Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have long been critical tools in managing insurance property and casualty claims. But basic GIS is not enough. Adding more precise location-based data to the mix will make the promise of GIS a reality for insurance customers.

More Than an Address

At its simplest, GIS allows layers of information to be combined to allow a greater degree of understanding about a given place. It relies on databases to analyze spatial data. The resulting information helps enterprises make more effective location-based decisions.

Address management has emerged as a critical function for property and casualty insurers. It is a best practice to build a centralized address management tool, which then serves up address-specific data to a wide range of insurance systems. This "manage once, use many" philosophy reduces overhead and error rates.

Basic address management can use text parsing and correlation with existing address databases – such as that supplied by the US Postal Service – to provide a rudimentary level of risk assessment. Integrating GIS...