Information Sheet

Hello,

Thank you for volunteering to be part of the pilot. This information sheet tells you about the project and what is involved. If you have any questions or would like this explained via phone, please contact your housing provider who will call you back.

About the research

We are running a joint research project with other housing providers and Aware Technologies (Awaretag), to see if we can use Artificial Intelligence and sensor technology to predict mould and damp, and identify the causes quickly. The hope is to get ahead of problems before they become difficult to manage.

The technology includes small, battery powered temperature and humidity sensor that you put in each room, and a hub device you plug in for 2 weeks. The hub calculates insulation performance and measures the risk of mould and damp for each room and your home in 3D. It is designed so that you hardly notice it and doesn’t need any disturbance to your home.

We want to use technology in the right way to help you and us solve issues faster. By volunteering, you will be helping us understand whether the technology works and can help us improve our services to you.

Who is Awaretag?

Awaretag is the brand name of Aware Technologies Limited. They are a UK based company specialising in measuring the performance of homes and buildings using artificial intelligence, sensor technology and 3D animations.

The technology measures temperature and humidity levels in all rooms in your home, and creates a 3D model of where damp, mould and condensation may start. The technology provides personalised insights into how heating, ventilation and insulation is performing in your home, where issues may occur and what can be done to fix or prevent them.

3D animations of homes over 2-52 weeks

What information will be collected?

The sensors collect temperature and humidity only. All the data collected via the sensors is experimental and will be used only for research, academic articles and statistical purposes. Personal details such as names, addresses, age, medical conditions will not be collected.

Your participation in the research is entirely voluntary and by consent. You may withdraw you consent at any time without giving a reason.

My participation

Participation in this research is entirely voluntary. If you choose to withdraw at any point, you can do this by contacting your Housing Provider.

Once you notify us of your withdrawal, we can unplug the hub device and we will arrange for the collection of the equipment.

We will keep all the temperature and humidity data provided by you until the completion of the project. If we have collected any personal data about you for instance to arrange collection of the equipment, this will be deleted as soon as we get the equipment back.

What happens next?

Your Housing Provider will send you a short questionnaire and ask for your consent before taking part in this research.

Once you have agreed to take part in the research;

Sensors the size of a thin biscuit and a small hub the size of a drinks mat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I access my data? Yes. You can request the data we collect about your home at any time.

Do I need to charge up the sensors? No. The sensors have a built in long life battery that does not need to be charged.

Do I need to connect the hub to my WiFi? There are two versions of the hub. One that uses the public mobile network and the other that needs to be connected to your WiFi. You will be asked whether you have WiFi and if you are happy to connect the gateway to it.

How much electricity does the hub consume? The hub consumes about 25p of electricity a month. We will be offering a voucher to volunteers to compensate for this usage and as a thank you for taking part.

Where will the data be stored? The data will be stored on a European Amazon Web Services (AWS) server. Contact information is stored on a Business Google server. All data from the sensors will be encrypted and only accessible to Awaretag members of staff.

Will the technology take recording of speech and sound? No. The sensors only collect temperature and humidity data.

Contact details

Any questions regarding this project or if you would like any additional information, please contact info@awaretag.com

Your rights, privacy and data

Who can access the data:

Access to your data will be granted only to Aware Technologies Limited and your Housing Provider. We will not share this data with any third parties, except where allowed or required by law.

How will we use and store your data:

We will use the data from the sensors in your home to develop 3D predictions of mould and damp, insulation and ventilation performance. We will compare this data with other similar homes to help improve the predictions and help improve the recommended actions. Data gathered by us, including any feedback you give, will be stored on Amazon Web Services (WAS) and Google Workspace secure servers with appropriate protection.

We will not use your data for sales or marketing purposes. At the end of the trial, we will publish the findings of this study in a report that will be shared with your housing provider. It may contain anonymised data gathered during the trial and it will not identify you or your family members.

Your rights:

You can request a copy of the data we hold about you, including the data obtained from sensors in your home. You can make this request at any time in accordance with your rights under the data protection legislation. For more information about your personal rights, refer to the link provided: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights

Privacy Statement – Lawful basis for processing

We will process your data based on your consent in accordance with GDPR Articles – “The processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies”: