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GIS Dictionary
The GIS Dictionary provides definitions for GIS terms related to operations such as analysis, GIS modeling and web-based GIS, cartography, and Esri software.
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raster
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[data architecture,geography]
A fundamental data structure consisting of a matrix of equally sized cells, or pixels, arranged in rows and columns, and composed of single or multiple bands. Each cell represents a location on the earth's surface and contains a numeric value that represents a particular attribute or phenomenon, such as temperature at a particular height or depth, elevation, or image brightness value. Groups of cells that share the same cell value represent the same geographic feature.