GIS terms starting with M

29 terms

  1. Macro A series of commands that are configured to be executed together with one button press.
  2. many-to-one relate A relate in which many records in one table are related to a single record in another table.
  3. MAP 1. verb: to determine the relative positions of loci (genes or DNA sequences) on a chromosome.
  4. map extent The rectangular limits (xmin,ymin and xmax,ymax) of the area of the Earth's surface displayed using ARC/INFO.
  5. map library An organized, uniformly defined collection of spatial data partitioned by layers and tiles into component parts called map sections.
  6. map limits The rectangular area on the graphics page in which geographic features are displayed.
  7. map projection A mathematical model that transforms the locations of features on the Earth's surface to locations on a two-dimensional surface.
  8. map query The process of selecting information from a GIS by asking spatial or logical questions of the geographic data.
  9. map scale The reduction needed to display a representation of the Earth's surface on a map.
  10. map section The unit of data storage in a map library. A map section is the data for one layer in one tile of a map library.
  11. map units The coordinate units in which a geographic data set (e.g., a coverage) is stored in ARC/INFO.
  12. map-to-page transformation The process of positioning and scaling a map on a graphic page. It controls how coverage coordinates are transformed into graphics on the display screen…
  13. marker symbol A symbol used to represent a point location such as an airport.
  14. mass point Irregularly distributed sample points, each with an x,y location and a z value, which are used as the basic elements to build a tin.
  15. meridian (meh-RID-ee-un) In traditional Chinese medicine, one of 20 channels that form a network through which qi (the body's vital energy) flows and that connect…
  16. mesh point One sample point in the array of sample points in a lattice. Each mesh point is located at a constant sampling interval in the x and y directions relative…
  17. metadata Metadata is information about a particular data set which may describe, for example, how, when, and by whom it was received, created, accessed, and/or…
  18. Metropolitan Area (MA) As defined by standards set by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), metropolitan areas must have at least one city of 50,000 or have a Census…
  19. minimum bounding rectangle A rectangle, oriented to the x and y axes, which bounds a geographic feature or a geographic data set.
  20. minimum mapping units For a given map scale, the size or dimension below which a long narrow feature is represented as a line and a small area as a point.
  21. Mobile Video The product name of van-captured photographic elevations for buildings in the District of Columbia.
  22. model See Exhibit.
  23. Modeling The use of statistical analysis, computer analysis, or model organisms to predict outcomes of research.
  24. moment The moment is the time when all the tasks associated with a transaction have completed.
  25. Morphology (mor-FAH-loh-jee) The science of the form and structure of organisms (plants, animals, and other forms of life).
  26. Mosaic A web browser popular before the introduction of Netscape and Internet Explorer.
  27. mouse A hand-controlled hardware device for interacting with a computer terminal or entering data from a digitizer.
  28. Multiple Document Interface (MDI) Developed by Microsoft, with menus, buttons, tools, and windows called documents.
  29. Multispectral scanner (MSS) An instrument on some satellites used for imaging the earth. An MSS image will have data recorded by the scanner from three or more bands of the…