Glossary

A quick reference for the terms and abbreviations used throughout AVAG documentation, from data formats and processing options to measurement and map tools. If you come across a term on any page that isn’t clear, check here first.

Arc — A curved measurement path. Arcs appear under Lines in the Measurements panel and support length measurements, elevation profiles, and section profiles.

Aspect — The direction a terrain slope faces. Available as a Terrain color mode in the 3D display settings.

Automated processing — Photogrammetric processing included at no extra cost. It uses positioning information from your photos without applying Ground Control Points (GCPs).

AVAG Admin — A user role with the same data permissions as AVAG User, plus access to User management.

AVAG Guest — A user role for viewing assigned data. Guests cannot upload or delete data, or create projects, objects, or layers.

AVAG User — A user role that can view and delete assigned data, upload datasets, and create projects, objects, and layers.

Base surface — The reference surface used to calculate volume beneath or above a surveyed surface. Available methods include Triangulated, Lowest point, Highest point, Average point, and Custom elevation.

Capture date — The date the source data was collected. Use it to distinguish surveys taken at different times.

Check point — A surveyed reference point kept separate from the points used to control processing. Check points help independently assess the accuracy of processed results.

Cinematic — A 3D navigation mode for moving through a scene using keyboard controls. Its settings include movement speed, rotation speed, and camera smoothing.

Classification — A category assigned to points in a point cloud, such as ground, vegetation, or buildings. Available classifications depend on the dataset.

Contour line — A line connecting locations with the same elevation. Terrain display settings let you show contours and adjust their spacing and appearance.

Coordinate system — The reference system used to describe the position of your data. Using the appropriate system is essential when combining surveys, designs, and other geospatial files.

Credits — Units used to purchase Expert processing. Check the credits and subscription information in your account for current pricing and processing allowances.

Cut/fill map — A color-coded comparison between a surveyed surface and a reference surface. Blue indicates fill, red indicates cut, and white indicates differences within the configured no-change threshold. The colored overlay is displayed in 2D.

Dataset — A collection of data associated with a survey, import, or capture date. Its available outputs depend on the uploaded files and processing performed.

Design overlay — A drawing, such as a DXF file, displayed over survey data to provide design context.

Design surface — An imported elevation surface, such as a triangulated LandXML surface, that can be compared with survey data.

Dock — An automated drone docking station. Dock management connects its cloud storage to AVAG for importing captured data.

DSM — Digital Surface Model — An elevation model representing visible surfaces, including ground, buildings, vegetation, and stockpiles. DSM data supports elevation analysis and volume calculations.

Elevation profile — A chart showing elevation along a line or arc. Profiles can be used to inspect surface changes and compare active datasets.

EXIF — Metadata embedded in an image file. It may include capture time, camera information, and GPS coordinates.

Expert processing — A paid processing service handled by AVAG’s photogrammetry team, including GCP application and accuracy checks.

Eye-Dome Lighting (EDL) — A point cloud shading effect that makes depth differences and surface shapes easier to distinguish.

GCP — Ground Control Point — A surveyed reference point used during photogrammetric processing to position the results accurately in real-world coordinates.

GeoJSON — A geospatial format for exchanging features such as points, lines, and polygons.

GeoTIFF — A georeferenced raster format, commonly used for orthophotos and elevation models. Files typically use the .tif or .tiff extension.

JSON-FG — A geospatial JSON format available for measurement export, with support for arcs and coordinate reference system information.

LandXML — A civil engineering exchange format used in AVAG to import triangulated design surfaces.

LAS / LAZ — Common point cloud formats. LAZ stores compressed point cloud data.

Layer — A dataset or design surface listed in the Layers panel. Expand a dataset layer to view and control its available outputs.

Layer Surface Area — The area of the DSM surface inside a measurement polygon, accounting for terrain variations. It can differ from the polygon’s horizontal area and Polygon 3D Area.

Limit box / Clip box — A 3D boundary used to isolate part of a scene by hiding data outside the box.

MapClean — A tool that replaces unwanted DSM surface features with an interpolated surface based on surrounding elevations. The replacement is an estimate; it does not recover the actual ground hidden beneath an object.

Mesh — A surface model made of connected triangles. A photographic texture may be applied to give it a realistic appearance.

No-change threshold — The range of small differences treated as unchanged in a cut/fill map and displayed in white.

Note — A text annotation placed in the view or attached to a measurement to record observations and provide context.

Object — A grouping within a project that contains related datasets, such as repeated surveys of a particular site or area.

Orbit — A 3D navigation mode for inspecting a scene around a pivot point. You can pan, rotate, zoom, and choose a new pivot.

Orthophoto — A corrected, georeferenced aerial image that provides a top-down view of a site.

Pane — An individual viewing area in the workspace. Use multiple panes to compare datasets, dates, or view modes. AVAG does not impose a fixed four-pane limit.

Panel — A workspace section that displays details and controls, such as the Layers panel or a selected measurement’s properties.

PANO — The panoramic viewing mode used to look around a 360° image.

Point budget — The maximum number of point cloud points the viewer aims to render. Higher values allow more visual detail but place greater demands on your device.

Point cloud — A collection of 3D points representing a surveyed scene. Points may contain attributes such as color, elevation, or classification.

Polygon 3D Area — The area of a polygon’s geometry in three-dimensional space. It does not necessarily follow the terrain between its vertices.

PPK — Post-Processed Kinematic — A method of correcting GNSS positioning after data collection, using recorded observations and suitable reference data.

Project — The top-level grouping used to organize related objects and datasets.

RTK — Real-Time Kinematic — A method of correcting GNSS positioning during data collection. Accuracy still depends on capture conditions and should be checked against the project’s requirements.

Saved camera view — A stored viewpoint that lets you return to a particular position and viewing angle in the 3D scene.

Section profiles — A series of cross-sections generated along a line or arc. Their spacing, left and right widths, and starting stationing can be configured.

Shapefile — A geospatial format for points, lines, and polygons. It consists of several related files, commonly exchanged together in a ZIP archive.

Slope — The steepness of a surface. AVAG provides a DSM-derived Slope output and a slope color mode for Terrain.

Stationing — The distance reference used to identify positions along a path, also called chainage.

Sublayer / Dataset output — An individual data type within a dataset layer. Available outputs can include Orthophoto, DSM, Slope, Point cloud, and Terrain.

Terrain (2.5D) — An elevation surface with one height for each horizontal position: Z = f(X, Y). It appears three-dimensional but cannot represent multiple surfaces at the same location, such as a bridge and the ground beneath it. Terrain supports elevation, slope, aspect, and contour visualizations.

Triangulated base surface — A volume-calculation reference surface formed by triangulating across a polygon boundary.

WMS — Web Map Service — A standard for displaying map imagery from an external service. WMS layers provide background context such as cadastral maps and national orthophotos.

WMS Region — The region setting used to determine which country-specific background services are available.

360° panorama — An image that lets you look around a capture position in all directions.

360° tour — A collection of linked panoramas that lets you move between capture positions while retaining geographic context.

ČÚZK — The Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre, which provides mapping services available as background layers.

LPIS — The Land Parcel Identification System, used to display agricultural parcel information.