Drones could revolutionize flood damage defence systems: RIMS Canada Conference

Drones could be the future of preventing flood damage, according to Eric Schillup, a senior risk services consultant with Zurich Canada.

Speaking at the RIMS Canada Conference, Schillup envisioned drones being put to use for flood-mapping in the next five to 10 years.

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“When we equip drones with very sensitive elevation position sensors, we can get accurate topographical maps,” he noted.

Those maps could then be used to run flood simulations using data from storms of record to see if buildings would experience water incursion based on existing infrastructure.

“We can use this technology to start building up our flood defence systems so we can start preventing this from costing us, the insurers, and the clients impacted by surface water or flooding events,” Schillup said.

He noted that much of the existing flood map data for Canada comes from satellite imaging.

This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.