Ireland is facing a housing crisis, and yet countless buildings sit empty and unused. 

In this episode of Adapt Radio, Dr. Clare O’Connell speaks with Dr. Philip Crowe and Milo Dennehy from University College Dublin about a bold, AI-driven project to map and tackle building vacancy across the country. 

Discover why data on empty buildings is so patchy, how new tech could unlock hidden opportunities for homes and communities, and why solving this puzzle means more than just better spreadsheets. 

From town centre revitalisation to the surprising power of open data, this conversation explores how AI might help Ireland turn vacancy into vibrant possibility.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

●	Why Ireland’s empty buildings are so hard to track
●	How AI and data science are changing the vacancy game
●	The challenges, and surprises, of sharing property data
●	What Ireland can learn from France, Philadelphia, and beyond
●	Transforming vacant spaces into vibrant communities


GUEST DETAILS

Dr Philip Crowe is UCD Assistant Professor for Climate Responsive Design at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) and the School of Civil Engineering.

He is the Director of Research at UCD APEP, co-director of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns, and Programme Director of the MSc in Architecture, Urbanism and Climate Action. Philip teaches in areas relating to carbon management, sustainability, urban resilience and urban ethics. 

As a researcher, he is working on a range of EU and nationally funded projects relating to town revitalisation, vacancy and adaptive reuse, compact urban growth, and citizen participation in processes of change. Philip’s background is in architecture, and he was previously Director of Sustainable Design at M.CO (Dublin) from 2003-2012.

Milo Dennehy is a Research Assistant in the School of Computer Science. Milo is a current student in the BSc City Planning and Environmental Policy programme, set to graduate in 2025. Before joining Building Stories, Milo was a research assistant in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at UCD. His research interests are in building geospatial tools that leverage machine learning and remote sensing techniques to enhance capacity and reduce the barriers to access to geospatial technology for local actors.


MORE INFORMATION

You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ 

Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre
For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/  


QUOTES

We don’t actually know what we’re dealing with—how do you manage your built environment without reliable, dynamic data? – Dr Philip Crowe

It shocked me how much decision-making still relies on throwing darts at the map and manual guesswork – Milo Dennehy

If you aggregate all these data sets together, you’ve got something incredibly powerful to solve the housing crisis –  Dr Philip Crowe

AI lets us see what’s missing in the data—and predict what’s possible for Ireland’s empty buildings. – Milo Dennehy

The real challenge isn’t technical—it’s about building trust and a culture of sharing data for the public good. – Dr Philip Crowe


KEYWORDS

#AI #VacantBuildings #IrelandHousing #DataScience #UrbanRevitalisation #SmartCities #OpenData #HousingCrisis #PropertyData #CommunityImpact #TownCentres #DataGovernance #SustainableCities #Innovation #TechForGood

Vacant No More: AI and the Future of Irish Buildings

Ireland just made space history with its first satellite successfully completing its mission and de-orbiting as we speak. We find out more about some of the serious science it pulled off including gamma-ray burst detection and advanced satellite control systems that would make Nasa jealous.
Elsewhere, we discover why Google’s latest multi million dollar privacy slap actually matters to you and we dig as far as we can into a spyware story involving the Garda Siochana and an Israeli spy firm.
Plus, researchers from Dublin City University, Dawood University in Pakistan, and Munster Technological University are working on an AI content moderation tool designed to protect children from grooming online. We get the lowdown on EdgeAIGuard with DCU project lead Dr Sunder Ali Khowaja.

Eirsat-1 de-orbits and DCU's Dr Sunder Ali Khowaja on protecting children with AI

Apple launched the iPhone Air this week which has Niall and Dusty somewhat excited. We look at all the angles including the new ‘regular’ iPhones, a new Apple Watch and a gaping hole with AirPods. There is also news on the government snooping on your encrypted chats and a Revolut challenger is coming to Ireland. Plus, we get some fascinating insights into the global femtech industry with Dr Tanya Mulcahy, director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI). 

Apple full of chat with the iPhone Air and HIHI's Dr Tanya Mulcahy on femtech

This week Meta once again tries to make AR glasses happen, TikTok finally has a buyer in the US and Apple finally embraces touch screens in a laptop. We also talk with IBM’s Elaine Hanley about the state of cyber security in the age of AI.

IBM's Elaine Hanley on cyber security in 2025

Ireland's territorial waters are among Europe's largest, yet monitoring this vast maritime expanse for unauthorized vessels, environmental threats, and infrastructure protection remains an enormous challenge with current surveillance technologies.

Professor Marco Ruffini and Dr. John Kennedy from Trinity College Dublin have developed Sea-Scan, a revolutionary system that transforms existing undersea telecommunications cables into comprehensive acoustic monitoring networks. Using distributed acoustic sensing and AI, their technology can detect and classify vessels across hundreds of kilometers of ocean using just one land-based device.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

●	Transforming existing fiber optic cables into underwater sensor networks
●	AI detection of "dark vessels" that disable identification beacons
●	Unique acoustic signatures for different vessel classifications
●	Marine ecosystem monitoring and shipping noise impact assessment
●	Real-time infrastructure protection from accidental damage
●	Cost-effective surveillance across Ireland's vast territorial waters


GUEST DETAILS

Professor Marco Ruffini is Associate Professor and Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Principal Investigator of both the CONNECT Telecommunications Research Centre and the IPIC Photonics Integration Centre. He specializes in optical network architecture at the Department of Computer Science and Statistics,  focusing on converged metro/access network architecture, long-reach passive optical networks, and inter-data center connectivity. His expertise spans over two decades in optical communications and fiber sensing technologies. 

Dr. John Kennedy is Associate Professor in Vibrations, Acoustics and Dynamics at Trinity College Dublin. His current research centers on the use of advanced additive manufacturing techniques to design and fabricate novel acoustic metamaterials for environmental noise control. His research focuses on acoustics, noise control, aeroacoustics, additive manufacturing, and metamaterials, making him uniquely positioned to interpret underwater acoustic signals.

MORE INFORMATION

You can learn more about the Sea-Scan project and other cutting-edge research at Trinity College Dublin's ADAPT Centre here: www.adaptcentre.ie/

Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the ADAPT Centre

QUOTES

Having this many sensors in this environment helps us monitor activity that's happening in our waters. - John Kennedy 

Just by placing one device at one end of the fiber, I had a microphone every meter, so I can get a different sound every meter for all the 100 kilometers just with one device at one end. - Marco Ruffini 

This technology gives you a kind of unparalleled resolution of sensors underwater. It allows you to investigate questions that you know are very important for various different reasons. -  John Kennedy 

You won't believe how often fiber gets cut due to digging... you could detect the noise of the vehicle that's trying to dig, and you could contact them, maybe 10 to 15 minutes in advance. - Marco Ruffini

One of the exciting things about working in acoustics is that it sort of touches all aspects of human activity and also our daily lives." - John Kennedy


KEYWORDS

#distributedacousticsensing #marinesurveillance #fiberoptics #underwateracoustics #AImonitoring


Sea-Scan Maritime AI Technology

This week Apple continues its war with the EU over the Digital Markets Act, the entertainment industry continues its war with AI, and Asahi goes to war after a cyber attack brings its business to a halt. Plus HP Ireland country manager Neil Dover talks about technology and culture in the workplace.

HP's Neil Dover on the power of workplace culture

This week Niall and Dusty unpack Budget 2025's spending commitments, ask when the AI bubble will burst, and wonder why anyone would want to reanimate the dead through deep fakes. Finally, we explore why hosting your data in orbit might be a brilliant idea.Plus, Microsoft national technology officer Kieran McCorry talks about how the workplace is changing in with the advent of AI and why Gen Z is using it less than their elders.

The AI bubble we know is about the burst, and Microsoft's Kieran McCorry on Gen Z and AI

Windows 10 is finally being killed off by Microsoft. We look at what you can do and what Microsoft's strategy is going forward. We also check out the all new M5 chip from Apple, and dig into a surprise move from Google to make nice with the EU over the Digital Markets Act. Plus, we have a fascinating chat about AI in the workplace with Lisa Hunt, microsoft practice director at Viatel Technology Group.

Microsoft says goodbye to Windows 10 and Viatel Technology Group's Lisa Hunt on doing AI right

This week we have the really mundane reason for Monday’s massive AWS outage. Closer to home, an AI-generated deepfake video showed an Irish election candidate withdrawing from the race, complete with a convincing fake Sharon Ní Bheoláin presenting it on RTÉ News. The question everyone’s asking: who made it, and how do we stop this becoming the new normal? Plus, we’ll look at why your driving licence is going digital by 2030.

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