For brokers and investors, the days of endless travel to scout for properties, pen and pad in hand, are gone. Now it's all about virtual reality and powerful searches through comprehensive property databases. Industry players say it's all about increased transparency--the attempt to illuminate a once fragmented and localized market sector. And while commercial real estate still lags the residential sector, the commitment to publicly accessible listings and resources is picking up steam.

Just recently, New York City-based Real Capital Analytics created a global real estate transaction database. San Francisco-based LoopNet Inc., meanwhile, released the next generation of LoopLink, a technology that powers commercial property listings on more than 1,000 real estate websites. Both tools are designed to make it easier, faster and more convenient for prospective buyers to access commercial real estate data, company officials say.

LoopLink 7.0 , for instance, features mapping tools that show street, aerial and bird's-eye views of properties, and has the ability to search sale and lease listings at thesame time. The LoopLink 7.0 platform allows real estate firms to significantly enhance their online marketing capabilities," says Mike Manning, LoopNet's vice president of marketing.