📚Glossary
👤 Account
To use Ellipsis Drive, a user must have an account. An Ellipsis Drive account provides a workspace for storing, managing, and sharing spatial data.
🌐 Data
Ellipsis Drive supports any type of spatial data, including raster data, vector data, and point cloud data. Raster, vector, and point cloud refer to different types of spatial data used within the platform. Ellipsis Drive uses these data types to represent datasets provided by users or connected systems.
🗺️ Paths and layers
Any item in Ellipsis Drive is referred to as a path. A path can be a folder, file, bookmark, or layer. Folders and files behave similarly to a standard file system. Layers in Ellipsis Drive are containers for spatial data. These layers can be of type raster, vector, or point cloud.
Raster Layer
A layer used to store raster data.
Vector Layer
A layer used to store vector data.
Point cloud
A layer used to store point cloud data.
Bookmark
A bookmark is a reference to a view in the Ellipsis Drive viewer in which one or more layers are loaded with a specific style and viewport.
Bookmarks represent saved views composed of layers.
Vector Layer
A vector layer is a layer used to store vector data. Vector layers consist of features.
Vector layers can have one or multiple styles.
Feature
A feature represents a real-world object on a map. Features contain geometry and properties. Geometry defines spatial location, while properties contain non-spatial information.
Features can have multiple versions. Users can attach time series and messages to features. A message can optionally include an image.
Geometry
A geometry represents the spatial component of a feature and defines its geographic location.
Style
A style defines the visual representation of vector data based on rules applied to feature properties.
Properties
Properties contain the non-spatial information of a feature.
Timestamp
A timestamp groups all vector files belonging to the same date range.
Time series
Time series are sets of triples consisting of date, property, and value. They can be attached to a feature.
Messages
Messages, optionally with images, can be attached to a feature.
Raster Layer
A raster layer is a layer used to store raster data.
Timestamp
A timestamp groups all raster files belonging to the same acquisition time.
Style
A styling method used to represent raster data.
Band
A raster consists of one or more bands of equal resolution.
Point cloud Layer
A point cloud layer is a layer used to store point cloud data.
Timestamp
A timestamp groups all point cloud files belonging to the same acquisition time.
Ellipsis Layer / External Layer
Ellipsis Layer
A layer hosted within Ellipsis Drive. All Ellipsis layers of the same type share the same abstract properties.
External Layer
Layers that are not hosted within Ellipsis Drive are referred to as external layers.
♻️ Sharing Status
Data in Ellipsis Drive can be shared by configuring the appropriate sharing status at the layer or folder level.
👉 Read more about sharing status here.
🔓 Access
Access levels define what actions users can perform on shared data. Users can be invited and assigned specific permissions.
A user added to a path is referred to as a member.
👉 Read more about access here
📁 File System
Each account has four roots: My Drive, Shared With Me, Favorites, and Trash. These roots contain folders, files, and layers (collectively referred to as paths).
My Drive
My Drive contains all paths owned by a user.
Shared With Me
Contains all paths shared with a user.
Favorites
Contains all paths favorited by a user.
Trash
Contains all removed paths owned by the user.
💽 Storage
Active Storage
Active storage makes data available in the ED viewer and via web services.
Passive Storage
Data in passive storage is not directly available as an online map. It must be activated to be accessed.
🌏 Ellipsis App
Drive
Used to manage file structure. Users can organize folders and layers.
Settings
Used to manage layer settings.
Viewer
Used to inspect layers or create views from multiple layers.
Community Catalog
Used to search for public content.
Storage
Used to manage storage space and your finances.
Account
Used to manage username, avatar, OAuth client, and related workspace settings.
❌ Removal
Paths in Ellipsis Drive can be removed in two ways:
Trash
A reversible removal action.
Delete
A permanent removal action.
🔐 Tokens
Authentication for non-public content and restricted actions requires tokens.
User token
A token obtained after login. It can be used for user-specific actions.
Access token
A token created for a set of paths where the user has sufficient permissions. It can be used to perform actions on specific content.
OAuth token
An OAuth token allows an application to access a user’s Drive with granted permissions.
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