Science and Technology Facilities Council
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House Hunters can now time travel to their perfect home thanks to space technology

23 June 2014 - Searching online for the perfect new home has just got easier thanks to technology originally designed for use in Space. Leading property website, Zoopla Property Group, is using a revolutionary app developed by a small UK space tech company, iGeolise Ltd, that enables its online house hunters to instantly search for new homes by travel time, as opposed to distance, according to their mode of transport.

iGeolise developed its technology, ‘Travel Time’ at the UK’s European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre in Oxfordshire (ESA BIC Harwell), which is managed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Travel Time uses satellite maps overlaid with public transport and road data to instantly identify, rank and sort potential properties based on journey time – between a home and place of work for example. It takes into account whether travel is by car, foot, bus, train or tram. It even factors in average walking speed, position of bus stops and stations, regularity of public transport at given times of day, as well as road speed limits and the distances between junctions.

Lawrence Hall of Zoopla Property Group said: “A destination may be close by, but it could be difficult to get to. Similarly another property can be a fair distance away, but could in fact be quicker to get to than a property closer by. This is really important detail if you want a home which is say within 30 minutes commute time from where you work. Travel Time is a brilliant addition to our platform, and with millions of users searching our site each month this technology is great news for property hunters and our members.”

Managed by STFC, the ESA BIC Harwell enables small companies with brilliant ideas using space technology, to transfer these ideas for use into non-space industries. iGeolise co-founders, Charlie Davies and Peter Lilley, joined the ESA BIC Harwell just over a year ago, where they found the ideal environment to combine innovation and the necessary business support to take their pioneering technology further commercially into the non-space sector.

Peter Lilley, Co-founder and CEO at iGeolise, said: “It is superb news that Zoopla Property Group, a leader in the online property search industry, is using Travel Time on its website. At least 40% of all web searches are for geographical information, so we knew we had developed a really useful and revolutionary product. Our focus has always been on the commercialisation of our technology, so becoming an incubatee at STFC’s ESA BIC Harwell put us in the perfect position to access the specialist business expertise we needed to gain the exposure and contacts with the right audiences and markets, and this is critical to the success of our business.”

Paul Vernon, STFC’s Head of Campus Development, said: iGeolise is solid proof that with the right business support and expertise, pioneering start-up companies, such as iGeolise, can take UK space technologies into completely different industries, turning brilliant ideas into successful, vibrant businesses. I am thrilled that Zoopla Property Group has now adopted this technology onto its website - this is exactly what STFC and the ESA BIC Harwell sets out to help small companies achieve.”

Applications for iGeolise’s technology are not just limited to home hunters. It can be used to search for restaurants or jobs that are so many minutes away from home, or it can be used by companies to estimate their carbon foot print. These are just some of the many uses of Travel Time currently being trialled across the world.

Notes to editors

iGeolise has been supported by the Technology Strategy Board. In 2012 it won the UK leg of the 2012 Global Satellite Navigation Competition with Time Travel, as the best new use of satellite data.

Video available: Peter Lilley, Co-founder and CEO at iGeolise, talks about his experience at the ESA BIC Harwell (43 seconds):

Images available: Peter Lilley, Co-founder and CEO at iGeolise, showcases Travel Time.

Contact:

Wendy Ellison 
STFC Press Officer
Tel: 01925 603232
Mob: 07919 548012

About ESA BIC Harwell

The ESA BIC Harwell provides access to the funding, business support and facilities needed to turn brilliant ideas into a successful, vibrant business. The scheme is aimed at entrepreneurs and start-up companies with innovative ideas for using space technologies and services in a non-space environment. The BIC is managed by STFC on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and is located on the Harwell Oxford science and innovation campus, home of the UK’s thriving space cluster. Each year it accepts up to 10 start-ups, with our incubatees applying space technology in sectors such as healthcare, energy, sports analysis, big data, industrial inspection and digital technology. http://www.esa-bic.org.uk

ESA Business Incubation Centres

Yearly, 80 start-ups are supported at the eleven ESA BICs in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the UK and Belgium, France and Spain. ESA BICs have been set up to inspire entrepreneurs to turn space-connected business ideas into commercial companies, supporting the application of space systems and the spin-off of space technology to non-space sectors of industry.

About STFC

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and ensuring global security. STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Follow us on Twitter at @STFC_Matters. www.stfc.ac.uk.

 

Channel website: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/

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