Federal Agencies
Digitization Guidelines Initiative

Home > Glossary > V > Vector data

Term: Vector data

Note:
 “Search Glossary” button searches only the glossary. Temporary note: search not enabled for two- and three-character terms; browse by alphabet.
 “Search“ button at the top right of the page searches the Web site, not the glossary.

Suggest a term

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Term: Vector data

Definition:
Data that consists of mathematically described lines and curves. These mathematical representations are not composed of data that is mapped to individual pixels, as is bitmapped or raster data). For this reason, vector data can be scaled (changed in size) without loss of image quality. The data can be modified by changing the mathematical descriptions and relationships that define the graphic or image content. Typical software applications that produce vector files are illustration ("draw") and computer-aided design (CAD) programs. Bitmapped glyphs are interpreted by OCR applications that convert them into vector formats that can be displayed and manipulated in word processing applications.
Category:
General
See also:
Raster data; Vector image