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Video: Matterport Space Meets Water Damage Insurance Claim1986

WGAN Forum
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DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user

Video: Matterport Meets Insurance Documentation

In the video (above), I discuss Matterport Spaces 3D Tours meets Insurance Claims with Jacek Latarewicz and Chris Van Leer with ProClaim USA in Atlanta.

Insurance Uses

1. Measure within 3D modeling program (using .skp file created from the .obj)
2. Documentation (photos, 3D Tour)
3. Visual Storytelling (3D Tour, VR Tour) - help settle claims, trial, arbitration

Tips for Scanning for Insurance

1. Scan at lowest tripod level first (for better floor damage screen grabs)
2. Scan again about a foot higher (for better flood damage screen grabs)
3. Scan again at 60" for 3D and VR Tours
4. Scan in corners for "wide angle view" screen grabs

Big Picture

We Get Around and ProClaim USA used this water damaged house today (11 June 2016) as a "test and learn field trial" for both companies.

We anticipate for indoor commercial insurance claims of $50,000+ in the United States, ProClaim will either engage Matterport Pros via the We Get Around Referral Network or engage We Get Around in Atlanta to engage We Get Around Referral Network Members.

Our shared vision is that when a disaster strikes - wether for one or hundreds property owners - We Get Around Referral Network Members will be able to help service the volume of properties with multiple Pros.

Using our proprietary FloorMe Extreme service, We Get Around converts the Matterport Object File (.obj) to a SketchUp File (.skp) which ProClaim USA (and likely any 3D modeler would use to measure spaces.)

Either crazy - or crazy-exciting opportunity - multiple organizations measure the same space. For example:

1. Remediation
2. Insurance
3. General Contractor
4. Painters to do estimates
5. Floors (carpet, tile, hardwood floors, stone)
5. Insurance (a second time for revisions)
6. Floor Plans (to help sell the house)

Seems like one scan could be used by multiple vendors. It's likely that this transformation will take time.

---

Today (11 June 2016), I scanned a water-damaged basement in a home in Atlanta.

Below is the Matterport Spaces 3D Tour. As a tour, it is somewhat of a mess because:

1. Various heights (see above) for screen grabs and viewing damage
2. General Contractor needed to measure "haha" so I had to work around him (so I jumped around where I was scanning)
3. I did not bother trimming perfectly. Simply didn't 'matter' for insurance

So, if you are quoting on a Matterport scan for insurance, keep in mind that it may be like scanning the space 2-3 times because of the 'layers' of scans that need to take place. Plus, it may not be the most comfortable environment to scan and anticipate that others will be walking through your space which may slow you down. The good news, no need to fluff the pillows

What else? Have you scanned for an insurance claim? What challenges did you experience?

Are you an insurance adjuster with a Matterport Camera or have you teamed up with a Pro? What's been your experience with Matterport meets insurance claims?

Dan

Post 1 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
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DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
Somewhat ironic that while I was scanning this water-damaged basement, the remediation company representative showed up to measure the space.

Here's a partial drawing he was creating using a laser measuring tool + pencil and paper. He then creates the finished "drawing" in Xactimate estimating platform.


Post 2 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
Seems like a tremendous amount of scans.
Post 3 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
Not that that's a bad thing..it just seemed like a lot. I haven't been hired for something like that so I can't really judge.
Post 4 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
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@StevenHattan

Yes. 104 scans for a very small space.

Three "layers" of heigh to help the adjusters see the water damage. The irony is that a very small space requires more scans.

We're also scanning for a dense mesh for the creation of the SketchUp file (.skp).

Adding the patio in mid-job meant that I needed to scan extra (so that you could walk through the glass door even though the door is closed) from both directions.

Dan
Post 5 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
Wow. Jesus. 104 scans. What is the market value for that?
Post 6 IP   flag post
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@StevenHattan

Insurance is a different market than selling a home. As potential claims increase, the value increases.

Imagine that that the expert adjusters are in Atlanta. Matterport Pros scan all across the country and the expert adjusters review the 3D Tour + SketchUp file (.skp).

Now, fewer experts can "cover" the entire country (without the time and expense of traveling).

Dan
Post 7 IP   flag post
RRapp private msg quote post Address this user
I think you might be onto something there, Dan. Here are a few random thoughts.

Although as you say it could take some time to shift their thinking, it might help accelerate the change by pitching the idea to the folks in the top levels of those insurance companies. They usually have contracted folks who live in the area go out to collect info (like the gent you met in the basement). The insurance companies might help inspire those contractors to take along a Matterport pro (and possibly contract them directly too) if they knew they could get a better rendition of the scene whilst giving that contractor more time to focus on the areas where the biggest issues (and costs) are, like foundation damage, etc.

Here in Houston we've obviously had record flooding lately. And I can imagine that if a Matterport service had been available and well-known to the MANY contractors here, they could have focused more on other aspects of their work (cost details, quotes, repairs, counting money). And for homeowners, they're waiting in line to see someone even get to their property to begin the process.

It would be both cool and useful if the contractor could send some pics and notes to the Matterport pro who could then place Mattertags to highlight key areas.

Now, a few silly questions from a Houstonian.

1) You mentioned the extra scans at different heights. Did you mean 60" above the floor or above the water line?

2) What's a basement?

3) Not as silly... Is there some sort of watertight enclosure available for the Matterport Pro camera? I could imagine tromping around in waders to scan a scene, but not with an unprotected $4500 camera.
Post 8 IP   flag post
RRapp private msg quote post Address this user
I just took a look at Xactimate and it made me wonder why the fellow was drawing a sketch on paper...

One of the long-time benefits of reality capture has been gathering dimensionally accurate field information and ENSURING NO NEED TO GO BACK TO GET THAT OVERLOOKED DIMENSION. So THAT certainly applies to this insurance purpose as well. And since Xactimate is compatible with Leica's DISTO laser measuring device I'm even more surprised the gent was making a hardcopy sketch.

You can draw a rectangle on a piece of paper to represent a room, but the paper doesn't force you to give both of (or even one of) the dimensions. Xactimate's floor plan tool would. So it seems risky using paper. And that's coming from a seasoned field measuring guy who always double-checked his drawings before leaving the field and admittedly still managed to occasionally miss something.

That said, I have no idea whether Xactware's Xactimate is the de facto standard for claims estimating. But if they are, it might be worth determining the best way to get Matterport data imported to Xactware.
Post 9 IP   flag post
TrustedPhotoDC private msg quote post Address this user
@rrapp basement = cellar, i.e. Were you people hide during twister season.
Post 10 IP   flag post
3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
Someone in this forum must have a go to person in the insurance industry that can help push this through to top management and put this whole group in the map as a united service 24-7 service anywhere in the states. I personally have been trying to find a way to get to a source, but I am limited to an insurance company underwriter.

I think we need to look at niche markets and find other sources of work for our cameras and technology.

Dan I am here in Florida if you can make a contact I will be glad to make a call or visit individuals if it will help the cause.

Thanks
Post 11 IP   flag post
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@RRapp 60" above the floor. I would not scan if there is water on the floor. I would not use the Matterport Camera where there is potential for damage.

About Xactimate meets Leica laser measuring, he said the blue-tooth connection was spotty. More likely, this is how he always did it.

For the water damage in our home, both the insurance adjuster and general contractor use Xactimate. Both did hand sketches.

About Matterport meets Xactimate, that's a Matterport question, if you want to pursue it, please use Ask Matterport Support button above.

Dan
Post 12 IP   flag post
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@3Dwalkmethru

When Matterport first launched, Insurance was a category that they suggested as a target market. A quick review of the Matterport site has no mention of Insurance under their industries tab.

If you – or any Pro – opens this door, the We Get Around Referral Network is a great way to source Pros around the Globe. (One point-of-contact for all markets)

Dan
Post 13 IP   flag post
RRapp private msg quote post Address this user
@DanSmigrod - On the Matterport meets Xactimate topic, after looking and Xactware support notes and user mamual it looks like they don't have ANY way to import a 3D CAD model or 2D drawing. Kind of surprising. So I don't know that the Matterport team could help without some Xactimate support for allowing the import of external data.

@TrustedPhoto3D - Like I said, I was being silly. 'ing around. I know what a basement is, I grew up in Indiana. But you don't find basements or even crawls spaces around Houston. Most everything including large builddings are build on ground slabs. The water table is too high and the ground shifts too much.

There are other regional construction oddities too such as omit the vertical mortal between bricks along the entire bottom course of brick façade to serve as weep holes to let the moisture buildup from humidity to escape (and yes, rain and bugs can come in through them).
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3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
@DanSmigrod how many USA pro's do we have access to to date?
Post 15 IP   flag post
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@3Dwalkmethru

We have access to 1,500+ Matterport Pros in 62 countries: 60 percent in the United States.

And, nearly 100 percent of the time when a client is looking for a Pro that is not on the Map, we can locate one or more vis our Matterport Pro Wanted: [In Your City] (list of Help Wanted Notices) posts in the MUG Forum.

Dan
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3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
@Dansmigford thanks i am going to poke at this have some ideas.
Post 17 IP   flag post
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@3Dwalkmethru Great.
Post 18 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
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Are you a 3D modeler?

We placed both the Object file (.obj) and SketchUp file (.skp) of this flood damaged house in this Dropbox in Folder 9.

Your thoughts?

Dan
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3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
No Dan I am not, I am working with a friend that has some experience, but at this time because I am mostly working with real estate I have not gone deep into it.

I am going to meet with a good friend of mine works for a huge architectural firm here in Miami ( he is VP ) and I am going to have him guide me with what they need or value most.

I think this will get the ball rolling. I actually want to spend little more time learning about it so this will be a good time.

Thanks ..
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By the way ...

We Get Around Associate Photographer and Architect @YairYepez uses SketchUp to calculate SF of our Matterport Spaces 3D Tours (by room, all rooms) to calculate sf for billing and to order floor plans from Blue-Sketch.







Dan
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3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
Question can we access the s/f information from Matterport in our workshop?
Post 22 IP   flag post
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@3Dwalkmethru Yes. Though it can be a tedious process to calculate sf within Matterport Workshop. Drop points by room and then use a SF calculator.

It's (much, much) easier with an "area" tool in SketchUp to drop points to calculate spaces.

@YairYepez created this video to show what We Get Around does with Matterport Spaces 3D Tours imported into SketchUp.

Here's a We Get Around blog post by Yair about ...

Matterport Meets SketchUp File for Easy, Fast and Affordable 3D Modeling

(The Matterport object file is data. The SketchUp file is a useful solution to use the Matterport captured data.)

Post 23 IP   flag post
3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
Thanks Dan very helpful.
Post 24 IP   flag post
360Verbeelding private msg quote post Address this user
Hi Dan. fantastic info. i am not that big into Scetchup. Mayby i should dive into that.

Good job.
Grtz Rene.
Post 25 IP   flag post
TrustedPhotoDC private msg quote post Address this user
This first question is who will pay for this? Insurances underwriters are inherently cheap. If they do not have to spend a nickel, they will not. If a scan proves that their payout needs to be larger, they will run(maybe why Ins. was removed from Matterport site?)

So does it fall to the secondary market(clean-up services, contractors, etc) to utilize the MC? Is each entity billing for their own floor plan, thereby removing their revenue stream? Does the owner pay to protect themselves, if they need to sue?

Before there is a value proposition, there are a lot of unknowns that need to be answered.
Post 26 IP   flag post
3Dwalkmethru private msg quote post Address this user
The unknowns will be known when dialog begins, other wise is an assumption. So far we are speculating that this could be beneficial to the insurance industry, but where and what part of the process that is yet to be defined.

If a picture is a value proposition then a scan maybe as well will soon find out.

Good question @trsutedphotoDC why did Matterport take out insurance?
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vincent private msg quote post Address this user
This is a great post
Post 28 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
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@TrustedPhotoDC @3Dwalkmethru

Imagine a commercial office space with $50,000 in water damage according to the adjuster for the insurance company.

Now imagine you own this space and feel that the amount to be paid is much lower than you think it should be.

You contact ProClaim USA in Atlanta to fight for more money. Let's say, ProClaim USA believes that they can increase the claim to $125,000 and collect 1/3 of the difference ($125,000 - $50,000 = $75,000 / 3 = $25,000).

Now, ProClaim - or you, as the owner of the space - pays for the Matterport Spaces 3D Tour to help with the visual storytelling before or after it goes to court.

This is just one example of why insurance documentation on Steroids is valuable.

ProClaim USA believes that they can use Matterport across the United States. And, if they go forward, will likely engage We Get Around for one-order/all their markets. We would then source our Pros via our We Get Around Referral Network.

Everyone is happy, except the insurance company that had to pay out what the claim was actually worth.

Dan
Post 29 IP   flag post
vincent private msg quote post Address this user
Believe it or not commercial high-rise spaces do see water damage from time to time as one example and the damages calculate into the millions of dollars simply because a companies ability to do business is damaged.

I have a few people to speak to related to this, i'll report what I find out.
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