DERI Seminar with Dr Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe, Head of Data Science at Zoopla; and Dr Stephen Law, Lecturer at UCL
When: Friday, January 26, 2024, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Where: zoom
Speaker: Dr Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe (Zoopla), and Stephen Law (UCL)
Zoom link: https://qmul-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81148100921
Please join us on Friday 26th January at 11am.
We are delighted that Dr Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe, Head of Data Science at Zoopla and Stephen Law (UCL) will be presenting.
Title: "Extracting Insights about Places and Properties Using Computer Vision"
Abstract: Images serve as vital tools for understanding our environment, offering nuanced insights previously unattainable. This presentation showcases the use of Deep Learning at Zoopla and HomeTrack, where integrating image analysis with property data unveils critical insights into housing preferences and property valuations. We will also discuss the innovative work at my Community Interest Company Beautifulplaces.ai. Here, we use machine learning combined with crowdsourced information to construct a detailed global inventory of aesthetically notable places. This endeavor not only informs urban planning but also contributes to research on the influence of environment on human and economic wellbeing. These case studies at Zoopla, HomeTrack, and Beautifulplaces.ai illustrate the diverse and transformative potential of Computer Vision and AI in both commercial and community-focused contexts, highlighting its pivotal role in shaping future trends and policies.
Bios: Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe, PhD Chanuki received a PhD in Data Science from the University of Warwick. Her research at the University of Warwick and the Alan Turing Institute involved understanding how the aesthetics of the environment influences human wellbeing. Her research has been featured in the press worldwide including the Economist, Wired, The Times, BBC, Spiegel Online, Guardian, Telegraph, Scientific American, Newsweek and MIT Technology Review. Commercially, Chanuki currently works as the Head of Data Science at Zoopla and HomeTrack.
Dr Stephen Law is a Lecturer, Assistant Professor, and Convenor, directing the MSc Social and Geographic Data Science at UCL, and a Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute. His research interests span GeoAI, geographic data science, computer vision, network science, urban economics, urban planning and urban design. He has completed a PhD in UCL studying the economic value of spatial networks in the housing market and has over 10 years’ international consultancy experience delivering urban design projects in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US, with multidisciplinary teams in both Aecom Hong Kong and Space Syntax in London.