For loss adjusters
A damage survey nobody can backdate.
An assessment is rarely challenged on its merits. It is challenged on when the photos were taken, whether they are intact and what stayed outside the frame. With LOCUS the answer to all three is already in the file.
The problem
Three challenges you already know
No. 01
“When did you take them?”
The file date and the report date were written by you, or by the phone: anyone can change them. The other side only has to raise the doubt, not prove it.
No. 02
“Are these the originals?”
Between capture and report the images go through a gallery, a PC, an email. Without a reference fixed at the source there is no way to show nobody touched them up.
No. 03
“What about the rest of the room?”
A well-shot detail does not say where it is or what was around it. That is the opening to argue the damage was smaller, or different.
On site
How the site visit works
Enter the claim reference in the app and, if you like, a note. Every acquisition of the day stays labelled with that number.
Not in the gallery. Each shot is sealed within seconds: file fingerprints, device signature, timestamps from third-party authorities, location and address.
A short walk-through video ties the details together. A voice note of up to 30 seconds, attached to the photo, captures now what you would otherwise reconstruct from memory.
Gather the acquisitions into a case file, share the ZIP with the insurer or lawyer and quote each verification code in your report.
The package
What you hand over
For every acquisition, a BagIt package that verifies itself, even without our software:
- the camera's original file and a PDF report a non-technical reader can follow;
- the fingerprints (SHA-256 and others) of every file, signed by the device;
- timestamps from third-party authorities, including a qualified eIDAS one (InfoCert) over the whole package;
- coordinates, accuracy and address of the capture point, with a map;
- an interactive.html page and verify.sh / verify.bat scripts to re-check fingerprints, signature and timestamps without going through our site;
- a short code for public verification, which shows neither the image nor the location.
Plainly put
What LOCUS does not do
- It does not establish the cause or extent of the damage: that is still your job. It shows that those images existed at that moment and have not changed.
- It does not seal photos already taken with the phone's camera: protection starts when you capture inside the app.
- Capturing needs a network connection (timestamps and slots). Verifying does not.
- It does not guarantee the outcome of a case: admissibility and weight are for the court to assess.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
A photo uses 1 slot, a video 2, a separate audio note 1. The price per slot ranges roughly from about €6 to about €3 depending on the pack: current figures are on the pricing page. Slots do not expire and there is no subscription. You get 2 slots to try it once you confirm your email.
No. The server receives the fingerprints and, for photos, a histogram (a chart of how light is distributed): never the image. The package stays on your phone and you are its custodian, so always keep a backup.
No. The package contains a page that checks the fingerprints in the browser, and scripts to re-check signature and timestamps. Those who prefer an application can use Locus Validator, free, for macOS and Windows.
Regulation (EU) 910/2014, Art. 41, gives a qualified timestamp the presumption of accuracy of the date and time it indicates and of the integrity of the data it refers to. In the current version of the app it is included in every acquisition, with no extra slots.
The app needs a connection to obtain timestamps and deduct slots. Without one it does not seal: check coverage before you start, or move to where there is signal for the key shots.
Guides
Read more
Damage surveys: how to stop the date being challenged
How to photograph damage for an insurance claim
A trusted date for a photograph
How the opposing party verifies your evidence
LOCUS also for: site engineers, surveyors and project managers · property and building managers · private investigators · all use cases
Try LOCUS on your next site visit.
Sign up, confirm your email and get 2 slots to try it. No subscription, no credit card.
Get the app