Case Study Crawfords
Desktop survey improves efficiency and service for subsidence claims management
For property insurers in the UK, subsidence is the second most important hazard with around £300 million a year spent on subsidence related damage.
Subsidence can be caused by certain types of soils, for example clay shrinks and swells according to moisture content. It can also be exacerbated by the effect of trees extending their roots in search of water during prolonged dry periods and by leaking drains washing away the ground under the foundations of buildings. Most of Great Britain has the potential to be affected by swelling and shrinking clay, although the problem is more widespread in the south and east of England where clay rich layers are near the surface. That of course, also coincides with some of the most populous areas.
The risk of subsidence is increasing
Global climate change will continue to cause significant change to the weather patterns in the UK. It is predicted that the average UK summer temperature could be up to 2.4°C warmer by 2050. This may cause increased clay shrinkage and additional root spread from vegetation seeking moisture. Equally, an increase in flooding events, which put additional pressure on drains, could lead to more erosion of sub-foundation material. Unless significant action is taken in the planning of new property development to ensure that foundations are designed to cope with periods of drought and that only certain types of tree are planted close to buildings, the cost of subsidence claims could double by that time, according to the Association of British Insurers.
Subsidence investigations and claims
Crawford & Company has been providing claims management services for more than fifty years and has a reputation for high quality solutions bringing together both local expertise and global best practices. As the world’s largest independent provider of claims management solutions to insurance companies and self-insured entities, with a global network of more than 700 locations in 63 countries, they are able to deliver services in all principal commercial languages and across numerous technical disciplines.
In the UK, Crawford National Building Services provides the efficient and rapid settlement of complex subsidence related claims together with surveying and sophisticated repair expertise. In order to mitigate the significant annual spend on subsidence related damage, Crawford has developed a triage system and methodology to model ground movement resulting from root induced clay shrinkage, and handles all manner of related subsidence investigations and claims. An estimated £10 million of annual industry spend on subsidence is attached to the investigation process alone, including digging holes and testing soils. These measures are expensive, time consuming and inconvenient.
Using the award winning VISCAT, a computer-based modeling software tool, the Crawford’s team can estimate the influence of varying soils, trees and changing climatic conditions rapidly at their desks, at a fraction of the price of on-site investigations. To further improve the cost effectiveness of their services, Crawford turned to Infoterra to help strengthen the communications process with their site surveyors and with their clients – the insurers.
Maps and aerial imagery on demand – a powerful communication tool
We often use the term “I see” to mean “I understand” illustrating just how important visualisation is in conveying information. Therefore Infoterra developed a powerful browser-based desktop survey solution where visualisation supports communication.
This solution allows users to pinpoint an individual address and view this in the context of a large scale map and an aerial photograph. This enables not only the building footprint to be clearly identified, but the property to be viewed in the context of the surrounding vegetation.
The Infoterra solution now supports the activities of Crawford’s National Building Services, enabling their surveyors to gain a comprehensive geographical view of all claims.
This web-based solution allows surveyors to validate a specific address – anywhere in GB - and then call up aerial photography and mapping (OS MasterMap®) to assess a subsidence claim; for example, viewing the proximity of trees to the property. They can include, on the aerial photography or map, detailed measurement and annotation using the solution’s online editing suite. Results can then be saved for inclusion in Crawford’s reports for insurers, as well as providing site surveyors with clear visual instructions as to which specific features need further investigation.
Saving valuable time
"We now have a service which provides our subsidence claims team with a source of risk intelligence, allowing us to equip our site surveyors with essential claims information, which saves us valuable time. In addition, because this is a web-based service, our users don’t need to have any specific GIS software or expertise, and we don’t need to carry out expensive training - it is intuitive. It’s this combination of relevant risk intelligence, ease-of-use and a usage-based charging model that makes this such a cost-effective solution for us"
Alex Finch, Managing Director of Crawford National Building Services
Management and delivery of geographic intelligence
Crawford’s desktop survey service is backed by the power and sophistication of Infoterra’s major geospatial data management centre. This ensures that claims management queries are always supported by the latest national geospatial datasets, which are continually refreshed as part of Infoterra’s managed services. A full range of Ordnance Survey mapping of Great Britain is held together with aerial imagery, height data, comprehensive address data and a range of perils data, such as flood and subsidence risk. Updates are regularly applied to the source information and integrated pre-processed databases enable rapid reference via a browser interface to geospatial intelligence at a property level.
“We’ve also been impressed by Infoterra’s expertise in establishing suitable licence agreements for the data and of course the implementation of a flexible pay-as-you-use service,“ he continued. “Infoterra clearly demonstrated the value of geospatial data to our business” stated Finch.