Glossary for Geospatial Science

pixel or picture element:  “The smallest element of an image that can be individually processed in a video display system” (Random House). The text and images on a computer display are created by combinations of individual dots (pixels).  Different display hardware allows for more or fewer pixels on the screen, determining the display resolution that is possible.  The more rows and columns of pixels, the finer the image detail that can be resolved.