GIS Dictionary

[computing] A window that can exist in a floating state or be attached to the main application window.

[computing] Moving a floating toolbar or window to a fixed location in the graphical user interface.

[ESRI software] A component of an ArcView 3.x project. Each document type (view, table, chart, layout, script) has its own window and interface.

[ESRI software] Supporting information for software data and tools. Documentation may be descriptive or instructional, and is published in a variety of formats, including user’s guides and manuals, desktop help … Read more

[ESRI software] In geoprocessing, the interface used to write documentation for tools, toolsets, toolboxes, and processes within a model.

1 [data transfer] The range of valid values for a particular metadata element. 2 [computing] A group of computers and devices on a network that are administered as a unit … Read more

[Internet] The unique name of a computer system on the Internet, such as “esri.com.”

[spatial analysis] A method of defining the rings in an analysis so that the values inside the rings are exclusive. For example, in an analysis with three donut rings and … Read more

[GPS] Acronym for dilution of precision. An indicator of satellite geometry for a constellation of satellites used to determine a position. Positions with a lower DOP value generally constitute better … Read more

[physics] The apparent change in frequency of sound or light waves caused by the relative motion between a source and an observer. As they approach one another, the frequency increases; … Read more

[GPS] Signal processing that uses a measured Doppler shift to help the receiver track the GPS signal.

[aerial photography] Acronym for digital orthophoto quadrangle. A computer-generated, uniform-scale image created from an aerial photograph. Digital orthophoto quadrangles are true photographic maps in which the effects of tilt and … Read more

[navigation] Acronym for digital orthophoto quarter quadrangle. A digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ) divided into four quadrants.

[cartography] A quantitative, thematic map on which dots of the same size are randomly placed in proportion to a numeric attribute associated with an area. Dot density maps convey the … Read more

[cartography] A map that uses dots or other symbols to represent the presence, quantity, or value of a phenomenon or thing in a specific area. In a dot distribution map, … Read more

[printing] A photographic film covered with uniformly sized, evenly spaced dots used to break up a solid color, producing an apparently lighter color.

[computing] The level of coordinate exactness based on the possible number of significant digits that can be stored for each coordinate. Datasets can be stored in either single or double … Read more

[computing] The level of coordinate exactness based on the possible number of significant digits that can be stored for each coordinate. Datasets can be stored in either single or double … Read more

An algorithm that simplifies complex lines by reducing the number of points used to represent them. The Douglas-Peucker algorithm was developed by the Canadian geographers David H. Douglas and Thomas … Read more

[network analysis] In network tracing, the direction along a line or edge that is the same as the direction of flow.