GIS Dictionary

[computing] In programming, a process that continuously runs in the background, without being explicitly implemented, and performs a specified operation at predefined times or in response to certain events. Daemon … Read more

[data capture] The endpoint of a dangling arc.

[data capture] In ArcInfo coverages, the minimum length allowed for dangling arcs by the clean process, which removes dangling arcs shorter than the dangle tolerance.

[data capture] An arc having the same polygon on both its left and right sides and having at least one node that does not connect to any other arc. It … Read more

[data analysis] A technique in which attribute data that is organized by a large or arbitrary area unit is more accurately distributed within that unit by the overlay of geographic … Read more

[data management] Any collection of related facts arranged in a particular format; often, the basic elements of information that are produced, stored, or processed by a computer.

[data capture] Any operation that converts GIS data into computer-readable form. Geographic data can be captured by being downloaded directly into a GIS from sources such as remote-sensing or GPS … Read more

[ESRI software] In ArcGIS, a message containing any inserts, updates, and deletes applied to a replica. These messages are used to synchronize replicas in a disconnected environment.

[data conversion] The process of translating data from one format to another.

[programming] A set of SQL statements that can be used either interactively or within a programming language to create a new database, set permissions on it, and define its attributes.

[data management] A catalog or table containing information about the datasets stored in a database. In a GIS, a data dictionary might contain the full names of attributes, meanings of … Read more

[data transfer] The smallest unit of information used to describe a particular characteristic of a spatial dataset. A data element is a logically primitive description that cannot be further subdivided.

[computing] A file that holds text, graphics, or numbers.

[data structures] The structure used to store a computer file or record.

[data structures] The structure used to store a computer file or record.

[ESRI software] A map element that defines a geographic extent, a page extent, a coordinate system, and other display properties for one or more layers in ArcMap. A dataset can … Read more

[ESRI software] A map element that defines a geographic extent, a page extent, a coordinate system, and other display properties for one or more layers in ArcMap. A dataset can … Read more

[interoperability] The process of sharing and combining data between two organizations or systems.

[interoperability] The process of sharing and combining data between two organizations or systems.

The degree to which the data in a database is accurate and consistent according to data model and data type.

The degree to which the data in a database is accurate and consistent according to data model and data type.

[GPS] Information in a satellite’s GPS signal that reports its orbital position, operating health, and clock corrections.

[GPS] Information in a satellite’s GPS signal that reports its orbital position, operating health, and clock corrections.

1 [data models] In GIS, a mathematical construct for representing geographic objects or surfaces as data. For example, the vector data model represents geography as collections of points, lines, and … Read more

1 [data models] In GIS, a mathematical construct for representing geographic objects or surfaces as data. For example, the vector data model represents geography as collections of points, lines, and … Read more

[GPS] A lightweight, handheld field computer used to store data collected by a GPS receiver.

[GPS] A lightweight, handheld field computer used to store data collected by a GPS receiver.

Making data available and accessible to organizations or individuals other than the creator of the data.

[data management] Any data. Data sources may include coverages, shapefiles, rasters, or feature classes.

[data structures] The organization of data within a specific computer system that allows the data to be stored and manipulated effectively; a representation of a data model in computer form.

[ESRI software] The process of applying data changes from a replica to the relative replica in a replica pair. Data changes include row or feature inserts, updates, and deletes. Synchronization … Read more

[data transfer] The process of moving data from one system to another or from one point on a network to another.

[data storage] The attribute of a variable, field, or column in a table that determines the kind of data it can store. Common data types include character, integer, decimal, single, … Read more

[ESRI software] An all-purpose view in ArcMap and ArcReader for exploring, displaying, and querying geographic data. This view hides all map elements, such as titles, north arrows, and scale bars.

A type of market analysis primarily used to look at competing sites or to select potential new locations.

[data storage] One or more structured sets of persistent data, managed and stored as a unit and generally associated with software to update and query the data. A simple database … Read more

[data management] The person who manages a database. Database administration includes user setup, security, backup and recovery procedures for data, and optimization of physical data storage for best performance.

[data management] A link to a database from a software application. Database connections have two states: connected to or disconnected from the database. Deletion of a database connection only deletes … Read more

[database structures] The development of the conceptual, logical, and physical structures of a database in order to meet user requirements.

[database structures] The abstraction, reduction, and simplification of features and feature classes for deriving a simpler model of reality or decreasing stored data volumes.

[database structures] A set of software applications used to create and maintain databases according to a schema. Database management systems provide tools for adding, storing, changing, deleting, and retrieving data.

[ESRI software] The database permissions category assigned to a group of users who perform the same types of tasks and, therefore, require the same level of database access. Database roles … Read more

[ESRI software] Mathematically calculated data that describes the state of a database and which the database management system (DBMS) uses to optimize query response.

[database structures] The proprietary database platforms supported by a program or component.

[data models] The route of data passage through a system.

[data management] Any collection of related data, usually grouped or stored together.

[data quality] The mathematical exactness or detail with which a value is stored within a dataset, based on the number of significant digits that can be stored for each coordinate.

[ESRI software] In Survey Analyst, the process of testing each measurement using the W-test.

The reference specifications of a measurement system, usually a system of coordinate positions on a surface (a horizontal datum) or heights above or below a surface (a vertical datum).

[geodesy] A surface to which heights, elevations, or depths are referenced.

In Survey Analyst for field measurements, survey points that are not defined by computations, but that are the input data for the initial computations in a sequence of computations.