Context
Athumi is the Flemish Data Utility Company that acts as a neutral data intermediary between government and businesses, and between businesses themselves. The company facilitates secure and valuable data collaboration, with trust, compliance and transparency at its core.
VIP (Vastgoedinformatieplatform) is a concrete initiative by Athumi, set up at the request of the real estate sector and financed from the European recovery budget. The platform centralises and digitalises the collection of the mandatory property information that must legally be provided in the context of a property transfer, allowing notaries and other parties, such as the real estate sector and municipalities, to work more efficiently and access correct data faster.
Approach
Athumi acts as a neutral intermediary, not bound by a profit motive, forming the bridge between government and businesses.
The platform integrates various data sources and already makes 50% of the information available automatically, while the remaining data is completed manually by local authorities or other parties involved. All 285 Flemish municipalities are now connected, guaranteeing broad coverage and efficiency.
Technology
VIP is built with Kotlin for the backend and Vue.js for the frontend, with a modern, scalable and maintainable architecture. The platform uses API integrations to automatically retrieve information from central Flemish data sources. Estate agents and notaries can connect to the platform through the integration of systems such as iBot (Fednot) and Realsmart, with built-in privacy by design and security by design. By opting for open standards, VIP is robust, future-proof and easily extensible, without depending on a single supplier.
The development was also supported by the consultancy firm itenium, through Bert.
His expertise and flexibility were highly valued by Athumi, and he played a crucial role in the technical delivery and integration of the platform.
Result
VIP has a significant impact on notaries, the real estate sector and the government:
Looking ahead
VIP is an example of how sectoral data collaboration can be set up efficiently, securely and with societal value. Athumi continues to develop the platform further, with an eye on expanding data sources and optimising processes. The success of VIP shows that trust and governance form the core of successful data ecosystems, and that innovative digital solutions deliver considerable benefits for both private and public parties.
