Crime mapping and insurance

How could insurers exploit crime mapping to help explain the difference between one area's premiums and the neighbouring town or county?

Cimex has had an interest in crime mapping for a long time. As well being the only digital agency in attendance at the 7th annual Crime Mapping Conference this year, we’re also working with the BBC on a new cross-media project to map crime as it happens.

Crime mapping, which like Cimex, has been around for some time now, involves the science of analysing crime from a location based perspective. The basic thinking goes that a better understanding of crime patterns, will help the solving of crime and improve the planning and deployment of crime prevention resources.

What once started out as a paper based pursuit – wall mounted map, coloured pins and bits of string – has moved more into the domain of digital. Advanced data display techniques – such as heat maps – can show the intensity of crime and statistical data processing.

While crime mapping has traditionally been used by police and local authorities, there has been a recent drive to make crime data more widely available in the public domain. It’s this opening up of data which could prove particularly exciting.

One use, for example, could be by insurance brokers and providers. While it’s common knowledge that insurers amend their premiums based on location and the relevant levels of crime in an area, why not make that more transparent?

Insurers – and indeed insurance brokers – could use heat mapping graphics to help explain the difference between one area’s premiums and the neighbouring town or county. This data could even help illustrate the comparison of insurance premiums, where users searching for a cheaper premium are served a geographical map along with a number of insurer branded flags dotted throughout. Would presenting the customer with an insight into the range of premiums available – all changing with animated maps showing the passage of time – help remove any doubts about insurer’s increasing prices?

Find out more about Cimex’s work at the Crime Mapping Conference

Find out more about our development of interactive marketing and training tools for international brands.

Published: 15 Jun 2009

Tags: Campaigns & social media, Customer insight, Design & enhancement