May 3, 2018—CCC Information Services announced the availability of AI-powered capabilities that use computer vision technology to detect vehicle damage.
The heat map technology transforms vehicle photos into heat maps, which provide a “more visually literate” and color-coded view of the damage, said David Bliss, vice president of production management for CCC Information Services.
Bliss said the technology can be applied to any photo captured and uploaded to the CCC platform, including those captured via the Smart Total Loss tool.
The way it works is simple. A user can upload a photo to the CCC platform. Then, on a computer, staff can inspect the damage on color-coded heat maps with the worst damage depicted in red and the least damage in green. Estimators can zoom in and out, adjust angles and contrast lighting to pinpoint damage.
Red flag alerts can also identify photos that appear inconsistent with the facts of the data, Bliss said.
CCC conducted consumer research and found that 9 out 10 consumers prefer estimates delivered with heat maps.
The technology can not be used on heavier collision repairs like structural repairs, Bliss said. Another limitation to the technology arises from the quality of the photo. To help prevent bad quality photos, CCC used body-style overlaps to make sure the photos were able to be used for damage evaluation and blurry detection to make sure no blurry photos come through, he said.
CCC first rolled out the heat map technology to insurers because photos are available at the first notice of loss, Bliss said. Vehicle owners are able to upload photos to CCC’s Smart Total Loss app on the scene. Results and updates can be shown to the customer.
“When totals are identified early, they can stay out of shops in the first place,” he said.
