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AI mapping tools at the University of NSW’s new Housing Analytics Lab will help the state government track construction trends.
The NSW government has said it will rely on AI-powered mapping tools to track and analyse the progress of housing construction targets.
The announcement comes days after the University of NSW’s City Futures Research Centre received a $1 million grant to develop a new Housing Analytics Lab, located in Tech Central in South Eveleigh.
“We will listen to it, we will grab data from it, we will implement it for positive change,” NSW Premier Chris Minns told the media on Monday, 19 May.
Professor Christopher Pettit, scientia professor and director of the City Futures Research Centre, said the Housing Analytics Lab will help boost NSW’s housing workforce.
“With technology moving at such a quickening pace and a shortage of planners and other built environment professionals, it is important we train them up and equip them with the right skills and knowledge to appropriately harness these emerging Technologies,” Professor Pettit said.
The grant, which will extend over two years, is part of the federal government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Support Program, alongside the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) NCRIS Facility.
Hugh Durrant-Whyte, NSW chief scientist and engineer, said in a 16 May statement that “NCRIS facilities play a role in supporting the state’s research and development sector”.
“These facilities enable the most advanced research and commercialisation opportunities to happen right here in NSW. These activities are a critical driver for innovation in the state’s economy,” Durrant-Whyte said.
The Housing Analytics Lab will host a database and map dashboard of live and historic planning approvals, an AI classifier of planning assessments, and a generative AI-powered virtual housing assistant trained on the existing literature in the field.
Professor Claire Annesley, UNSW dean of arts, design and architecture, said the lab will “offer the best modelling and digital solutions to the problems of urban planning”.
“This is a huge win for getting the very latest analytical tools into the hands of decision-makers.
“As a university, we are committed to our research and technology making an impact on society, and the Housing Analytics Lab is exactly the kind of thing we want to be doing,” Annesley said.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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