Aerial Property Inspection

The property insurance inspector with a clipboard and a ladder is being supplemented -- and in some workflows, replaced -- by aerial and satellite imagery analysis.

The data density available from high-resolution aerial imagery is remarkable: roof condition, age indicators, debris patterns, HVAC unit placement, adjacent structures, and vegetation proximity can all be assessed without a site visit. Machine learning models trained on claims outcomes are now predicting loss propensity from these images with meaningful accuracy.

The underwriting implications are significant. Carriers can now assess risk at renewal on accounts they previously inspected only at inception. That continuous monitoring capability changes the economics of property underwriting, particularly for smaller commercial accounts where inspection costs were hard to justify.

The carrier that combines aerial data with claims history and third-party hazard data has a materially richer view of the risk than one relying on application data alone.