Drone technology is becoming essential to optimal functioning in a variety of industries and enabling businesses not traditionally driven by tech to innovate in their processes and services. Over the last three years, drones have transformed business at BetterView Marketplace Inc., makers of a platform that inspects buildings and properties for insurance purposes.

“We’re really there to solve the problem of a lack of data around these buildings and properties…to understand the condition of a property…so that action can be taken on it, risks can be identified,” said David Lyman (pictured), co-founder and chief executive officer of BetterView.

Lyman spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the AirWorks 2017 event in Denver, Colorado. They discussed how BetterView works with drones, and what the technology is doing for businesses and consumers.

Going above and beyond

Before incorporating drone technology, BetterView sent inspectors out with ladders to assess roofs for risk potential — a process that presented its own set of hazards. Safety risks and expenses aside, these inspections still proved ineffective in their ability to deliver quality information. “When there’s not enough information on the underwriting side, everyone’s kind of taking market risk and they’re not able to actually resolve problems before they become catastrophes,” Lyman said.

According to Lyman, 30-40 percent of property losses paid out each year by the insurance industry are roof related. The ability to get an aerial view of properties and collect far more data than individual inspectors allows BetterView to work faster, and assist their insurance partners in more effectively assessing and preventing risk for customers. “As we’ve continued along on this journey working with customers and getting their feedback, we’ve been able to better solve the problem and find additional data points that are helpful,” Lyman said.

As drone image resolution and collision avoidance sensors improve, BetterView can further decrease operating costs and improve services. The more information its drones can capture, the better they can help customers understand and prevent risk. “We capture such a comprehensive data set. … We’re actually trying to get our customers to be more proactive in using all that imagery. … You’re going to see a lot more decision making being data-driven over time, in the insurance industry and beyond,” Lyman concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the AirWorks 2017 event.

Photo: SiliconANGLE