THEFT IDENTIFICATION AND INSURANCE CLAIM ADJUSTMENT USING DRONE DATA
Various techniques are described utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or “drones”) for various disaster and/or catastrophe-related purposes. An area at risk of an insurance-related event (catastrophe, hurricane, natural disaster, wild fire, etc.) that requires evacuation may be determined, as well as insured premises or assets within that area. With an insured's permission, drones may be directed to the area to collect image or other data of insured premises or assets before, during, or after the event strikes. The drone data may be received and analyzed to identify losses to insured assets that should properly be classified as theft losses for insurance purposes. Insurance claims may be prepared or adjusted for insureds based upon the theft losses in accordance with various types of insurance policies (auto, home, personal articles, etc.) or endorsements to ensure that insureds are properly and promptly reimbursed for the theft losses.
1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
identifying, via one or more processors, a geographical area at risk of a catastrophe, weather, or other insurance-event that requires evacuation;
directing or controlling, via the one or more processors, one or more drones to the geographical area to collect drone data;
receiving, by one or more processors, the drone data via wireless communications, the drone data comprising image data while a catastrophe is occurring and reverse geocoding global-positioning system (GPS) coordinate data,
parsing, by one or more processors, the drone data by correlating the image data and the reverse geocoding GPS coordinate data,
generating, by one or more processors, property drone data based upon the parsed drone data and a geography location of an insured property, the property drone data being a subset of the drone data wherein the insured property is covered by an insurance policy issued by an insurance provider to an insured customer,
identifying, by one or more processors, one or more persons on the insured property before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques applied to the property drone data,
identifying, by one or more processors, whether an insured asset was stolen from the insured property by indicating at least one unauthorized person from the one or more persons on the insured property before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event, wherein the insured asset being stolen from the insured property is indicated in a pre-insurance event inventory of insured assets, and
performing, by one or more processors, an insurance-related function based upon the insurance policy and the insured asset being stolen from the insured property such that handling of an insurance claim for the stolen insured asset due to the catastrophe is facilitated.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by one or more processors, one or more persons or vehicles associated with the insured asset being removed from the insured property based upon the property drone data.
3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, an insurance claim form associated with the insured asset, the insurance claim form indicating that the insured asset was stolen;
confirming, by one or more processors, whether the insured asset was stolen by referencing the one or more persons or vehicles associated with the insured asset being removed from the insured property to data associated with the insurance policy, and
wherein the act of performing the insurance-related function comprises: when it is confirmed that the insured asset was stolen, processing the insurance claim to calculate a payout for the stolen asset, and
when it is confirmed that the insured asset was not stolen, flagging the insurance claim as being potentially fraudulent.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, an insurance claim form associated with the insured asset, the insurance claim form indicating that the insured asset was stolen;
confirming, by one or more processors, whether the insured asset was stolen by referencing the one or more persons or vehicles associated with the insured asset being removed from the insured property to data associated with the insurance policy, and
wherein the act of performing the insurance-related function comprises: when it is confirmed that the insured asset was stolen, processing the insurance claim to calculate a payout for the stolen asset in accordance with a theft coverage or coverage limit as specified by the insurance policy.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of performing the insurance-related function comprises:
generating, by one or more processors, a proposed virtual insurance claim based upon the insurance policy and the insured asset being stolen from the insured property; and
transmitting, by one or more processors, the proposed virtual insurance claim to a mobile device of the insurance customer.
6 . A computer system for handling insurance claims associated with stolen insured assets, the system comprising one or more processors configured to:
identify, via one or more processors, a geographical area at risk of a catastrophe, weather, or other insurance-event that requires evacuation;
direct or control, via the one or more processors, one or more drones to the geographical area to collect drone data;
receive, via a transceiver, the drone data via wireless communications, the drone data comprising image data associated before, during, and after a catastrophe or other insurance-related event is occurring and reverse geocoding global-positioning system (GPS) coordinate data,
parsing, by one or more processors, the drone data by correlating the image data and the reverse geocoding GPS coordinate data,
generating, by one or more processors, property drone data based upon the parsed drone data and a geography location of an insured property, the property drone data being a subset of the drone data wherein the insured property is covered by an insurance policy issued by an insurance provider to an insured customer,
identify, by one or more processors, one or more persons on the insured property before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques applied to the property drone data,
identify whether an insured asset was stolen from the insured property by indicating at least one unauthorized person from the one or more persons on the insured property before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event, wherein the insured asset being stolen from the insured property is indicated in a pre-insurance event inventory of insured assets; and
perform, an insurance-related function based upon the insurance policy and the insured asset being stolen from the insured property such that handling of an insurance claim for the stolen insured asset due to the catastrophe is facilitated.
7 . The system of claim 6 , the one or more processors further configured to:
identify one or more vehicles associated with an insured home being removed from the insured property based upon analysis of the property drone data acquired before, during, and after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event, the analysis including object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques performed on the property drone data to identify a presence or absence of an insured vehicle on, or in the vicinity of, the insured property before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event.
8 . The system of claim 6 , the one or more processors further configured to:
identify one or more persons in the vicinity of an insured home before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event based upon analysis of the property drone data acquired before, during, and after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event, the analysis including object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques performed on the property drone data to identify (i) an insured or authorized person in the vicinity of the insured home before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event, and (ii) unauthorized persons in the vicinity of the insured home before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event.
9 . The system of claim 6 , the one or more processors further configured to:
receive an insurance claim form associated with the insured asset, the insurance claim form indicating that the insured asset was stolen;
confirm whether the insured asset was stolen by referencing the one or more persons or vehicles associated with the insured asset being removed from the insured property to data associated with the insurance policy, and
wherein the act of performing the insurance-related function comprises:
when it is confirmed that the insured asset was stolen, processing the insurance claim to calculate a payout for the stolen asset, and
when it is confirmed that the insured asset was not stolen, flagging the insurance claim as being potentially fraudulent.
10 . The system of claim 6 , the one or more processors further configured to:
receive an insurance claim form associated with the insured asset, the insurance claim form indicating that the insured asset was stolen;
confirm whether the insured asset was stolen by referencing the one or more persons or vehicles associated with the insured asset being removed from the insured property to data associated with the insurance policy, and
wherein the act of performing the insurance-related function comprises:
when it is confirmed that the insured asset was stolen, processing the insurance claim to calculate a payout for the stolen asset in accordance with a theft coverage or coverage limit as specified by the insurance policy.
11 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the act of performing the insurance-related function comprises:
generating, by the one or more processors, a proposed virtual insurance claim based upon the insurance policy and the insured asset being stolen from the insured property; and
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the proposed virtual insurance claim to a mobile device of the insurance customer.
12 . A computer-implemented method of using drone data to correctly identify or determine theft losses resulting from insurance-related events, the method comprising, with insurance customer permission or consent:
identifying, via one or more processors, a geographical area at risk of a catastrophe, weather, or other insurance-event that requires evacuation;
identifying, via the one or more processors, an insured premises or asset that is located within the geographical area or has an address of record within the geographical area by comparing reverse geocoding global-positioning system (GPS) coordinate data of the geographical area and reverse geocoding GPS coordinate data of the insured premises or asset;
directing or controlling, via the one or more processors, one or more drones to (i) proceed to the address of record of the insured premises or asset using the reverse geocoding GPS coordinate data of the insured premises or asset and (ii) acquire drone data or images of the insured premises or asset;
receiving, via the one or more processors or an associated transceiver, via wireless communication or data transmission, drone data or images captured by the one or more drones, the drone data or images being associated with, or showing, the insured premises or asset that is at risk of theft or looting before, during, or after the insurance-event, such as due to an evacuation order;
identifying, by one or more processors, one or more persons on the insured premises before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques applied to the drone data;
analyzing the drone data or images, via the one or more processors, to identify theft, or looting, at the insured premises of the insured asset, or otherwise determining that a loss should be classified as a theft by indicating at least one unauthorized person from the one or more persons on the insured premises before, during, or after the catastrophe or other insurance-related event, wherein the insured asset being stolen from the insured premises is indicated in a pre-insurance event inventory of insured assets; and
adjusting, via the one or more processors, an insurance claim for the insurance customer to account for the theft, or otherwise apply a theft coverage to reimburse the insurance customer for theft of an insured asset or looting at an insured premises.
13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is identified by using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques on the drone data or images received from the one or more drones to indicate a presence or absence of an insured vehicle or other asset on the insured premises before, during, or after the insurance-related event.
14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is identified by using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques on the drone data or images received from the one or more drones to (i) indicate an absence of an insured or other authorized person on the insured premises before, during, or after the insurance-related event, or (ii) otherwise account for an absence or presence of the insured.
15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is identified by using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques on the drone data or images received from the one or more drones to indicate an absence of an unauthorized person on the insured premises before, during, or after the insurance-related event.
16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting, via the one or more processors, an insurance claim involves preparing an estimated insurance claim for the insurance customer that accounts for the theft loss and ensures that the insurance customer is properly reimbursed for any theft or other losses under their insurance policy.
17 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is identified by using object recognition (OR) or image recognition techniques on the drone data or images received from the one or more drones to indicate or determine missing insured items by comparing items shown in the images with the pre-insurance event inventory of insured assets.
18 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is covered pursuant to a homeowner's insurance policy.
19 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is covered pursuant to an auto insurance policy.
20 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the theft is covered pursuant to a personal articles insurance policy.