The capability for insurance carriers to quickly and accurately assess damage following a catastrophic event is critical for response planning, resource allocation, and rapid claims resolution. Sites are often inaccessible for days, delaying the carrier's ability to evaluate the situation and respond to displaced policyholders. EagleView Technologies, using Pictometry aerial imagery with Rapid Access technology, has been engaged with striking results to assist carriers after catastrophic storm events this year in Oklahoma.

EagleView Technologies, with its fleet of 74 planes, utilizes Pictometry Rapid Access Technology to gather post-event imagery within days or even hours of an event, providing carriers with critical visual intelligence and analytical tools. The technology provided immediate visual intelligence to several carriers following a devastating tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma in May.

Rapid Access Technology

Rapid Access is EagleView's cutting-edge rapid response technology that within days captures ortho and oblique images of properties immediately following a disaster, allowing carriers to assess damage rapidly and respond to claims quickly and efficiently.

By leveraging its own fleet of airplanes, strategically positioned across the country, EagleView can quickly deploy to a region affected by a disaster.

Once cleared for flight, the planes will take to the sky and capture high-resolution images of the entire region allowing insurance professionals to assess the event's complete impact. Images are delivered within days through the CONNECT viewing portals, assisting carriers in analyzing the impact on homes and buildings within days of an event.

This visual information is made available through CONNECT, a web-based tool that provides dual-pane functionality to not only see disaster imagery but also historic imagery for easy evaluation and assessment.

These pictures demonstrate the value of pre- and post-imagery in assessing a claim.

Moore, Oklahoma: A Demonstration in Rapid Response

On Monday, May 20, 2013 at 2:56 p.m. an EF5 tornado touched down just west of Newcastle, OK with winds estimated at 210 mph. The tornado continued on to Moore, OK where it ultimately killed 24 people and injured another 377. On top of that approximately 1,150 homes were destroyed with an estimated $2 billion in damages overall.

On Tuesday, May 21, with many roads including the interstate inaccessible, EagleView's planes began to fly the area and capture images of the devastation. Image capture was completed the following day with planes covering a total of 123 square miles and capturing 21,737 images equaling 1.2 terabytes of data.

Figure 3 – On May 21, 2013, EagleView planes begin to capture images.

On Thursday, May 24, the hard drives from the units on the planes were delivered to EagleView for processing. Within six hours the first images were available for viewing and four hours later all images taken of the affected region were available.

Within four days of the tornado touching down, Rapid Access Technology allowed claims professionals and independent adjusters to view damage via aerial imagery of areas that were still inaccessible and dangerous to enter.

Understand the Impact

EagleView's combination of measurement solutions, high-quality aerial imagery and property data allows claims professionals to have a comprehensive understanding of properties from before an event occurs to after a claim has been closed. This builds a solid foundation for planning and preparedness.

Our patented method for capturing aerial property images includes taking photos at an oblique angle that show the north, south, east and west views of each property. This allows claims professionals to get a clear idea of the aspects of a building just from looking at the imagery.

Make Informed Decisions

Once a claim-inducing event occurs, accurate pre- and post-event imagery allows carriers to visualize damage from a wider viewpoint to grasp which neighborhoods were impacted the most. In the case of the Oklahoma tornado, the scope of devastation was immediately evident. Entire subdivisions were destroyed and houses were flattened. The images of the destruction gave insurance professionals an immediate, clear picture of exactly which streets, parcels and other assets were damaged.

Close Claims Quickly and Accurately

EagleView's 3D aerial measurement reports are created from images that were taken before there was any damage. By using EagleView's remote exterior measurements rather than attempting an in-person evaluation, the claims process is expedited and adjusters are kept out of harm's way. The guaranteed accurate measurements are a must-have to prepare estimates for repair or rebuilding following a disaster. In cases where access to remote or damaged areas isn't possible, EagleView is able to provide the detailed information needed to allow carriers to close claims quickly and enable property owners to go about the business of rebuilding their lives.

When carriers have a better background on the situation, they can properly allocate their resources and may even be able to have claims desk adjusted. This eliminates travel time, which means more claims can be processed each day. All parties involved in the claim can easily agree on the industry's most accurate roof and wall measurements. With the virtual elimination of disputes and supplemental claims, the claim cycle becomes more efficient. Additionally, carriers can assure accurate claim compensation.

Higher CSAT Scores

When a customer submits a storm-related claim, it's usually out of necessity and can be just one aspect of a very stressful situation. With an expedited claims process and a set of standard measurements, claims professionals are empowered to make fast, accurate payments on claims. Solutions from EagleView, such as Rapid Access, allow claims professionals to provide customers with the answers they need, when they need them the most. And nothing makes a customer more satisfied than being back in their home, safe and secure.

For more information on EagleView's solutions for claims professionals, call 866-659-8439 or visit www.eagleview.com.

Special Reports /

Rapid Access Technology Provides Visual Intelligence after a Disaster

Related Stories

Recommended For You