Mapping technology will be a key tool for insurers assessing the risks when writing policies, according to a spatial industry consultant.

Esri Australia Principal Consultant for Financial Services Gary Johnson says mapping technology driven by geographic information systems (GIS) will help insurers deal with flood-mapping issues.

The Natural Disaster Insurance Review, which was presented to the Federal Government on Friday, is expected to recommend a number of changes to the way insurers deal with flood insurance.

“Insurers cannot write a policy without accurately understanding the risk, and GIS is the only way insurers can gain a holistic view of the risk they face,” Mr Johnson said.

“By layering detailed flood models over residential or commercial property data on a map, GIS technology can quickly and accurately reveal the level of risk a property faces.”

The company helped Brisbane City Council develop a flood map before the floods in January.

“The flood map was a key information source for emergency response teams and the city council, guiding recovery operations and supporting critical decisions,” Mr Johnson said.

He says that at the height of the crisis more than 3 million people also accessed the map, which was developed and released in less than 12 hours.

Mr Johnson says the technology can also be used to deal with field assessment of claims from flood-related events, but the use of flood-mapping technology by insurers is still low.

“Insurers need to investigate their GIS capabilities and consider leveraging the technology they already have to drive better community and policyholder outcomes,” he said.