be the major challenges
facing the sector and its increased reliance on data?
Ranked in order, 1 being the lowest challenge and 5 the highest challenge.
20
A C C E S S TO D ATA
D ATA E X I S T S I N S I L O S
Q U A L I T Y O F D ATA
D ATA O W N E R S H I P I S S U E S
P R I VA C Y & E T H I C A L
U S E O F D ATA
21 3 4 5
S C A L E O F C H A L L E N G E ( R A N K E D 1 – 5 )
21%
16%
12%
17%
16%
19%
9%
8%
20%
17%
17%
18%
8%
22%
16%
13%
17%
24%
17%
13%
37%
33%
27%
38%
45%
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

21. 47%
NO
53%
YES
18 Do you feel your organisation
is well positioned to leverage
maximum value and insights
from its data?
21
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

22. S T R O N G LY
A G R E E
26%
A G R E E
54%
D I S A G R E E
14%
S T R O N G LY
D I S A G R E E
1%
D O E S N O T A P P LY
TO M E
5%
19 The ethical use of data within
the sector will be a significant
issue in the future
22
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

23. S T R O N G LY
A G R E E
3%
A G R E E
40%
D I S A G R E E
39%
S T R O N G LY
D I S A G R E E
6%
D O E S N O T A P P LY
TO M E
12%
20 The sector has done enough
to ensure the ethical use
of data.
23
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

24. TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING
Business Intelligent
Dashboard Results
24
For a more interactive experience and in
depth analysis of the responses click on
our Business Intelligence Dashboard here.

25. 25
Andrew Knight Edward McAuley
ASSOCIATE, SCSI ROYAL INSTITUTION
OF CHARTERED SURVEYORS
HEAD OF PRACTICE & POLICY, SCSI
As Surveyors, we are seeing a greater impact of
technology on our business, service delivery and
working habits year-on-year. Whilst change can
be viewed by some with trepidation, the benefits
of early adoption can be very positive for most
businesses to drive efficiency, service
improvements and more certainty for financial
planning.
Thankfully, as construction and property
professionals, our clients seek trusted advisors,
meaning that human interaction has a positive
future. The changing landscape means that
clients demand the best and latest technology so
it’s important that we keep up to date with the
latest changes in our sectors.
Research such as this Technology report is a
great reminder of the journey we have taken
as individual businesses and how far yet
we have to travel.
ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CHARTERED
SURVEYORS INTERNATIONAL DATA
STANDARDS DIRECTOR
RICS is delighted to support this survey,
it’s clear that the real estate industry understands
the value and importance of using technology,
and RICS will continue to support the profession
to gain the skills and knowledge to allow a step
change in the adoption of the range of solutions
and tools already available. RICS’ Data Standards
are now supporting the ability to share real estate
data across market participants in a controlled
and consistent way, and our Tech Affiliate
Programme, and recently launched digital
community, continue to support vibrant
engagement between the profession and the
technology sector.
The built and natural environment was already
going through a period of unprecedent structural
change and with the challenges presented by
covid-19, increased adoption technology across
the sector has the potential to provide further
resilience for the profession.
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

26. 26
Rachel Tyrrell
SECRETARY GENERAL,
THE SURVEY ASSOCIATION
David Bell
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN,
GOREPORT
PropTech covers a broad array of software and
TSA Members, geospatial professionals, are very
conversant with survey processing, GPR
processing, CAD, modelling software and more.
TSA were delighted to be included in
the questionnaire this time around and the
subsequent report. We look forward to engaging
further and helping to widen the conversation.
As a technology partner for many surveyors, we
are delighted to once more contribute to the
survey and gain refreshed perspective on what is
important for the profession.
Since the last survey in 2018, surveyors are seeing
a greater impact of technology on their business
and many are actively embracing the opportunity
to drive efficiency, service improvements and to
make more informed decisions.
In the current climate, now more than ever we
witnessing the true value of technology and the
benefits of digitisation as surveyors look to find
smarter and more flexible ways of working. A
continuation on this journey will enable the
profession to be more resilient to deliver services
to clients.
The survey highlights the importance of
increased information and training required for
successful integration of technology into
everyday working practices and the need to
adopt a customer-centric flexible approach.
I am optimistic this year we will see the traditional
property sector make substantial strides in
preparing for the future.
TECHNOLOGY | ITS P OSITION AND IMPACT ON SURVE Y ING

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