MOBILE APPLICATION FOR RISK MANAGEMENT

• US 20140257862A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wildfire Defense Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wildfire Defense Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Billman, Bradly Jay, Hartman, Wayne, Oakes, Charles L. III, Rubin, Elizabeth, Zuwala, Mark, Gray, Emily, Sausman, Sandra
• Application Number:
  US13/678,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257862A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/163 Real estate management

Abstract

A system and method provide determining a risk of a natural hazard associated with a piece of real property and identifying mitigatable items located around the property by collecting local data using at least one sensor. The local data includes information related to risk factors associated with the property. In an embodiment, the local data is collected using a mobile computing device that includes at least one sensor and a mobile application. External data may be also combined with the local data for further analysis to identify mitigatable items. After identifying mitigatable items around the property, the mitigatable items can be modified or removed to reduce the risk of a natural hazard associated with the property. The systems and methods further include computing, using a data processor, an insurance premium of an insurance policy using a computed risk level of a natural hazard associated with the property.

Claims

1. A method performed by a data processor of a mobile computing device for providing mitigatable item information for real property, the method comprising:

providing the data processor, a memory, and at least one sensor, wherein the memory and the at least one sensor are operatively coupled to the data processor;

receiving a user request at the mobile computing device to collect local data within a predetermined vicinity of a piece of real property, the user request including the predetermined vicinity, the local data to be collected using the at least one sensor wherein the local data includes information related to mitigatable items that can be mitigated to reduce a wildfire risk associated with the property;

collecting the local data via the at least one sensor;

determining, via the data processor accessing the memory, one or more of the mitigatable items using the local data;

providing information related to the one or more of the mitigatable items to the user; and

storing the local data to the memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is a camera included in the mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the local data includes an image of the predetermined vicinity of the property captured by the camera of the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

providing augmenting data that relates to the mitigatable items to reduce a wildfire risk associated with the property;

displaying the image of the predetermined vicinity of the property; and

overlaying the augmenting data on the image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the augmenting data comprises distance markers showing a distance between a location of the mobile computing device and locations of the one or more of the mitigatable items.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor is a GPS receiver included in the mobile computing device.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one sensor comprises both the camera and a second sensor selected from the group consisting of an odor sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, and a wind sensor, and wherein the second sensor is deployed in the vicinity of the property, the method further comprising collecting additional local data from the second sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined vicinity of the property comprises a 100 foot defensible space zone surrounding the property.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more of the mitigatable items includes flammable materials.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a mitigation procedure for removing or modifying the one or more of the mitigatable items.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the local data includes an image of vegetation in the predetermine vicinity of the property captured by the at least one sensor, the method further comprising:

identifying, using the data processor, a species of the vegetation; and

determining whether the vegetation species enhances the wildfire risk associated with the property above a threshold.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a first map including the predetermined vicinity of the property;

identifying locations of the one or more of the mitigatable items on the first map; and

displaying the first map on a graphical user interface of the mobile computing device and marking the locations of the one or more of the mitigatable items on the first map.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

displaying a second map showing a greater area surrounding the predetermined vicinity of the real property, wherein the second map includes macro data related to the greater area and the macro data includes information related to a greater area wildfire risk associated with the greater area;

overlaying the first map and the second map; and

determining, using the data processor, additional risk factors that contribute to the wildfire risk associated with the property.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed through an application downloaded on the memory of the mobile computing device.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein the augmenting data includes a distance that identifies a defensible space zone.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the defensible space zone is a boundary around a building.

23. The method of claim 21, the method further comprising calculating, via the data processor, a burn path for a fire, wherein the distance is at least partly based on the calculated burn path.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a GPS coordinate for at least one of the mitigatable items that can be mitigated to reduce a wildfire risk associated with the property.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein a first mitigatable item of the mitigatable items relates to a building.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of computer-readable instructions tangibly embodied on the computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed by a data processor, provide mitigatable item information for real property, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause the data processor to receive a user request to collect local data within a predetermined vicinity of a piece of real property using at least one sensor operatively coupled to a mobile computing device wherein the local data includes information related to mitigatable items that can be mitigated by a user to reduce a wildfire risk associated with the property;

instructions that cause the data processor to collect the local data using the at least one sensor;

instructions that cause the data processor to determine one or more of the mitigatable items using the at least one sensor; and

instructions that cause the data processor to display, on a graphical user interface of the mobile computing device, the one or more of the mitigatable items.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the plurality of instructions are configured to be downloaded as an application on the mobile computing device.

17. A method of providing an insurance policy for real property, the method comprising:

providing a data processor;

receiving local data related to a predetermined vicinity of a piece of real property, which is collected by at least one sensor, wherein the local data includes information related to mitigatable items that can be mitigated to reduce a wildfire risk associated with the real property;

computing, using the data processor, at least based on the local data, a risk level of the wildfire risk associated with the real property;

determining, using the data processor, whether the risk level is less than a threshold; and

issuing an insurance policy for the real property with an insurance premium, if the risk level is less than the threshold.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining that the risk level is above a threshold; and

transmitting a notification to a user that the real property is uninsurable.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining the one or more of the mitigatable items from the local data;

transmitting, to a user, information related to the one or more of the mitigatable items;

receiving, from the user, mitigation information related to removal or modification of the one or more of the mitigatable items to reduce the risk level;

computing, using the data processor, a new risk level using the mitigation information; and

adjusting the insurance premium using the new risk level.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein computing the risk level of the wildfire risk associated with the real property further includes analyzing a greater area wildfire risk associated with a greater area surrounding the predetermined vicinity of the real property.