CAM-36
Smoke in a built-up area
Black smoke is pouring out of a flat window and rising along the facade. People have stopped on the pavement to look up, and the café terrace next door is still full.
Turn on IRIS Vision
AI-generated image
What IRIS understands
What it recognises in this scene
- smoke on the facade
- resident on balcony
- onlookers
- terrace
- vehicle
- bins
- pedestrian
The rule
You decide once. IRIS applies it always.
If
smoke is detected coming out of a building
Duringmore than 15 seconds
Then
- alert the fire service
- report the facade and the floor
- clear the street below the facade
The instruction that set it up«Tell me if smoke is coming out of a building, and from which facade and which floor.»
What changes
What changes for whoever runs the city
In a home fire the first minute is the one that counts. Today that minute goes on somebody in the street looking up, wondering whether it is smoke or steam, and deciding to call; and whoever calls almost never knows which floor. With IRIS the control-room operator gets the alert from the street camera itself, with the façade and the approximate height, which is exactly what the fire station asks. The crew sets off knowing which way in and which street to keep clear. Sending them is still a person's decision, taken after checking the image.
What people usually ask
Does IRIS mistake kitchen steam or dust for smoke?
IRIS can mistake kitchen steam or dust for smoke, which is why the rule includes a minimum duration and context. Kitchen extract steam always appears at the same point and disperses quickly; smoke from a fire grows, changes colour and does not stop. Even so, a smoke alert is always reviewed by a person before the fire service is mobilised: IRIS shortens the time to that decision, it does not replace it.
Can IRIS say which facade and which floor the smoke comes from?
Yes, IRIS can say which facade and roughly which floor the smoke comes from, within what the camera sees and if the zones have been marked on the image. An alert that arrives naming the facade and the approximate height saves minutes for the engine already on its way. What the camera does not frame — the inner courtyard, the back of the building — cannot be known from that spot, and it is worth being clear about that upfront.
Does IRIS detect fire, or only smoke?
IRIS can detect both fire and smoke, but smoke usually appears first and is visible from further away, which is why it is the main street-level alert. Flame stands out well at night and much less in full sun. Either way a person confirms the alert before the fire service is called out: IRIS shortens the time to that decision, it does not make it.
A different case every time
A new case each time. Always the same screen.
It plays by itself and shows one case from start to finish. It is a summary: the real screen has far more functions than fit in this box.
- Checks the whole system
- Flags what is failing
- Puts it on one screen
Next step
What if the outage does not start with an attack?
13 cases, and in every one of them IRIS raises an alert when something happens. You see each image as it is, and then with what it understands on top.
And who watches the cameras?
0 cases, and in every one of them IRIS raises an alert when something happens. You see each image as it is, and then with what it understands on top.
And the best part
“The white van, Tuesday afternoon.”That is enough to find it.
You type it the way you would tell a colleague, and the matching minutes come back, each with its camera and its time. You do not need to remember the exact moment.
Tell us your problem and we will say whether IRIS understands it, or not yet.
We reply the same working day.