LIDA Data Scientist Awarded GISRUK Grant
Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) is proud to celebrate Data Scientist, Chenrui Xiao, who was awarded the GoFundGeo grant during the GISRUK 2026 Conference at the University of Birmingham in April.
The prize, co-funded by GISRUK and OSGeo:UK, is awarded to just one presenter and is only in its third year. It is awarded to the conference paper which presents a tool or technique that has potential for wide uptake in the open-source geospatial community in the UK and globally. It is highly competitive, and the committee were impressed by the progress made in such a short time, potential to expand, and the real-world implications of the project. The award carries a financial benefit to help the recipient to share their project code as part of open-source geospatial working.
Chenrui presented his and his team's LIDA Data Scientist Development Programme project, developing a wheelability network to assess the accessibility of Bradford for wheelchair users and others relying on wheeled mobility aids. Chenrui has just concluded his 6 months working on the project, in collaboration with Healthy Urban Places and the Visualizing Heritage team in the University of Bradford.
While walkability has been widely studied, ‘wheelability’ - which captures the physical ease, safety, and continuity of movement for people with mobility limitations - has received far less attention. Addressing this gap is essential for promoting inclusive and health-supportive urban environments.
The project utilised high-resolution mobile mapping data collected by the Leica Pegasus TRK700 Evo system, which provides detailed 3D point clouds of Bradford’s urban network. Through feature extraction and geometry analysis, key accessibility elements such as dropped kerbs, surface gradients, and pavement characteristics are identified and integrated into a spatial network, enabling the visualisation and evaluation of accessibility across the city.Chenrui Xiao, Data Scientist said, " This award is a huge encouragement at this stage of my career. We aim to take this project further as an open-source geospatial tool, helping more cities better evaluate and design more inclusive streets.”
Dr Vikki Houlden, Associate Professor in Urban Data Science and the Project Supervisor said, "
"We are really proud to see Chenrui's effort, ability, and creativity celebrated through this prestigious award. Throughout the project, the team have been continually impressed by his capability to take on a new challenge, and flair for communicating complex ideas in a clear and accessible way. This is a fantastic commendation that recognises the potential for Chenrui and this project to go even further, extending and opening up the code to maximise the impact for both researchers and residents with accessibility needs"
The full project case study will be published on the LIDA website in May 2026.