AI-powered aerial imagery for property risk scoring Qorus-NTT DATA Innovation in Insurance Awards 2026

Concept & Objectives : Implement AI-powered aerial imagery and property intelligence as a supplemental underwriting data layer to enhance risk visibility, validate property characteristics, and strengthen portfolio quality. The objective is to embed data-driven insights directly into underwriting workflows to improve risk selection consistency and decision confidence.

Reasons Behind the Initiative : Increasing property risk complexity, climate volatility, and demand for faster, insight-driven underwriting decisions required a more advanced, scalable intelligence solution. Traditional data sources alone were insufficient to provide consistent, real-time property-level visibility across large portfolios.

State of Competition : The property intelligence space is competitive, with multiple imagery and analytics providers offering varying levels of resolution, refresh frequency, and AI capabilities. However, differentiation lies in image clarity, frequency of updates, AI model maturity, and seamless integration into underwriting systems.

Sources of Inspiration :The initiative was inspired by the broader industry shift toward data-enriched underwriting, advancements in geospatial AI, and internal strategic priorities focused on innovation, digitization, and disciplined portfolio management. . Efficient, well‑informed underwriting decisions. Benchmarking against leading carriers and InsurTech partnerships also informed the approach.

Departments Involved : Underwriting (Property and Risk Engineering), Innovation, Data & Analytics, IT Integration, Portfolio Management, and Procurement. Cross-functional collaboration ensured alignment between business objectives and technical implementation.

Main Results So Far : | While the implementation is still within its first year, early feedback from Underwriters has been highly encouraging. The integration of roof condition insights and property intelligence directly within the Policy Administration system has been particularly valuable, enhancing ease of access and supporting more informed underwriting judgment. The Data & Analytics team is actively collecting and analyzing performance data to assess longer-term impact, including potential correlations with loss ratio and overall portfolio performance, to ensure a comprehensive and objective evaluation of return on investment. opportunities to expand across our business unit.