How Relational Data Schemas Improve Data Quality and Accuracy

Industry Challenge

In the real estate and property data industry, ensuring data accuracy and consistency is a constant challenge. Many data providers struggle with fragmented or oversimplified schemas that fail to capture the complex relationships between parcels, addresses, and property attributes.

Why It Matters

Capturing these relationships allows us to:

Deliver more accurate risk assessments.
Improve underwriting and valuation models.
Support advanced analytics and AI applications.

Why Relationships Matter

Real-world data is rarely one-to-one. Consider these common scenarios:

A single parcel may have multiple addresses (e.g., corner lots).
A building may span multiple parcels (e.g., condominiums).
Attributes like zoning or flood zones may apply to multiple parcels or only parts of one.

First American’s Relational Schema Advantage

At First American, we’ve designed a relational data schema that captures these complexities. Our model:

Links parcels to multiple addresses and attributes.
Tracks changes over time (e.g., splits, merges, annexations).
Supports many-to-many relationships between entities.

This approach ensures that our data reflects the real world—improving accuracy, reducing redundancy, and enabling better decision-making.

Special Cases We Handle

Condominiums: Units share a parcel but have distinct attributes.
Shared Facilities: Pools, clubhouses, and parking lots may be linked to multiple properties.
Temporal Changes: We track historical parcel configurations and attribute changes.

Our Data Models

We support multiple geometric models to represent spatial relationships:

Discrete: One-to-one parcel-to-geometry.
Stacked: Multiple geometries (e.g., condo units) on a single parcel.
Divided: A parcel split into multiple geometries (e.g., townhomes).
Distributed: One attribute (e.g., flood zone) spans multiple parcels.

Our Spatial Data

Geometric Model - Discrete. Common Area lacks a record in the Tax Roll and often is a polygon that covers the entire common access area.

Geometric Model - Stacked

Geometric Model - Divided. Main parcel is divided into segments, which are not representative of individual unit’s parcel geometry in the legal description.

Geometric Model - Distributed. Similar to discrete model, but the common area is included in the tax roll.

Example of Distributed Parcel Parent-Child Relationship. Common area parcel, outlined in red, and individual parcels distributed within the common area.

Learn More About Our Spatial Data

Fill out the form and a member of our team will contact you.

By clicking “Submit”, you provide prior express written consent for First American to contact you for marketing by text message or phone (including automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice) to the telephone number you have provided, even if that telephone number is on a corporate, state, or national Do Not Call Registry. Message and data rates may apply. You do not have to agree to receive marketing calls or messages as a condition of getting any services from First American and may instead call the relevant phone number located at https://dna.firstam.com/contact-us for services. Consent to such calls and consent to recording and monitoring can be revoked at any time. Additional information about your privacy rights can be found at https://www.firstam.com/privacy-policy/.