Aerial Imagery Is a Scope Document. Treat It Like One.

The Confirmation Bias Problem

When an aerial image lands in a CAT file, the instinct is to look at it, confirm the loss is real, and move on to the estimate. That instinct is expensive.

An aerial photograph of a tornado loss contains scoping information that no Xactimate database will surface automatically: scatter radius of debris, boundary crossings, road-access constraints, buried vehicles, uprooted trees at property lines, and the relationship between the damaged structure and everything within 200 feet of it.

Using the image only as loss confirmation means you're leaving that information on the table — and writing it as a supplement later, under time pressure, after the insured is already frustrated.

What a Scope-First Aerial Review Looks Like

• Draw the debris perimeter before writing any removal line item. If scatter extends beyond the lot, the removal estimate changes materially.
• Flag boundary crossings. Debris on adjacent parcels or in the right-of-way requires coordination — and documentation of who cleared it and when — before authorizing removal.
• Look for buried or displaced personal property (vehicles, equipment, outbuildings). Coverage-line questions are easier to resolve at intake than at supplement.
• Note access constraints. A blocked road means delayed contractor access, which means delayed scope, which means extended ALE if the insured is displaced. Model that into cycle-time estimates early.

The Desk Adjuster's Role

In a CAT surge, field capacity is finite. Desk adjusters who review aerials as scoping documents — not just intake documents — can front-load the coverage questions, flag the supplements before they happen, and reduce the number of file reopens that eat the back half of every CAT deployment.

The image is already in the file. The question is whether it's doing work.