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Site Map


Page Appearance


This website has features that are best viewed on the open-source browser Firefox or Google Chrome. There should be no issues on other browsers, but they may place certain limitations on the map’s graphical overlays. If the site is too wide for your screen, we recommend screen resolutions of 1280x1024 or higher. Alternatively you may simply want to zoom out in your browser by pressing the Ctrl and - buttons simultaneously, or Ctrl and scroll down with a scroll wheel mouse.


Searching for a Community


The main functionality of the page is accessed through the “My Next Community” tab. If you’re looking to purchase a home in Calgary, simply click any of the criteria listed and specify your preferences. The criteria window can be minimized by clicking either "Done" or another criterium. There is an option to place different weights based on what’s most important to you (hint: if you’re interested in renting rather than buying in Calgary, simply choose a weight of 1 for “Budget” and let the other factors determine your results.) When you're done entering your search inputs, click "Find My Next Community" to begin the search.


Map


The map is completely navigable. Pan by clicking and dragging the map, or with the buttons in the upper-left corner of the map. Zoom using a scroll wheel mouse while the mouse is within the map's bounds, with the zoom bar on the left side of the map, or by double-clicking a point on the map. After performing a search, flags will signify the addresses you entered (click the flags to confirm their addresses.) Numbered icons signify the ordered results of your search. Click them to display the community name, result score and a central location for use in your car's GPS or a web-based directions provider.


Data


A large portion of the data presented and used in computations are from Statistics Canada’s 2006 census. Average home values have been adjusted with respect to current Calgary Real Estate Board average sales prices in order to estimate current average prices. Although budget is no doubt a major constraint for any buyer, due to the constant changes in the real estate market and variances in prices in any given neighbourhood, this factor is weighed down accordingly. Proximity to locations is computed based on the location of your entered addresses as “geocoded” by Google to a central point in every neighbourhood. Convenience of public transit is based on percentage of people in a neighbourhood who commute via LRT or public bus. Prevalence of high-rise buildings in a neighbourhood is derived from the number of apartments in buildings over 5 stories in height.


Your Privacy


Your privacy is very important to us, and furthermore, the site’s functionality does not require any user’s private data. Therefore none of your selections or inputs will be stored at any time, for any reason. Please note that your inputs may be stored on your own computer; if you’d like to reset them to the default settings, simply press Ctrl-F5. If you’d like to clear any history of your inputs, consult your internet browser’s documentation on clearing or deleting browsing history but first be aware of any stored data that you may need.


Additional questions can be directed to engo500g4@gmail.com.

About Us


We are a not-for-profit group who built this website as an ENGO 500 project at the University of Calgary. In September 2009 none of our 4 group members had any experience whatsoever with web programming. The course ended in April 2010. In those 9 months we gained significant experience and confidence in website development. We hope you enjoy the website and we are aware that there is room for improvement, so please help yourself! This is open source after all.



Creators:

Eric Lam
Jay Hamilton
Kari Idland
Lindsay McEachern

Contact


Contact the site administrators at engo500g4@gmail.com with any questions or comments.


We thank you for not sending solicitations to this address.

Terms of Use


By using this site, you agree to the following terms of use:


Restrictions on Use. You may download, reproduce and retransmit material displayed on this web site for non-commercial, personal use. In doing so, you recognize the developer’s provide no warranty with the service provided.


Trademarks and Copyrights. This web site and its content are governed by its Creative Commons license. Content, trademarks, services marks, trade names, logos, and icons associated with other services used in this mash-up are propriety to those services, their affiliates or agents. Nothing contained on this web site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any trademark displayed on this web site without the written permission of such third parties that may own the trademarks displayed on this web site.


Contact. E-mail submissions over the Internet may not be secure. With respect to any communications you make, including but not limited to questions, comments, suggestions, feedback, and the like, you understand and agree that the developers reserve the rights to respond or not respond, and use feedback to its best potential.


Third Party Information. Links to other web sites operated by other entities are included as a convenience to you. The developers are not responsible for the content found on other web sites, which is linked from this page.


Linking to the Site. Feel free to link to our web site. If doing so, please link to the URL home page (index) and not other pages within the site. Also, give recognition that this page was created as a class project by students of the University of Calgary.


Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability. ALL CONTENT ON THIS WEB SITE IS PROVIDED TO YOU ON AN "AS IS" "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. The developers make no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or reliability of any content available through this web site. You are responsible for verifying any information before relying on it. Use of the web site and the content available on the web site is at your sole risk. The developers specifically disclaim any liability, whether based in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability or otherwise, for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of or in any way connected with access to or use of the web site. Recommendations are derived from geographical and statistical computations. Budget computations are based on 2006 projection statistics from Canada census property values and current average sales figures. These algorithms are not guaranteed to any specified degree of accuracy, nor are the values assured to accurately reflect fluctuating market conditions.

Acknowledgments


In the spirit of open source programming, we'd like to give thanks to the people and organizations that have helped us provide this free service despite time and monetary constraints. It would not have been possible without them. -Group 4


Geomatics Engineering Project (ENGO 500) Professors and Peers


Dr. Yang Gao (Course coordinator)
Dr. Andrew Hunter (GIS and Land Tenure project stream advisor)
Dr. Steve Liang (Group 4 point of contact)
Heather Hansen, Kristine Anderson, Vincent Soo, Mark Mason
(ENGO 500 Group 5)
June Xi, Ben Knoechel, Janice Mollerson, Shady Rezk (ENGO 500 Group 6)


Data Sources


Calgaryarea.com (Community centres)
Statistics Canada (2006 census data)
University of Calgary Library Maps, Academic Data, Geographic Information Centre (Access to census data)


Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)


Google Maps Geocoding
OpenLayers Maps
Mapstraction Mapping Abstraction Library


Open Source Site Administration Tools


pgAdmin (Database administration platform)
FileZilla (FTP client software)
PostgreSQL (Database)
PostGIS (Spatial database extension for PostgreSQL)
Apache (Server)


Assorted


Roshan's Blog
Dreamweaver Spot
eHow
BitNami
Digital Inspiration
Fuzzimo
HTML Source
W3Schools
Icons etc.
Craig S. Mullins
QuirksMode
Ringsworld WebMaster Resources
Boston Geographic Information Systems

Welcome!


Determine the Calgary neighbourhood which best suits your preferences by clicking on 'My Next Community'.


'How Green Can Home Be' is a not-for-profit, open source project geared towards helping everyone reduce their carbon footprint.

It can help you find the ideal community in Calgary based on factors such as proximity to work, public transport, and points of convenience and interest.

Customize the search further to reflect your house-hunting criteria such as dwelling type, neighbourhood demographics, and budget.

Search Criteria

 (click on the following criteria to customize)

Budget

Enter your home budget (without the $ sign):
(default value is $500000)


$


Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

Proximity To Location(s)

Enter address(es) of interest or commute points
(example: 2500 University Dr. NW)


Address 1

Address 2

Address 3





Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

Convenience of Public Transit

Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

Family Population

Select preference:


  • 1: Lower family population preferred
  • 2: No preference
  • 3: Higher family population preferred


Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

Senior Population

Select preference:


  • 1: No preference
  • 2: Higher senior population preferred


Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

Dwelling Construction Year

Select preferred construction year:


  • 1: Before 1971
  • 2: 1971-1990
  • 3: 1990 and newer


Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

High-Rise Buildings

Are you interested in neighbourhoods with buildings over 5-stories high?


Select preference:


  • 1: Fewer highrises preferred
  • 2: No preference
  • 3: More highrises preferred


Select one of the following weights:


  • 1: (Not important)
  • 2:
  • 3:
  • 4:
  • 5: (Very important)

  • Done

Terms of Use

Acknowledgments