Insurance and remote sensing              <<Imagen anterior - Indice de la galeria - Imagen siguiente>>

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Here we offer a simple but clear example about how the remote sensing can be a useful tool for an insurance company. Until we know, the satellite images aren't used by the insurance companies (in our country), to assess damages in the farming sector. In our example we showed a two images series of the same zone (an eucalyptus forestry area), the first captured in 1997 and second in 2001. In the infrared image we see clearly two differentiated sectors: the sector A and the sector B. In the image of 1997 we see how in the sector A can be appraised in red-boreaux a population of young trees in growth, whereas in sector B as soon as it's begun to outline forest growth. Seeing the image of 2001 we see as in the sector A the development has been healthful (red intense) whereas in sector B, the incipiente development of 1997 it has acquired very dark colors (in the case of young eucalyptus, this means that its state is not healthful). Here we have an indicator that in population B there are problems. From an inventory point of view, an insurance compani would have here (in this first approach), the suspicion that in sector B is being developed to some disease or plague that will make reduce the yields. In addition they would have with very high accuracy the measurement of the affected area and good approach of the loss in terms of wood amount. In this second image series we see the same but in terms of greeness index (ndvi). Here it's possible to be appreciated more clearly the great differences in  terms of vigour of both populations (the most intense red corresponds to well developed and  healthy trees). We don't know in which bases the insurance companies assess this kind of damages. But as it can be seen (and considering that the forestry areas are very extensive), the satellite can be very useful in this business. And this considering that in this case, we are looking the effects of damages not so serious. In case of a great fires, for example, we considered that this technology it must be considered seriously. Finally it's important to emphasize that in some  countries they have been detected important attempts of frauds in insurances by means of the use of this technology.