British Government Taps Rightmove for Parking Data

The UK government has signed a deal with Rightmove which will see it use the portal's off-street parking space data.

The Department of Transport's one-year deal with the British market leader came into effect on the 28th of September and cost the taxpayer £25,000 according to public records.

It is thought that the data will aid decision-makers working on the National Parking Platform pilot project - an online tool that lets people pay for parking remotely.

The latest deal might be the first to provide parking data but it's not the first time that a government has paid for property portal data to aid decision-making. Rightmove has previously won tenders to provide data on property market trends to the government.

Real estate portals are becoming increasingly vital sources of data for government departments around the world. EMPG-owned portals in Pakistan (Zameen) and the UAE have both signed memorandums of understanding to provide data to their respective governments.

When we spoke to Daniel del Pozo, Head of Data at Spanish portal idealista, he told us that the portal collaborates with the government to provide data.