Persistent flooding in Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey has limited access tonumerous residential, commercial and industrial properties.

It has been difficult for property owners to safely assess wind,water, and other damage. Given the extensive losses expected, theability to gather information at an early stage could be vital torecovery.

Related: 9 factors impacting claims in 2017

A range of rapidly-evolving technologies could make a realdifference in successful catastrophic disaster claims after Harveyor in the future. Drones, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters,satellites, and crowdsourcing combined with expert analysis canprovide risk professionals with real-time insights for initial lossprojections when they can't get boots on the ground, allowingclaims processes to move more swiftly.

Available technology

Drone technology has been around since 2003, but FAA regulationsrestricted commercial use to just a few specialized locations dueto safety concerns. The 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act beganto change that through controlled exemptions.

In 2015, the FAA released a notice of proposed rules for UAScommercial operations for small UAVs (under 55 pounds) that madesignificant commercial use changes. In June of 2016, the FAA tookthat further with the release of Part 107 of the Federal AviationRegulations.

While commercial use of drones under 55 pounds is now morecommon, there are still many operational restrictions and a risk that adrone operator can be denied permission to fly if outside of Part107 parameters.

Related: Drones are proving to be a valuable tool foradjusters

Drones are most often used to provide outdoor visualintelligence, but are increasingly being used indoors. And drones,along with satellites and fixed-wing aerial technology, cangenerate a variety of imagery and video, including thermal,infrared, lidar, radar, mapped video and immersive 3D visualizationand measurement. These technology tools also can provide variouslevels of detail, from wide-area mapping to a narrowly-focusedtwo-centimeter view.

Applying visual intelligence to claims

Visual intelligence tools can be used to establish what aproperty looks like under normal circumstances and following adisaster. Various combinations of visual intelligence technologieshave been used to paint a complete picture of major property lossesresulting from Canadian wildfires, the Tianjin port explosion, andUnited Kingdom floods. In these and other instances, the datagathered from non-human sources has come in faster, reduced safetyexposures especially in hazardous areas and accelerated claimshandling.

Related: 6 keys to optimizing claimsperformance

When applied to your own losses, visual intelligence can helpyou:

• Triage for loss adjusting and inspection.

• Accelerate claims settlement where properties are completelydestroyed.

• Provide justification for advanced payments based on imageryalone.

Visual intelligence can add a new dimension to your recoverycapabilities when faced with a catastrophic event. Throughdifferent perspectives on your loss together with deep analysis,visual intelligence enables you to gather real-time, actionableinformation to advance your claims while preserving life safety andbusiness operations.

Related: In claims, all roads lead toinnovation

When every moment counts in the wake of a disaster, deployingvisual intelligence can help improve your claims managementprocesses and make all the difference.

Dr.Bev Adams is Head of Catastrophe Planning and Response at NewYork City-based Guy Carpenter, a global risk and reinsurancespecialist, and wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennanCompanies. This articlefirst appeared on Marsh.com and is reprinted here with permission.Visit the Marsh Risk in Contextblog for the originalpost.