The alliance combines NSSL’s research and development in weather radar technology with AER’s expertise in providing data-driven solutions that improve industry practices. As part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, NSSL will provide AER with access to high-resolution radar data across the continental United States. AER in turn provides critical insurance industry feedback and quality control assessments to NSSL for inclusion back into their radar algorithms.
Storm-related damage is a growing problem for insurance carriers and their customers, and can lead to increased costs. AER adds value through targeted scientific analysis and by building applications for businesses to pinpoint the location and severity of weather events such as straight-line winds, hail, flooding rain and tornadoes.
AER’s new “Respond” hail analysis service leverages the NSSL’s technology and enables insurance carriers to reduce loss adjustment expense and cycle times by integrating property-specific analytics into the hail claims workflow. The expanded real-time hail and rain capabilities complement AER’s existing services related to hurricanes, wildfires and other natural hazards.
“AER can process and tailor the extraordinary array of real-time U.S. weather radar data products at NOAA’s Severe Storms Laboratory,” said Steven Koch, NSSL director. “Their view into the insurance industry and other financial sectors combined with their scientific expertise will continue to reveal new ways we can apply our science to address the needs of the nation.”
This collaboration extends AER’s footprint such that AER experts now work with eighteen federally funded research labs. A hailstorm case study for insurance firms is available on the AER website.
