Systems and methods for performing a risk management assessment of a property

• US 10,515,414 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Original Assignee: EagleView Technologies Incorporated (Eagleview Technologies, Inc. /Wa/)
• Inventors: Pershing, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, L.
• Application Number:
  US13/844,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 21/28 Apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/28 for measuring areas
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

A system generates an estimated floor area measurement of a building based on the calculated estimated total roof area of the roof of the building. This is based on a correlation between the size of the building roof and the size of the building. Typically, the floor area of a single full floor of the building is roughly the size of the roof of the building if the roof were flat with no slope. This in effect is turning the roof into a floor to generate estimated floor area. With additional adjustments to area measurements to account for multiple floors, roof overhang, wall width, internal building features such as walls and staircases, and/or obstructed views of the building in the aerial image(s), etc., an even more accurate floor area estimation may be generated.

Claims

1. A computing system for generating an estimated floor area measurement, the computing system comprising:

one or more processor;

a non-transitory memory;

computer executable instructions for floor area measurement estimation stored on the non-transitory memory and that, when executed, cause the one or more processor to;

receive a first aerial image of a building having a roof, and a second aerial image of the building from at least one image file database, the first aerial image representing a top-down view of the top of the building, the second aerial image representing a view from a different angle than the top-down view of the building;

generate, a three-dimensional computer model of the roof, by analyzing the first aerial image and the second aerial image;

determine a total number of stories the building has using the second aerial image of the building;

determine, based at least in part on the determined total number of stories of the building and the three-dimensional computer model, an estimated floor area measurement of the building; and

output a floor area measurement report having floor area data thereon, the floor area data including the estimated floor area measurement.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the generating the estimated floor area measurement includes:

calculating roof edge measurements assuming each section of the roof has no slope regardless of an actual slope of each section of the roof;

using the roof edge measurements to calculate an estimated total roof area of the roof assuming each section of the roof has no slope; and

generating the estimated floor area measurement based on the calculated estimated total roof area of the roof.

3. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the generating the estimated floor area measurement further comprises:

subtracting an amount from one or more of the roof edge measurements corresponding to an estimated roof overhang over one or more walls of the building to obtain adjusted roof edge measurements; and

generating the estimated floor area measurement based on the adjusted roof edge measurements.

4. The computing system of claim 2 wherein the generating the estimated floor area measurement further comprises:

subtracting an amount from one or more of the adjusted roof edge measurements corresponding to an estimated wall width to obtain adjusted roof edge measurements; and

generating the estimated floor area measurement based on the adjusted roof edge measurements.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the generating the estimated floor area measurement includes:

receiving information regarding one or more sections of the roof below which one or more of the stories laterally extends;

generating an estimated total roof area of the roof assuming each section of the roof has no slope regardless of an actual slope of each of the roof sections; and

generating the estimated floor area measurement based on a total area of the one or more sections of the roof under which the one or more of the stories laterally extends and the generated estimated total roof area of the roof.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions for floor area measurement estimation, when executed, further cause the one or more processor to generate and deliver a floor area measurement estimate report that includes one or more aerial images of the building annotated with numerical values that indicate the corresponding estimated floor area measurement.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the computer executable instructions for floor area measurement estimation, when executed, further cause the one or more processor to generate and deliver a floor area measurement estimate report that is annotated with a floor area measurement and one or more of:

slope, area, and length of edges of at least some of a plurality of planar roof sections of the roof.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions for floor area measurement estimation, when executed, further cause the one or more processor to deliver the floor area measurement estimate as part of a report including a plurality of floor area measurement estimates for a plurality of buildings in response to a request for a plurality of estimates from a single entity.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents enable a computing system to generate an estimated floor area measurement, by performing a method comprising:

receiving a first and a second aerial image of a building having a roof, the first aerial image being a top-down view of the building and the second aerial image being a view from a different angle than the top-down view such that each of the aerial images providing a different view of the roof of the building;

correlating the first aerial image with the second aerial image;

determining a total number of stories the building has using the second aerial image of the building;

generating, based at least in part on the correlation between the first and second aerial images, a three-dimensional model of the roof that includes a plurality of planar roof sections that each have a corresponding slope, area, and edges;

generating an adjusted roof model by adjusting a slope of the planar roof sections in the three-dimensional model of the roof to zero;

obtaining an estimated total roof area measurement based on the adjusted roof model; and

generating, based at least in part on the estimated total roof area measurement and the determined total number of stories, an estimated floor area measurement of the building.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the generating the estimated floor area measurement of the building includes:

subtracting an amount from one or more of roof edge measurements obtained from the adjusted roof model corresponding to an estimated roof overhang over one or more walls of the building to obtain adjusted roof edge measurements; and

generating the estimated floor area based on the adjusted roof edge measurements.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the contents further enable a computing system to deliver the estimated floor area in response to a request.

12. A floor area measurement report produced by a process comprising:

receiving a first aerial image of a building, and a second aerial image of the building from at least one image file database, the first aerial image representing a top-down view of the top of the building, the second aerial image representing a view from a different angle than the top-down view of the building;

generating a computer model of a roof of the building based on the first aerial image, and the second aerial image;

determining a total number of stories the building has using the second aerial image of the building;

generating, based at least in part on the generated computer model, and the total number of stories of the building, an estimated floor area measurement of the building; and

electronically communicating the estimated floor area measurement.

13. The floor area measurement report of claim 12 wherein the generating the estimated floor area measurement includes:

receiving information regarding one or more sections of the roof below which one or more of the stories laterally extends;

generating an estimated total roof area of the roof assuming each section of the roof has no slope regardless of an actual slope of each of the roof sections; and

generating the estimated floor area measurement based on a total area of the one or more sections of the roof under which the one or more of the stories laterally extends and the generated estimated total roof area of the roof.