Precision Agricultural and Inspections

When it comes to surveying large areas of land and especially agricultural land in the event of an insurance claim whether that be from storm, fire or damage due to incorrect use or application of pesticides or malfunctioning machinery such as seed drills, using Drone Technology in Agricultural Claims can offer instant analytical data to the insurer, loss adjuster and farmer.

Drones can cover vast areas of land and using the correct agricultural sensors such as NDVI, NDRE or Multi-spectral advanced analytical software can not only give accurate damage assessments but also analytics on crop health.

Case example

Iprosurv were approached by one of our clients to undertake an inspection of a rape seed crop after heavy hail damage. Initial estimations were that the crop had suffered 50% damage and would result in a considerable claim.

Traditional methods

Traditional methods would involve the surveyor or loss adjuster armed with wellies and a flax of hot soup trudging through the entire crop to assess the damage. part of the problem with some top crops is that they can grow to a height of four or five feet which can be difficult to make meaningful progress, especially in wet or cold weather.

Technology-led methods

Using drone technology with the correct sensors data can be gathered in a matter of minutes and processed through advanced analytical software to measure crop damage, crop health and immediate actions that can be taken. All from the comfort of the side of the field where the drone can be observed doing its task. It is very important to employ the correct sensor to achieve accurate results there is a workaround using RGB data and an algorithm that produces something called false NDVI which is not accurate and can not be relied upon for correct data analysis. If in doubt ask the drone pilot which type of sensor he has.

The solution

Iprosurv deployed a drone pilot with the Sentera Multi-spectral sensor capable of capturing NDVI, NDRE and RGB images, this was then analysed by advanced software systems to determine the amount of damage and also give visual images of where the damage had occurred and also the percentage of damage over the whole crop.

This enabled the loss adjuster to produce a report that confirmed the data analytics and was able to be used in the settlement of the claim giving a greater degree of accuracy over more traditional methods.

The results

Once the inspection had been completed the media was uploaded to the Iprosurv’s proprietary system where the data was processed through advanced analytics to the clients requirements in this case the 3d interactive model.

The client has the ability to inspect the 3d model and individual images that were produced to make up the model, the client also has the facility to make linear and volumetric measurements as well as apply risk ratings and annotations.

The data can be instantly shared through the Iprosurv portal with unique user access.

The accuracy of the results was within 4% of the combine readout.

Savings

The savings on access alone were in the region of £200.000 and the production of the agricultural report could be shared with other stakeholders.

Benefits

Quicker to deploy than traditional methods (Usually 24hrs)
Advanced data collection (3D modelling)
Cost saving (normally 75% cheaper than traditional methods)
Reduction in health and safety issues
One data set multiple uses
One data set shared with multiple stakeholders
Simple and repeatable
Reduced business carbon footprint
Enhanced decision making

Drones in your business

Introducing drone technology into your workflow can have many benefits, whether you want a complete outsourced solution and letting Iprosurv manage the operation from our own drone pilot network.

Or if you prefer to train your existing workforce to use drones in their everyday operations and take some or all of the work in-house, Iprosurv are here to help you identify use cases, quick gains, cost cutting, business gaps that drones can fill immediately, training, compliance and continued support.

We have helped over 100 businesses introduce drones into their workflow.