Pitney Bowes MapInfo, a provider of location intelligence, announced an alliance with WSI Corporation, a provider of weather-driven business solutions, to integrate real-time and forecasted weather information within the Pitney Bowes MapInfo desktop and Web-based location intelligence applications. This integration enables insurers, reinsurers, and brokers to analyze geographic risk exposure with greater detail, resulting in more accurate business decisions.

Utilizing WSI's weather data in conjunction with Pitney Bowes MapInfo technology, insurers are able to secure an up-to-the-minute view of risk exposure as events unfold. This allows for proactive and efficient mobilization of claims resources in the wake of a catastrophe. Historic or forecasted weather information can be used to develop more robust policy rating models and to assess portfolio risk exposures to catastrophes and natural disasters. The data also can be used to calculate a policyholder's proximity to a given event, distance to the coast, and relation to a particular flood zone. The data integration also supplies insurers with the ability to perform "what if" scenario analyses. "In the insurance industry, weather is a critical variable to take into consideration when assessing risk, says Craig Bedell, director of global insurance, Pitney Bowes MapInfo. "Portfolio risk analysis, underwriting, claims planning, and other important business processes all benefit by carriers, reinsurers, Lloyd's syndicates, and reinsurance brokers incorporating real-time weather and forecasts that have been created in polygonal format. In this way, the data is more than a pretty picture, but rather a useful spatial analytics tool."