G-7
Glossary
NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) a
method of measuring the health of vegetation using
near-infrared and red energy measurements.
near-polar orbit an orbital path that carries an object
around Earth, passing close to the north and south
poles.
NED the National Elevation Dataset, which
provides digital elevation coverage of the entire
United States.
Negation the operation wherein the chosen features
are those that meet all of the first criteria and none of
the second criteria (including where the two criteria
overlap) in the query.
network a series of junctions and edges connected
together for modeling concepts such as streets.
NIR (near infrared) the portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths between
0.7 and 1.3 micrometers.
NLCD the National Land Cover Database is a rasterbased GIS dataset that maps the land cover types for
the entire United States at 30-meter resolution.
nominal data a type of data that is a unique identifier
of some kind. If numerical, the differences between
numbers are not significant.
nonselective scattering scattering of light caused
by atmospheric particles larger than the wavelength
being scattered.
non-spatial data data that is not directly linked to a
spatial location (such as tabular data).
normalized altering count data values so that they
are at the same level of representing the data (such as
using them as a percentage).
north arrow a graphical device on a map used to
show the orientation of the map.
northing a measurement of so many units north (or
south) of a baseline.
NOT the Boolean operator that corresponds with a
Negation operation.
oblique photo an aerial photo taken at an angle.
off-nadir viewing the capability of a satellite
to observe areas other than the ground directly
underneath it.
offset a value applied to objects to move them off the
ground level.
OGC the Open Geospatial Consortium, a group
involved with developing new standards of geospatial
data interoperability.
OhioView a research and education consortium
consisting of the state universities in Ohio along with
related partners.
OLI the Operational Land Imager, the multispectral
sensor that will be onboard LDCM.
OMI the Ozone Monitoring Instrument onboard
Aura.
OR the Boolean operator that corresponds with
Union operation.
ordinal data a type of data that refers solely to a
ranking of some kind.
orthophoto an aerial photo with uniform scale.
orthorectification a process used on aerial photos to
remove the effects of relief displacement and give the
image uniform scale.
overlay the combining of two or more layers in the
GIS.
P code the digital code broadcast on the L1 and L2
frequencies, which is accessible by the military.
panchromatic black-and-white aerial imagery.
panchromatic imagery black-and-white imagery
formed by viewing the entire visible portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
panchromatic sensor a sensor that can measure one
range of wavelengths.
pan-sharpening fusing a higher-resolution
panchromatic band with lower-resolution multispectral
bands to improve the clarity and detail seen in the
image.
parsing breaking an address up into its component
parts.
pattern the arrangement of objects in an image. An
element of image interpretation.
PDOP the Position Dilution of Precision—it describes
the amount of error due to the geometric position of
the GPS satellites.
perspective view viewing a digital terrain model
at an oblique angle in which it takes on a “threedimensional” appearance.
photo scale the representation used to determine
how many units of measurement in the real world are
Glossary
NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) a
method of measuring the health of vegetation using
near-infrared and red energy measurements.
near-polar orbit an orbital path that carries an object
around Earth, passing close to the north and south
poles.
NED the National Elevation Dataset, which
provides digital elevation coverage of the entire
United States.
Negation the operation wherein the chosen features
are those that meet all of the first criteria and none of
the second criteria (including where the two criteria
overlap) in the query.
network a series of junctions and edges connected
together for modeling concepts such as streets.
NIR (near infrared) the portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths between
0.7 and 1.3 micrometers.
NLCD the National Land Cover Database is a rasterbased GIS dataset that maps the land cover types for
the entire United States at 30-meter resolution.
nominal data a type of data that is a unique identifier
of some kind. If numerical, the differences between
numbers are not significant.
nonselective scattering scattering of light caused
by atmospheric particles larger than the wavelength
being scattered.
non-spatial data data that is not directly linked to a
spatial location (such as tabular data).
normalized altering count data values so that they
are at the same level of representing the data (such as
using them as a percentage).
north arrow a graphical device on a map used to
show the orientation of the map.
northing a measurement of so many units north (or
south) of a baseline.
NOT the Boolean operator that corresponds with a
Negation operation.
oblique photo an aerial photo taken at an angle.
off-nadir viewing the capability of a satellite
to observe areas other than the ground directly
underneath it.
offset a value applied to objects to move them off the
ground level.
OGC the Open Geospatial Consortium, a group
involved with developing new standards of geospatial
data interoperability.
OhioView a research and education consortium
consisting of the state universities in Ohio along with
related partners.
OLI the Operational Land Imager, the multispectral
sensor that will be onboard LDCM.
OMI the Ozone Monitoring Instrument onboard
Aura.
OR the Boolean operator that corresponds with
Union operation.
ordinal data a type of data that refers solely to a
ranking of some kind.
orthophoto an aerial photo with uniform scale.
orthorectification a process used on aerial photos to
remove the effects of relief displacement and give the
image uniform scale.
overlay the combining of two or more layers in the
GIS.
P code the digital code broadcast on the L1 and L2
frequencies, which is accessible by the military.
panchromatic black-and-white aerial imagery.
panchromatic imagery black-and-white imagery
formed by viewing the entire visible portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum.
panchromatic sensor a sensor that can measure one
range of wavelengths.
pan-sharpening fusing a higher-resolution
panchromatic band with lower-resolution multispectral
bands to improve the clarity and detail seen in the
image.
parsing breaking an address up into its component
parts.
pattern the arrangement of objects in an image. An
element of image interpretation.
PDOP the Position Dilution of Precision—it describes
the amount of error due to the geometric position of
the GPS satellites.
perspective view viewing a digital terrain model
at an oblique angle in which it takes on a “threedimensional” appearance.
photo scale the representation used to determine
how many units of measurement in the real world are