Entry is free, with the winner receiving free consultancy, geospatial software and data to develop their concept into a working pilot.

With social housing providers under increasing pressure to balance tenant needs, asset performance, compliance and decarbonisation, the challenge is designed to generate ideas and learning that can be shared across the sector.

OS and Esri UK are encouraging providers to imagine new ways of tackling any pressing challenge, from helping vulnerable households prepare for future heatwaves and identifying opportunities for new housing, to predicting repair needs faster or revealing new insights hidden within existing data.

The winning entry will receive free consultancy from OS and Esri UK to build the solution and free Esri GIS (Geospatial Information System) software and OS National Geographic Database (NGD) data, the most comprehensive data on Britain’s landscape.

Entrants do not need a fully developed technical solution and only need to complete a short entry form. Ideas are welcome from any housing department, including operations, property asset management, estates, sustainability, IT and GIS.

Isabel Clouting, housing lead at Esri UK, said: “Social housing providers are making complex decisions every day about homes, communities, investment and risk. Location intelligence can help them see those challenges more clearly, target resources where they will have the greatest impact and build stronger evidence for making difficult decisions.

“This challenge is about finding practical ideas that can be developed into real solutions that improve resident services and increase efficiency for providers, whether they involve AI, digital twins or mobile data collection.”

Many social housing providers are already using Esri geospatial technology and OS data to better understand operations and make decisions, from identifying homes most suitable for retrofit and decarbonisation programmes to investing in neighbourhoods that need the most support.

Isabelle Chatel de Brancion, market development lead (land and property) at Ordnance Survey, said: “Social housing providers continue to navigate the demands of Awaab’s Law and the transition to net zero. Which is why access to the right data, technology and location intelligence is critical for understanding, maintaining and improving housing stock.

“This challenge will accelerate innovation and develop practical solutions that could improve housing outcomes and best practice whilst delivering real impact in the wider sector.”

The challenge is open until 30 November 2026 and is free to enter. Housing associations and local authorities can submit ideas by completing a short online form.