Glossary
This glossary explains the key terms used throughout CO2 Asset Management in plain, everyday language. For technical/developer terminology, see the Developer Glossary.
Location Terms
Section titled “Location Terms”These terms describe where things are in your property portfolio.
Estate
Section titled “Estate”What it means: Your entire property portfolio - all the buildings and sites you manage under one umbrella.
In practice: Think of it as a folder that contains everything. Most organizations have one Estate. You only need multiple Estates if you manage completely separate portfolios with no overlap (e.g., different business units).
Examples:
- “Acme Corporation Properties”
- “NHS Trust Buildings”
- “City Council Estate”
What it means: A single physical location - typically one building or one address.
In practice: A Site is one pin on a map. It has an address, GPS coordinates, and contains one or more Buildings.
Examples:
- “London Headquarters” (52 Victoria Street)
- “Manchester Warehouse” (Industrial Park, Unit 7)
- “Edinburgh Branch Office”
How it fits: Estate → Site → Building → Floor
Building
Section titled “Building”What it means: A physical structure at a Site - something you could walk around.
In practice: A Building sits within a Site. It has floors, and you upload floor plans for each floor.
Examples:
- “Main Building”
- “Annex”
- “Multi-Storey Car Park”
Floor Plan
Section titled “Floor Plan”What it means: An image of a building floor that you can place assets on.
In practice: You upload a floor plan image (JPG, PNG, PDF), then drag assets onto it. The floor plan becomes an interactive blueprint showing where everything is located.
Examples:
- “Ground Floor”
- “First Floor”
- “Basement / Plant Room”
- “Roof Level”
What it means: A defined space on a floor plan where assets can be grouped.
In practice: You draw room boundaries on floor plans to organize assets. Rooms are optional - you can place assets directly on floor plans without defining rooms.
Examples:
- “Server Room”
- “Reception”
- “Conference Room A”
- “Kitchen”
Boundary
Section titled “Boundary”What it means: A shape drawn on a floor plan that defines an area.
In practice: Boundaries can represent rooms, zones, or any area you want to track. They help organize assets and can be used for reporting (e.g., “all assets in the east wing”).
Examples:
- Room boundaries
- Safety zones
- Service areas
- Departmental zones
Asset Terms
Section titled “Asset Terms”These terms describe what you’re tracking.
What it means: A specific physical item you’re tracking - one piece of equipment in one location.
In practice: An Asset is the actual thing in your building. It has a location (where on the floor plan), specifications (what kind of equipment), and history (when installed, maintenance records).
Examples:
- “HVAC Unit #47 in the server room”
- “Fire extinguisher by the main entrance”
- “Boiler in basement plant room”
- “LED panel light in Conference Room A”
Key characteristics:
- Has a specific location
- Has specifications (inherited from its Listing)
- Has an identity (serial number, asset tag)
- Has a history (installation date, maintenance)
Listing
Section titled “Listing”What it means: A template or product specification - the “type” of asset, not a specific instance.
In practice: A Listing is like a product from a catalogue. When you drag a Listing onto a floor plan, you create an Asset. The Asset inherits all the specifications from the Listing.
Examples:
- “5kg CO2 Fire Extinguisher” (the product type)
- “Model XYZ Condensing Boiler, 25kW” (a specific product model)
- “LED Panel Light, 40W” (a type of light fixture)
The relationship:
Listing (Template) → drag onto floor plan → Asset (Instance)You can create many Assets from the same Listing - each one is tracked independently.
Catalogue
Section titled “Catalogue”What it means: A collection of Listings organized by category - like a product library.
In practice: Catalogues group related Listings so you can find what you need. You browse a Catalogue, find the right Listing, and drag it onto a floor plan.
Examples:
- “Fire Safety Equipment” (extinguishers, alarms, detectors)
- “HVAC Systems” (boilers, AC units, heat pumps)
- “Lighting” (panels, fixtures, controls)
Types of Catalogues:
- Global - Available to everyone (standard equipment types)
- Estate-specific - Custom catalogues for your organization
- Supplier-specific - Products from a particular vendor
Drawing Terms
Section titled “Drawing Terms”These terms describe how you work with floor plans.
What it means: A transparent overlay on a floor plan where you place assets and annotations.
In practice: Layers let you organize different types of content. Assets might be on one layer, annotations on another. You can show or hide layers to focus on what matters.
Examples:
- “HVAC Layer” (all heating/cooling equipment)
- “Electrical Layer” (power outlets, switches, panels)
- “Fire Safety Layer” (extinguishers, alarms, exit signs)
Drawing
Section titled “Drawing”What it means: The combination of a floor plan image with layers, assets, and annotations.
In practice: When you upload a floor plan and start adding content, you’re creating a Drawing. A Drawing is the complete, interactive representation of a floor.
Topology
Section titled “Topology”What it means: The overall spatial structure of your site - buildings, floors, rooms, and their relationships.
In practice: Topology is how the system understands “where things are.” It connects buildings to floors, floors to rooms, and lets you place assets in the right locations.
Why it matters:
- Enables accurate asset tracking (“This boiler is in Building A, Floor 2, Plant Room”)
- Supports work orders (“Show me all assets in the east wing”)
- Powers carbon calculations (“What’s the energy use in this building?”)
Change Management Terms
Section titled “Change Management Terms”These terms describe how you plan and track changes.
Proposal
Section titled “Proposal”What it means: A planned change to your assets - equipment you want to add, replace, or remove.
In practice: Proposals let you model changes before making them. You can calculate the impact on energy use, carbon footprint, and cost before committing.
Examples:
- “Replace 50 fluorescent lights with LEDs”
- “Add air conditioning to the server room”
- “Upgrade boiler system across all sites”
Status: Coming Soon - This feature is under development.
What it means: A to-do item assigned to a person, often related to an asset.
In practice: Tasks track accountability - who needs to do what, by when. They can be linked to assets (e.g., “Inspect fire extinguisher #23 by Friday”).
Examples:
- “Complete annual boiler inspection”
- “Verify serial numbers on new equipment”
- “Update asset photos for insurance audit”
Status: Coming Soon - This feature is under development.
Permission Terms
Section titled “Permission Terms”These terms describe who can do what.
What it means: A predefined set of permissions that determine what actions someone can take.
In practice: Instead of granting individual permissions, you assign Roles. Roles bundle common permissions together.
Available Roles:
- Owner - Full control including delete (usually one person per Estate)
- Admin - Manage users, settings, and all content
- Editor - Create and modify assets and floor plans
- Viewer - View-only access, cannot make changes
What it means: The boundary within which a permission applies.
In practice: Permissions can be granted at different scopes - an Estate Viewer can see everything, while a Site Editor can only edit at one specific site.
Scopes (from broad to narrow):
- Estate - Applies to entire portfolio
- Site - Applies to one location
- Layer - Applies to one layer within a site
See Permission Scopes for detailed guidance.
Quick Reference Table
Section titled “Quick Reference Table”| Term | What it is | Real-world analogy |
|---|---|---|
| Estate | Your entire portfolio | A holding company |
| Site | One physical location | One pin on Google Maps |
| Building | A structure at a site | Something you walk into |
| Floor Plan | Image of a floor level | A blueprint |
| Room | A space on a floor | An enclosed area |
| Boundary | A drawn area | A zone or region |
| Asset | A specific tracked item | The actual equipment |
| Listing | A product template | An item in a parts catalogue |
| Catalogue | Collection of Listings | A product library |
| Layer | Overlay on floor plan | Tracing paper |
| Drawing | Interactive floor plan | A live blueprint |
| Proposal | Planned change | A project plan |
| Task | A to-do item | An assignment |
| Role | Permission bundle | A job title |
| Scope | Permission boundary | Access level |
Related
Section titled “Related”- Key Concepts - Visual introduction to core concepts
- Developer Glossary - Technical terminology for developers