Oracle 9i solution to help cut Gauteng housing backlog

The Gauteng government`s plans to reduce the housing backlog in the province through a multi-pronged housing strategy will be boosted during May with the implementation of a R2 million housing waiting list management system.

The new, purpose-designed system, which is based on Oracle`s 9i RDBMS and Application Server products, has been designed to streamline the whole process of allocating housing subsidies, eliminate duplicate applications, identify people who do not qualify for subsidies, and enable the Department of Housing to identify where best to focus its resources.

"When we reviewed our IT needs about two years ago, we identified the housing waiting list as one of the most important systems in the department," says Nilesh Singh, at the Department of Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government.

"Being able to manage the data on the list is not only critical in ensuring the people with the most need get helped, but we need to be able to use that data to help us plan our strategies better such as seeing where the biggest need is and planning accordingly in terms of services, schools and transport."

The previous system, that was developed and maintained over a four-year period, was unable to deliver to these needs as it was a distributed system that made data consolidation and timely management reporting difficult.

The new system, which is being developed and implemented by <ifactory>, an Oracle and Java-based systems development specialist, manages the data on the 500 000 people currently on the waiting lists in a centralised Oracle9i database.

Initially, users at 43 local authorities will access the database over the province`s intranet to record new applications, update applicant data, generate beneficiary lists and draw statistical reports.

Ultimately, the public will be able to access the system over the Internet so that they can apply electronically, check their positions on the list themselves or verify subsidies awarded while at a bank applying for the balance of a housing loan.

Once the system is fully operational, Singh estimates that the housing applicant list will be reduced by at least 100 000 because it will be easier to identify duplications and ineligible people.

Links to systems in other provinces and the Deeds Office will also eliminate those people who have already been granted housing subsidies in other provinces.

"One of the problems with the previous system was that it was difficult to coordinate data distributed across the different municipalities. What`s more, it was not unusual for a local authority to lose 1 000 people off a waiting list if the system crashed.

"We`re using the latest Oracle technology and Web development tools to ensure we deliver a robust solution that not only meets the department`s immediate needs but also can be adapted easily to meet future demands."

The province`s current IT strategy is being implemented on the basis of `fix it, standardise it and then revolutionise`.

"We`ve gone through the fixing process and now at the standardisation stage which on the database side is Oracle. The next step is to revolutionise, so one of our primary concerns for the waiting list was that it be a flexible system able to be adapted easily to changing policies and strategies," concludes Singh.