Insurance coverage in California has been all over the news lately with well known companies making startling announcements and igniting discussions around the impact of climate on the book of business for all sizes of insurers. One thing is for certain: in order to reduce the level of risk an insurer takes on, more details and information on a property will be required and necessary. It’s why the GIC’s Elements product line–which includes defensible space information–has become a critical piece of an insurer’s toolkit and is helping better support more informed underwriting and risk analysis of properties. And for California, where wildfires have devastated communities and destroyed more than 8 million acres from 2016 to 2020, defensible space information is of vital importance.

Defensible space buffer zones are identified for over 11 million residential properties across California, from one end of the state to the other. We took our high-resolution aerial imagery and applied machine learning to it to deliver powerful automated insights for every property. Insurers can see which homes are at highest risk with trees identified in Zone 0 (5 ft), Zone 1 (30 ft), Zone 2 (100 ft), and Zone 3 (200 ft). This level of accessible data helps shore up quoting and support better communication between an insurer and its customers on coverage and premiums.

Download Free Defensible Space Report for California

Access a detailed report on the GIC’s findings for defensible space on every residential property in California. In this PDF, you’ll discover:

• Which counties have the highest risk in Zone 0
• How GIC property analytics support state law and local ordinances
• What types of imagery and data insurers can view to back up coverage and premium decisions
• How insurers are using this information to proactively communicate to customers