The University of Cambridge is developing an artificial intelligence tool with Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to scan data from thousands of council properties and flag the homes and occupants most likely to experience harmful deterioration.
The system will combine three sources of data into a single risk score: thermal imagery captured by satellites to detect heat loss, conventional housing data such as Energy Performance Certificates, and anonymised records of contacts between councils and their tenants, the university said.
The processed data will feed a dashboard showing a map of "risk hotspots" to help teams prioritise inspections and maintenance while keeping welfare and intervention decisions with trained council officers.
Peter Campbell, head of housing at the South Cambridgeshire authority, said access to richer data could make teams more efficient because they are often reactive and problems can cause wider damage across homes.
"This is just a starting point, but we hope it can be replicated across different councils across the country," said Prof Ronita Bardhan.
