For the past year, he's advised Real Capital Analytics on itsnewly created global property database. "RCA's global database is aparadigm shift in the way investment data is shared," he says. "Theold idea of closely protecting data in a culture of secrecy isbeing replaced by a belief that accessing the data is only thefirst step. The real skill is using interpretive skills that comefrom market knowledge and experience, to distill the data intomeaningful investment strategies." Here are more of histhoughts:

GlobeSt.com: Why is RCA calling this the "firstglobal commercial real estate transaction database"?

Williams: No one has previously collected detaileddata about sales of commercial/investment properties--that is,office, retail, hotels, multi-family, industrial and developmentland-- across the world. RCA has done this for US markets since2000. Now, after overcoming such issues as different ways ofmeasuring buildings, converting currencies at the time of the saleand smoothing technical and reporting protocols, the database--withmapping--is about to be launched.