The data identity crisis: How cloud-native property & location intelligence is changing the game 

In a world where data is the new currency, organizations are constantly seeking ways to gain a competitive edge. The challenge is often not a lack of data, but a lack of clarity within that data. This is particularly true in the property industry, where messy, inconsistent, and often-outdated records can lead to costly errors, delayed workflows, and missed opportunities. 

For years, the industry has relied on addresses and assessor's parcel numbers (APNs) as primary identifiers. But these are fundamentally flawed. Addresses can be non-unique, change over time, and are prone to formatting errors. APNs are not standardized across different jurisdictions and can create even more confusion.  

This "identity crisis" means that a single property can appear as multiple, disconnected records across different systems, making it nearly impossible to get a full, trusted view. The result is a fragmented picture that hinders decision-making. 

Introducing a new standard: The CLIP® ID 

Imagine a universal identifier for every U.S. property—a "Social Security Number" or a VIN for real estate. This is the vision behind Cotality's CLIP® ID. This unique, persistent, and reliable identifier uses advanced AI to link and standardize property records, connecting every piece of information about a property, regardless of how its address is written or which system it lives in. 

The CLIP ID solves the most persistent property data challenges by: 

• Establishing a single source of truth: It links disparate property records to a single, unique ID.
• Ensuring persistence: The ID remains constant, even as addresses change or parcels are split. 
• Enriching data: It provides precise geolocation and other critical data points, creating a 360-degree view of the property. 

The power of the CLIP app in the Snowflake AI Data Cloud 

While the CLIP ID itself is a powerful tool, its true transformative value is realized when it is integrated into a modern data platform. This is where the new Cotality CLIP App for Snowflake becomes a game-changer.

Historically, resolving property identity meant a slow, cumbersome process. The CLIP App changes this by operating as a native, self-serve application within the Snowflake AI Data Cloud. 

This cloud-native approach offers unparalleled advantages: 

• Seamless, secure integration: The app processes data directly within your secure Snowflake environment. There's no need to move sensitive data, which dramatically reduces security risks and compliance headaches. 
• Accelerated time-to-insight: What once took months can now be done in minutes. Users can download the app from the Snowflake Marketplace, point it at their data, and instantly match, deduplicate, and enrich property records with CLIP IDs.  
• Unlocking new insights: By easily and instantly connecting your datasets with Cotality’s comprehensive property data, the CLIP App enables you to go beyond basic analysis. This unified view helps you make more accurate valuations, refine risk models, and target opportunities with greater precision. 

The CLIP App is more than just a tool; it's a new way of working. It empowers data scientists, mortgage providers, insurers, and property professionals to act with confidence, knowing they are building on a foundation of accurate property identity. As the property data landscape continues to evolve, cloud-native tools like the CLIP App will be essential for those who want to turn data into a sustainable market advantage. 

The shift isn’t just about cleaner spreadsheets – it’s about better business outcomes. The future of property intelligence belongs to those who move quickly, establish a persistent identity for their property assets, and use that clarity to outpace the competition. 

At Cotality, we believe the future of property intelligence starts with having full clarity into the property you’re talking about — every time. With CLIP, now natively available in Snowflake, that future is here. Read more about the Cotality and Snowflake partnership at https://www.cotality.com/resources/article/bricks-bytes-intelligence.