I do not understand how the software can determine the size of something that is not on the same plane where the reference mark is placed unless digital photography captures 3-D info. Clearly if it can determine measurements down to the accuracy of 1/32 of an inch it would be useful. On the other hand it would be light years head of the method mentioned where a telephone adjuster mails the insured a disposable camera and ask the insured to take some photos and measurements or worse just adjust the claim based only on a phone conversation. Technology is changing just about everything in our lives and the speed of change will continue to accelerate I expect. If anyone tries the software please report your results.

Larry thanks for the links. After a lot of reading I gathered from the comments of others while the software is interesting that it would be of marginal value in settling claims. The fact you have to pay $100 upfront means if it does not work after one demos it than one has spent the $100 without getting a valuable tool. I think the poster on one for the sites you posted mentioned it would take a stereo camera to gain the ability to determine depth of view. That would be in line with my thoughts.

However the fact that the product is on the market insures most likely that the developer or other firms will keep enhancing this type of solution and one day it will be used in the claims handling business.                                                                                  

John you hit the nail on the head but on property carriers seem to have short memory for some reason. In the days of paper I can see it made sense to toss all claim files when permitted by law because just to find a file years later was more trouble than it was worth perhaps yet today files go into imaging systems that still require at least one eyeball to retrieve specific claim data after a claim is filed.

Why carriers do not get more excited by mining live claims data is a mystery to me. Many VP’s today are more my age and maybe just do not really understand the value or perhaps IT is still stating it would just take too much digital storage space. It is true we live in an age of digital information overload and there is a real window of opportunity for the people that can show the carriers how to reduce future cost by not repeating history.

The measure once and pay many times is something I have never heard expressed before but it does contain a lot of wisdom. Handling physical claim files makes as much since as handling physical X-ray film today. They have their places but they are less efficient and necessitate rising premiums and can therefore lead to a carrier losing the ability to stay competitive in the market place.  

The iPhotoMeasure concept may not be ready for prime time but that genie is out of the bottle for a long time to come for all of the reasons you stated.

It beats counting the shingles on your monitor to verify that a roof was measured properly or trying to get second opinion for the dimensions of a room that appeared much smaller than what was measured.

Depending on how seamless this software is, it would be great for in-house examiners or file auditors to use- assuming that they know that this software isn't 100% precise.

I found this first link about iPhotoMEASURE interesting. As adjusting becomes more computerize this type of software may take off. If it does I expect the digital camera manufactures may get into the act if the volume demand is great. Some of us may not see it in our day but some day adjusting will be very different on certain types of property losses I am sure. We see from the testimony before congress that carriers made decisions on what to blame on wind and what to blame on water in part from analysis of satellite photos after Katrina. There is a lot of potential for technology. If the new proposals for adjuster qualifications and responsibilities become reality the pool of adjusters will be so small it will force the carriers to look at new ways of doing things. A space shot after a wind event could show the areas with the most missing shingles right down to the addresses with the most damage. A shot a few days later could show who took the step to put on a blue tarp. A shot a few months later could tell who put on a new roof and who just patched things up. Even underwriting concerns like pools, trampolines, new building attachments, etc could be addressed remotely. The tax man could look for info the same way. The Ag department could tell what crops were planted on what acreage and on and on.  

http://www.pitchtheangels.com/pp/com.php/article/o/archive/ct/presenter/oid/21

For more on the subject of what is involved in taking measurements with a digital camera (photogrammetry) read the below.

http://www.geodetic.com/Whatis.htm

http://www.univie.ac.at/Luftbildarchiv/wgv/intro.htm