Healthy Homes Hub Partners With ODCGIS and Esri UK on Healthier Living

As a knowledge resource for housing providers to help them build healthier homes we have identified geographic information systems (GIS) as a powerful tool to help inform housing providers’ decision making by visualising and analysing the relationship between properties, resident health and the wider environment.

GIS can provide housing providers with a number of outcomes to help proactively manage their housing portfolios.

It allows users to map the data they have, make sense of it and provide a deeper understanding of issues. Processing and analysing data in a geospatial context helps users to integrate where things are, in this case housing, and then understand how effective the homes operate across their portfolios and locations.

GIS also acts as a system of record for data. Turning it into mapping and visualisation tools helps bring the data to life. Spatial analysis, the analysis of geospatial data, can help with the understanding of hidden geographical relationships to generate valuable insights whilst also helping to communicate complex ideas to build a common understanding of the link between housing and its wider environment.

Two of the sectors leading players, ODCGIS and Esri UK are backing the new hub. As the hub grows, other sector players will contribute and provide additional input.

ODCGIS have over thirty years’ experience in providing consultancy and data capture to organisations within the public, social housing and private sectors. Esri UK are the UK distributor for Esri Inc, the world’s leading GIS software supplier and have been supporting customers with geographic science and geospatial analysis since 1969.

Commenting on the new Geospatial Hub, ODCGIS Director of Operations, Rick Thompson said:

“With a background in housing, I know exactly how important GIS data can be to help inform decisions on how we can make our homes healthier. We are living in a changing climate, and homes must adapt to that and their changing geographical conditions. To do this effectively requires accurate data to evidence the decisions and investments the sector is going to have to make. A better visualisation of the outcome can really help, and this is where understanding of and use of GIS becomes an advantage.”

Stephen Croney, Head of Devolved Government and Housing at Esri UK adds:

“Good data is key to good strategic asset management and evidence-based decision making. This is why we feel there is a strong role for GIS to help inform housing providers on how to manage their portfolios today and into the future. Our aim in backing this hub is to help showcase the value that GIS can bring housing providers, and to help the sector create and maintain healthier homes.”

Trina Chakravarti, Membership Director at the Healthy Homes Hub commented:

“As a membership organisation we are always looking to help our members expand their knowledge so we can create truly healthy living environments for all. This new hub is an important component of this, and we are delighted to have the expertise of the teams at ODCGIS and Esri UK alongside others as we seek to improve the health of our homes.”