Glossary for Geospatial Science

analog:� Information stored and processed as signal intensity or other measurement of a continuous physical variable.� Analog information processing translates and represents slight increments in data easily and conveys information by relative position without relying on the numeric value necessary to convey the same information digitally.� For example, the second hand on an analog watch �sweeps� around the dial and you can tell time on an analog watch even if it has no numbers on the face. Another example is a thermometer that displays temperature using a needle or liquid can indicate fractions of a degree, as well as provide information about relative warmth by the position of the dial or height of the liquid.� On the other hand, this continuous analog information is harder to copy, store, manipulate and reproduce dependably.� Anyone who has ever listened to a copy of a copy of a copy of a cassette tape has first-hand knowledge of analog information degradation.� For this reason, much analog information (video, audio, or field and laboratory measurements of temperature, pressure, voltage, radiation, and so on) is converted to its digital equivalent.� (See also: digital, digitizer)