Assessing the future... Literally

Chuck, a former instructor at SAIT and Principal Consultant at Cuttle Consulting Services Inc., first discovered Calgary’s Open Data Portal through the institution’s curriculum, where students and educators explore real-world datasets as part of their learning experience. That early exposure sparked a deeper interest in how open data can be used to solve practical problems and support evidence-based decision-making. 

Today, Chuck applies that passion in his consulting work, using public datasets to build practical, data-driven tools. One of his recent projects focuses on developing forecasting models that estimate property assessment values for the years 2025 through 2030. He is currently working to update the app to the latest 2026 property assessment. The goal is not only technical accuracy, but also public value, helping individuals, businesses, and policymakers better understand how assessments may change over time. 

To build these models, he relied on the portal’s export feature and selected two key datasets: Historical Property Assessments (Parcel) and Current Year Property Assessments (Parcel). Both datasets are updated weekly by The City of Calgary, ensuring the information used in the models remains timely and reliable. By analyzing multi-year trends and combining them with current assessment data, the project provides a forward-looking perspective that can support long-term planning.

One of the most practical benefits of this work is its usefulness to property owners. With clearer insight into potential future assessment values, homeowners and investors can better plan their budgets, anticipate tax implications, and prepare for financial changes in advance. This type of transparency helps people make informed decisions rather than react to unexpected shifts. 

To explore more of Chuck’s projects and data-driven insights, visit his blog and interactive tools, which demonstrate how open data can be transformed into practical, real-world applications.