Unlocking Place-Based Insight for Healthier Homes

Why Now for Geospatial? 

“Housing is a spatial sector,” explained Stephen Croney, Head of Devolved Government and Housing at Esri UK. “We’re talking about property, homes, assets, tenants, and communities – all of which revolve around place. GIS provides the golden thread that connects this data and helps organisations make sense of it.” 

The timing could not be more critical. Social landlords face rising repair costs, climate pressures, and regulatory demands. From mapping damp and mould patterns to planning retrofit investment programmes, GIS (Geographical Information Systems) enables providers to visualise not just their own housing stock, but also the environmental and community context around it. 

Rick Thompson, Director of Operations at ODC GIS, stressed that the technology has become far more accessible: 

“Ten years ago, an organisation with 100 homes wouldn’t have dreamt of investing in GIS because it was too expensive. Today, even the smallest landlord can afford it. The sector is very data-rich but often insight-poor – GIS tells a story that a spreadsheet simply can’t.” 

 From Data to Decisions 

The Geospatial Hub is intended to help shift housing away from reactive data collection and towards proactive, evidence-based decision-making. This is not just about dashboards. It is about connecting the dots between housing, health, and place. 

For example, GIS can: 

• Overlay EPC ratings with local climate risk data to identify clusters of homes most vulnerable to overheating. 

• Map roof ages alongside rainfall and wind data to inform replacement programmes, prioritising homes where risk is greatest. 

• Support strategic asset management by bringing multiple data systems together via the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). 

One case study from Thirteen Housing showed how mapping data from 12 legacy systems in GIS enabled them to plan retrofit programmes more effectively. Another, from the Shine group in the North East, demonstrated how a shared “one map” approach allows multiple landlords to pool data, coordinate contractors, and achieve economies of scale. 

Overcoming Assumptions 

For many providers, misconceptions remain a barrier. Two myths came through strongly in our conversations: 

1. “Our data isn’t good enough yet.” 
   GIS can actually serve as a quality assurance tool. Once data is visualised spatially, gaps and errors become obvious, making it easier to improve accuracy over time. 

2. “GIS is too costly or complex.” 
   Both Croney and Thompson emphasised that modern GIS is affordable, cloud-based, and scalable. 

“You don’t have to tackle everything at once,” Croney advised. “Start small – pick one use case, show the value, and build from there.” 

 Building a Community of Practice 

At its heart, the new Geospatial Hub is about collaboration. By convening expertise from ODC GIS, Esri UK and the wider housing sector, the Hub will showcase practical examples, share best practice, and demystify spatial technologies. 

“The big thing for me is knowledge transfer,” said Thompson. “Housing organisations often don’t know where to start, or assume GIS is beyond their reach. This Hub is a platform to show what’s possible – from climate risk to healthy homes planning – and to learn from each other.” 

For Croney, the opportunity goes further: 

“Esri was founded on the belief that geography can drive real-world change. In housing, that means tackling the big issues of our time – the housing crisis, damp and mould, climate adaptation – by connecting data to place and turning information into action.” 

 Why It Matters for Healthy Homes 

This is not about technology for its own sake. It is about healthier, safer living environments. GIS makes visible the connections between poor housing, environmental stressors, and resident wellbeing. It enables landlords to move beyond compliance towards prevention – identifying risks before they become crises. 

As the Healthy Homes Hub framed it during the launch: 

“GIS is more than just mapping. It is a way to connect housing, health and place – turning data into decisions that ultimately improve people’s lives.” 

The Geospatial Hub is open to all housing professionals who want to understand how to use location intelligence in practice. As a starting point, providers can: 

• Identify one use case – for example, mapping mould hotspots or planning retrofit clusters – and use it to demonstrate impact. 

• Explore open datasets such as Ordnance Survey Address Base or EPC ratings to supplement internal data. 

• Engage with UPRNs as a consistent linking tool across systems, ensuring properties can be joined up across multiple datasets. 

• Collaborate with peers by sharing maps and insights across local partnerships, replicating models like Shine’s “one map.” 

• Join the Healthy Homes Hub Geospatial Hub to access case studies, guidance, and a growing community of practice. 

The Geospatial Hub is here to help the sector do more with what it already has – to see patterns, act earlier, and tell a clearer story about the value of healthy homes.