Method and system for assessing damage to infrastucture

• US 10,007,992 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Harvey, Brian N., Tofte, Nathan L., Schmidgall, Roger D., Aviles, Michael Jeffrey, Pott, Kyle, Grant, Rosemarie Geier, Haefli, Eric, Jacob, Michael Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Soo
• Application Number:
  US15/718,323
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10036 Multispectral image; Hyperspectral image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30184 Infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0008 checking presence/absence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/42 Global feature extraction by analysis of the whole pattern, e.g. using frequency domain transformations or autocorrelation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 : Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/182 : Network patterns, e.g. roads or rivers

Abstract

A method and system may assess the damage to insured properties in a neighborhood using aerial images captured from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a manned aerial vehicle (MAV) or from a satellite device. Specifically, a neighborhood that has been affected by a natural or man-made disaster may be identified for assessing damage. The UAV, MAV, or satellite device may then capture aerial images within an area which surrounds the identified neighborhood. Subsequently, the aerial images may be analyzed to identify insured properties, and determine a condition and the extent and/or severity of the damage to each insured property. Furthermore, the aerial images along with indications of the extent of the damage to each insured property may be displayed on a computing device.

Claims

1. A method for assessing damage to insured properties in a neighborhood, the method executed by one or more processors programmed to perform the method, the method comprising:

identifying, by the one or more processors, a neighborhood including a concentration of insured properties which is above a predetermined threshold concentration level, wherein the neighborhood has been affected by a natural or a man-made disaster;

receiving, at the one or more processors, a plurality of aerial images from an aerial image capturing device, wherein the plurality of aerial images display the neighborhood including the insured properties; and

for each of the insured properties in the identified neighborhood;

determining, by the one or more processors, one or more aerial images of the plurality of aerial images which display at least a portion of the insured property;

determining, by the one or more processors, a condition of the at least a portion of the insured property based on the one or more aerial images,

determining, by the one or more processors, a type of the at least a portion of the insured property;

determining, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level of the at least a portion of the insured property based on the condition and the type of the at least a portion of the insured property;

assigning, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level indicator to the at least a portion of the insured property based on the damage severity level; and

displaying, by the one or more processors, the insured property and the damage severity level indicator on a user interface;

wherein in response to identifying the neighborhood, the one or more processors cause the aerial image capturing device to capture the plurality of aerial images which display the neighborhood including the insured properties.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition of the at least a portion of the insured property is a present condition and determining a damage severity level includes:

determining, by the one or more processors, a past condition of the at least a portion of the insured property, wherein the past condition is based on one or more aerial images corresponding to the insured property which were captured before the neighborhood was affected by the natural or man-made disaster;

comparing, by the one or more processors, the present condition to the past condition of the at least a portion of the insured property; and

determining, by the one or more processors, the damage severity level for the at least a portion of the insured property based on the comparison between the present and the past conditions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing, by the one or more processors, the aerial image capturing device to one or more locations for capturing the plurality of aerial images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of aerial images are received via a satellite.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the insured property includes at least one of:

a window, a door, a roof, siding, an exterior wall, a garage, a backyard, a swimming pool, a lawn, a foundation, a driveway, a fence, a tree, a deck, or a patio.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a damage severity level includes:

determining, by the one or more processors, a plurality of damage severity level categories;

assigning, by the one or more processors, a different damage severity level indicator to each of the plurality of damage severity level categories;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a damage severity level indicator of the plurality of damage severity level categories for the at least a portion of the insured property that corresponds to the damage severity level category for the at least a portion of the insured property based on the damage severity level of the at least a portion of the insured property; and

overlaying, by the one or more processors, the identified damage severity level indicator on the displayed one or more aerial images that correspond to the at least a portion of the insured property on the user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a natural or man-made disaster includes at least one of:

a tornado, a hurricane, an avalanche, an earthquake, a flood, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, a hail storm, a wildfire, a thunderstorm, a nuclear incident, a war or an act of terrorism.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a claim amount for the insured property based on the damage severity level of the at least a portion of the insured property before an owner of the at least one insured property files an insurance claim.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a claim amount includes pre-filling at least one form associated with the insurance claim for the insured property.

10. A system for assessing damage to insured properties in a neighborhood, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a user interface;

a communication network; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory coupled to the one or more processors, the user interface, and the communication network, and storing thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

identify a neighborhood including a concentration of insured properties which is above a predetermined threshold concentration level, wherein the neighborhood has been affected by a natural or a man-made disaster;

receive a plurality of aerial images from an aerial image capturing device, wherein the plurality of aerial images display the neighborhood including the insured properties; and

for each of the insured properties in the identified neighborhood;

determine one or more aerial images of the plurality of aerial images which display at least a portion of the insured property;

determine a condition of the at least a portion of the insured property based on the one or more aerial images,

determine a type of the at least a portion of the insured property;

determine a damage severity level of the at least a portion of the insured property based on the condition and the type of the at least a portion of the insured property;

assign a damage severity level indicator to the at least a portion of the insured property based on the damage severity level; and

display the insured property and the damage severity level indicator on the user interface;

wherein in response to identifying the neighborhood, the one or more processors cause the aerial image capturing device to capture the plurality of aerial images which display the neighborhood including the insured properties.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the condition of the at least a portion of the insured property is a present condition and to determine a damage severity level, the instructions cause the system to:

determine a past condition of the at least a portion of the insured property, wherein the past condition is based on one or more aerial images corresponding to the insured property which were captured before the neighborhood was affected by the natural or man-made disaster;

compare the present condition to the past condition of the at least a portion of the insured property; and

determine the damage severity level for the at least a portion of the insured property based on the comparison between the present and the past conditions.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

direct the aerial image capturing device to one or more locations for capturing the plurality of aerial images.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of aerial images are received via a satellite.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least a portion of the insured property includes at least one of:

a window, a door, a roof, siding, an exterior wall, a garage, a backyard, a swimming pool, a lawn, a foundation, a driveway, a fence, a tree, a deck, or a patio.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein to determine a damage severity level, the instructions cause the system to:

determine a plurality of damage severity level categories;

assign a different damage severity level indicator to each of the plurality of damage severity level categories;

identify a damage severity level indicator of the plurality of damage severity level categories for the at least a portion of the insured property that corresponds to the damage severity level category for the at least a portion of the insured property based on the damage severity level of the at least a portion of the insured property; and

overlay the identified damage severity level indicator on the displayed one or more aerial images that correspond to the at least a portion of the insured property on the user interface.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein a natural or man-made disaster includes at least one of:

a tornado, a hurricane, an avalanche, an earthquake, a flood, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, a hail storm, a wildfire, a thunderstorm, a nuclear incident, a war or an act of terrorism.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

determine a claim amount for the insured property based on the damage severity level of the at least a portion of the insured property before an owner of the at least one insured property files an insurance claim.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein to determine a claim amount the instructions cause the system to pre-fill at least one form associated with the insurance claim for the insured property.