The objective of this work is to develop a predictive activation time algorithm for smoke plumes for axonX's SigniFire video image detection (VID) system from recent tests in a large volume space performed at the University of Maryland's (UMD) Cole Field House. The SigniFire system was able to detect a smoke plume from distances of 37.8 m (124 ft) to 54.9 m (180 ft) typically before the smoke reached the ceiling. The goal is to establish an understanding of the significant parameters affecting activation time based on observations and trends from the video image data. As a result of the understanding, insight into a predictive algorithm is developed, which is the first step toward future use of the VID system for a performance based design.