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Term: Raster data

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Term: Raster data

Definition:
Data in which a grid or raster of picture elements (pixels) has been mapped to represent a visual subject, e.g., the page of a book or a photograph. The term is derived from the Latin word for rake, suggesting the way in which that tool can be used to inscribe a grid pattern. The term raster data is often contrasted with vector data, in which geometrical points, lines, curves, and shapes are based upon mathematical equations, thus creating an image without specific mapping of data to pixels.
Category:
Image
See also:
Raster image; Vector data