Insurtech BirdsEyeView (BEV) today unveiled its next-generation
Machine Learning Australian Bushfire Model, achieving a 61% improvement in predictive accuracy and
setting a new benchmark for bushfire modelling in the insurance sector.
Built on more than 300 billion data points and trained on 7,000 days of satellite observations, the
model provides insurers with a forward-looking, climate-change-aware view of bushfire risk. The
machine learning is trained to understand the complex interactions between variables such as
elevation, vegetation type, power-line networks, satellite-observed fire burn scars, and many more.
“Bushfire is now a top-tier driver of property loss, with climate change reshaping both the seasonality and
behaviour of bushfires in Australia,” said James Rendell, CEO of BirdsEyeView. “This new generation of
machine learning models gives underwriters and exposure managers a dynamic, climate-sensitive
understanding of bushfire risk that reflects today’s realities, rather than historical assumptions.”
Wildfire has become a major driver of insured losses globally, rising from 1% of insured natural
catastrophe losses before 2015 to 7% over the past decade. BirdsEyeView believe existing models
drastically underrepresent one of the most critical risk drivers: ignition source.
BirdsEyeView’s model explicitly considers and models both human-caused and climate-driven ignition
factors, creating a more realistic representation of Australian bushfire dynamics and enabling insurers
to make better underwriting decisions.
The model can be seamlessly integrated into underwriting workbenches, pricing tools, and exposure
management workflows via BirdsEyeView’s CERA® platform or direct API access. This enables insurers to
align peril modelling across portfolios with a clearer understanding of their climate-driven exposures.
Leading Lloyd’s syndicates and Australian coverholders have already adopted the model for property
and construction underwriting.
The step-change in performance is underpinned by BirdsEyeView’s strategic partnership with the European
Space Agency, providing access to high-resolution Earth-observation satellite data.
This launch further strengthens BirdsEyeView’s position as one of the leaders in pre-bind, at desk,
global hazard modelling and exposure management providers for the insurance market.
