"For example, the Web will transform many of your existing business processes. Your call centers, help desks and customer relationship management functions will become more interactive, e-enabled operations," Mr. Burrus said.

The three-day ISOTech 2002 conference, which concludes today, drew nearly 650 attendees, said ISO. Sessions dealt with practical applications of technology for underwriting, claims handling, catastrophe modeling, loss control, fraud prevention, premium audit, data management and other functional areas in the p-c industry.

ISO said 90 exhibitors demonstrated a wide variety of technology products and their applications at the accompanying trade show.

Three related industry conferences?the PAAS Premium Audit Forum, the E&S Loss Control Management Forum and the ICE (Insurance Collection Executives) Forum?will conclude on Thursday.

In another session, W. Scott Palmer, president and chief executive officer of Injury Sciences, a forensic technology firm said, "The technology behind automotive black boxes to track vehicle crash data can harvest significant information for insurers' claims operations."

While there are privacy concerns about data ownership, Mr. Palmer cited an interesting dichotomy in the use of black box data. "More than 50 percent of the respondents to a recent Insurance Research Council study were opposed to monitoring mileage and driving habits to determine insurance rates, yet the same percentage of respondents supported the use of black box data to investigate accidents and determine fault."

Mr. Palmer noted that though the availability of black box data has reached a "critical mass and is increasing at a significant rate," the technology alone will not eliminate traditional methods insurers use to report facts about auto accidents and estimate repair costs.

"Data bundling is key, and that will continue to play a major role in the claims process," he added.

ISO said it provides statistical, actuarial, underwriting and claims information and analyses; consulting and technical services; policy language; information about specific locations; fraud-identification tools; and data processing for a broad range of insurers, reinsurers, agents, brokers, self-insureds, risk managers, insurance regulators and other government agencies.