Glossary

AI CCTV and fire detection glossary

Plain-English definitions of the terms used across Woodcock AI guides, from ARC and edge server to RTSP, freeboard and thermal runaway. Each term has its own link you can share, and a pointer to the page that explains it in more depth.

Browse 35 terms Free site assessment

Real detection · Waste site Bounding box drawnAlert sent with the clip

Real footage from a camera running Woodcock AI, 8-second loop.

A

AI CCTV

CCTV where software analyses the video to recognise what is in the picture, such as people, vehicles, smoke or flame, and raises an alert, rather than only recording it for someone to review later.

Read more: How it works

Alarm receiving centre (ARC)

A monitoring centre that receives alarms from sites, checks them and responds, for example by contacting the keyholder or the emergency services. Alerts to a monitoring centre (ARC) and phone-call alerts are available as optional add-ons.

Alert verification

Checking whether an alarm is real before acting on it, usually by looking at the camera view or a recorded clip of the moment it was raised.

B

Bounding box

The rectangle an AI draws around something it has detected in a frame, usually with a label such as smoke, fire, person or vehicle.

C

Camera analytics

Detection rules that run inside the camera itself, such as motion, line crossing or intrusion zones. Capabilities vary widely by model and brand.

Clip

A short piece of recorded video from the moment of a detection. Woodcock AI sends the clip with every alert so it can be checked straight away.

D

Depollution

Removing batteries, fuel, oils and other fluids and hazardous parts from an end-of-life vehicle before it is dismantled or crushed. Batteries should be removed as soon as possible and stored safely apart.

Detection module

One type of detection that can be switched on for a camera, such as smoke and fire, intrusion or a safety module. Which modules suit a site is confirmed in the free site assessment.

DVR

Digital video recorder. A recorder for analogue CCTV cameras, often connected by coaxial cable. Many newer DVRs can also provide network video streams.

Read more: How it works

E

Edge server

A small computer installed on site that runs the AI on the camera streams locally, so video does not have to leave the site to be analysed. Woodcock AI can process video on an edge server on site or in the Woodcock AI Cloud.

ELV (end-of-life vehicle)

A vehicle that has reached the end of its life and is treated as waste. Permitted sites must depollute ELVs and store depolluted and un-depolluted vehicles apart, under Environment Agency guidance.

Illustrative 3D render of an NVR linked to a Woodcock AI edge server, the Woodcock AI Cloud and a phone showing alerts — Illustrative 3D render: an edge server runs the AI on site; the alternative is the Woodcock AI Cloud.

F

False alarm

An alert raised when nothing that matters has happened, for example motion detection reacting to rain, a spider on the lens or headlights.

Feedback and retraining

Marking a detection as correct or false so the AI can learn from it. Every Woodcock AI detection has a feedback button, and that feedback goes into retraining for your site.

Fire Prevention Plan (FPP)

A plan, required by the Environment Agency for many permitted waste sites in England, that sets out how a site prevents fires, detects them early and limits their spread.

Freeboard

In fire prevention planning, the gap kept between the top of a stockpile and the top of the walls of the bay that holds it, so material cannot spill over or spread fire. The required gap is set out in Environment Agency guidance.

H

Hot spot

An area inside a pile or object that is hotter than its surroundings, often an early sign of a fire. A hot spot hidden inside a pile is not visible to an ordinary camera until smoke or flame appears.

I

Infrared (IR)

Light just beyond what the eye can see. Many CCTV cameras use built-in infrared lights to see at night, which gives the familiar black and white night image.

Intrusion detection

Detecting people or vehicles entering an area where they should not be, usually within zones and schedules that you set.

IP camera

A network camera that sends its video over a computer network. Most modern CCTV cameras are IP cameras, and most can provide a stream that AI software can analyse.

Read more: How it works

L

Line crossing

A detection rule that raises an alert when something crosses a line drawn on the camera view, for example along a fence or across a gateway.

Lithium-ion thermal runaway

A chain reaction inside a damaged or faulty lithium-ion battery cell in which heat builds rapidly, often releasing smoke and flammable gas before it ignites. It is a growing cause of fires at waste sites.

M

Motion detection

The simplest form of video detection: it raises an alert when enough pixels change between frames. It cannot tell what moved, which is why it causes many false alarms.

Illustrative drawing, not real footage: a detection zone with a schedule, and a crossing line across a gateway.

Illustrative camera view of an empty yard at dusk with an intrusion zone drawn over the ground and a line-crossing line across the gate — Illustrative: an out-of-hours intrusion zone and a line-crossing rule across the gate of an empty yard.

N

NVR

Network video recorder. A recorder for IP cameras that stores their video and usually lets other systems connect to the camera streams.

Read more: How it works

O

ONVIF

An industry standard that lets IP cameras, recorders and software from different makers work together.

P

PPE detection

A safety module that checks camera views for personal protective equipment. Woodcock AI offers safety modules such as PPE detection, where supported, confirmed in your site assessment.

Q

Quarantine area

In fire prevention planning, a space kept clear on a waste site where burning or suspect material can be moved and isolated during an incident.

R

RTSP

Real Time Streaming Protocol. A common way for cameras and recorders to provide a live video stream to other software, such as an AI detection system.

S

Self-learning AI

AI that improves for a specific site over time. Woodcock AI fits a self-learning AI to each site, which learns what is normal for each camera, helped by the feedback on its detections.

Read more: How it works

Smoke detection (video)

Using software to recognise the visible shape and movement of smoke in an ordinary camera picture. It supplements fire alarms and does not replace them.

T

Thermal camera

A camera that measures heat rather than visible light, so it can show hot spots that an ordinary camera cannot see. It needs dedicated thermal hardware.

V

VCA

Video content analysis. A general term for software that analyses video to detect events, from simple rules such as motion or line crossing to AI classification.

Vehicle detection

Recognising vehicles such as cars, vans and lorries in a camera view, for example one arriving at a closed gate out of hours. Woodcock AI offers vehicle detection where supported, confirmed in your site assessment.

Video analytics

Another name for software that analyses CCTV video automatically, either on the camera, on a recorder or server, or in the cloud.

W

Waste fire

A fire at a site that stores or processes waste, such as a stockpile, bale store or tipping hall fire. These can burn for long periods and are a major concern for fire services and regulators.

Z

Zone

An area drawn on a camera view where detection is active. Zones, together with schedules, decide where and when alerts are raised.

Not sure which terms apply to your site?

A free site assessment reviews your cameras, recorder and site, and explains in plain English what is supported before anything is set up.

Free site assessment Read the FAQ

Illustrative 3D render

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Woodcock AI FAQAnswers to common questions How it worksCameras, edge or cloud, and alerts Video smoke detectionThe guide to smoke detection on CCTV Reduce CCTV false alarmsCauses, fixes and per-site AI FPP checklistFire prevention plans for waste sites All guidesFire, safety and CCTV guides