Creating a Insurance report in DAS is simple and intuitive. This guide walks you through the steps to create a detailed, professional report for your clients.
Step 1: Select Your Custom Farm
Before creating a report, select the custom farm you want to base the report on. There are three ways to do this:
From the Map: Navigate to the desired farm on the map and left-click on it.
From the Custom Farms Tab: Open the Custom Farms tab and select a previously created farm.
Create a New Farm: Build a new custom farm using the “Build Mode” feature. Here’s a link to our detailed article on building a new custom farm: How to Build a Custom Farm.
Once the farm is selected, the left-hand side interface will appear. Navigate to the Reports Tab, then click Create New Report and select Insurance Report.
💡 Tip: All reports are saved to your account and can be accessed or edited at any time via the Reports Folder or the Report tab on a Farm on the left-hand side of the DAS interface.
If you expand or reduce the boundaries of a custom farm, be sure to use the Copy & Update feature. This allows you to retain your original report content while automatically updating it to reflect new structures from added parcels—or removing content tied to parcels you've excluded.
Keep in mind that reports are a snapshot in time, reflecting the data and calculations available at the moment they were created. Using Copy & Update ensures your report is refreshed with the latest structure changes, datasets, and insights.
Step 2: Customize Your Insurance Report
Once inside the insurance report builder, you'll find various sections. Of these, only the Overview and Structures sections allow for manual input of data. The remaining sections can be toggled on or off to suit your needs.
At any point during the editing process, you can click the Preview Report button at the bottom of the screen to see how the final report will appear. This will open a new tab or browser pop-out with the generated report for easy review.
Title Section
Enter a clear and descriptive title for your report.
The title will be searchable in your report library and appear prominently on the report’s first page.
Overview Tab
This tab captures the foundational details of your insurance report. Each field is editable to ensure it reflects the most accurate and client-specific information.
Policy ID: Enter the relevant policy number associated with this property or client portfolio. This helps align the report with your internal systems.
Property Name: Give the property a name that matches your report’s context or internal naming conventions. This could include the client's name, address, or a project-specific label.
Property Description: Use this field to provide extra detail not covered by DAS data. You might include interior dwelling features, on-site machinery, livestock operations, or any contextual insights relevant to the report.
Land Area (ha): This is auto-calculated based on the custom farm boundary drawn in DAS. If you have a more accurate area (e.g., from title documents), you can overwrite the default value here
Step 3: Edit Structure
The Structures section allows you to capture, customise, and assess any built assets located on the property. This ensures your report reflects not only DAS geospatial intelligence and datasets but also real-world (ground-truth) detail, including structure images, type, condition, and insurable value.
Editable Fields:
Status – Select whether the structure is Insured or Not Insured.
Cover – Choose between Replacement or Indemnity based on the policy agreement.
Construction Type – Select from Steel, Timber, Brick, or Mixed materials.
Type – Define what kind of structure it is (e.g., shed, barn, silo). Select Other if it’s not listed, and you can manually enter a custom type.
Condition – Reflects the current state of the structure.
Construction Year – The year the structure was built (format: YYYY).
Area (sq. m) – Auto-populated based on the polygon drawn, but you can adjust if you have precise measurements.
Insured Value ($) – Add the replacement or indemnity value here.
Description – Add any specific notes or context for this structure.
How to Add a New Structure
Sometimes our automated building layer may not detect every structure—especially in areas where satellite imagery is out of date or clouded. Our building layers dataset updates every four months, which is often more frequent than satellite imagery updates. If you see a red building outline but no imagery underneath, it’s likely still a valid structure picked up by our data layer. To ensure no structure is missed, you can manually add your own:
Click + Add Structure, then select Place Structure to position it on the map. You can add multiple structures, and each one can be uniquely configured to match its real-world counterpart.
Creative Use Cases
This tool is highly flexible, beyond buildings, you can also map and describe other farm-related assets, including:
Soil types or designated cropping zones
Livestock yards or fencing enclosures
Water infrastructure (e.g., irrigation systems or water licenses)
Machinery sheds or high-value infrastructure
To enrich your report visually, you can also include:
Screenshots from the 3D Mapbox feature or topological layer (NZ only) to show elevation and slope
Google Street View captures (using the yellow pegman) for additional ground-level imagery
The more detailed and specific your input, the more valuable and accurate your report will be for downstream use especially for underwriting or risk assessment.
Step 5: Add Images
Click the Gallery Button in the top-right corner of the Structures Tab.
Click the Upload text this will then take you to the upload interface.
Upload images by scanning the QR code (to upload from your phone) or by selecting files from your desktop.
Assign images to structures manually by dragging and dropping on the desired structure or automatically using geotagging by clicking the auto button:
Enabling Geotagging for Photos
On iPhone:
Go to Settings → Privacy → Location Services.
Select Camera and set to While Using the App.
On Android:Go to Settings → Location.
Enable Use Location and adjust permissions for the Camera app.
Step 6: Toggle Report Sections
Each report section (e.g., climate, soil data) can be toggled on or off by clicking the checkbox next to the section name. This allows you to tailor the report to your client’s specific needs.
Step 7: Generate Your Report
Click Generate Report at the bottom right of the interface. The report will be emailed to you within minutes. Larger reports with extensive data may take slightly longer.
Key Takeaways
Reports are saved for future edits or reference.
Utilize layers and filters for precise sales selection.
Customize structures and images to add detailed context.
Toggle sections to create concise, tailored reports.
For more guidance, reach out to our support team or explore additional articles in the DAS knowledge base!