Research glossary

Definitions in KiWiS describe how a term is used inside this research network. They are working definitions, not replacements for field-specific reference texts.

Background model

An estimate of the expected spatial signal in the absence of the candidate structure of interest. The correct model depends on field coverage, contamination, and the geometry of the target environment.

Density map

A spatial aggregation of selected sources into grid cells or kernels. A density map is an analytical representation; its structures must be tested against selection effects and background variation.

HST field

An observed footprint from the Hubble Space Telescope. Adjacent fields may overlap, producing repeated detections that must be resolved before counting sources.

Ontology

An explicit model of concepts, relationships, and constraints in a domain. Ontologies support shared meaning and may enable logical inference over represented knowledge.

Poisson signal-to-noise

A significance measure appropriate when uncertainty is dominated by discrete counts. In this workspace it is used to compare observed stellar density with a modeled background expectation.

Provenance

The record of where an artifact came from, which transformations produced it, and which source or method supports a claim.

Resolved stellar population

A population studied through measurements of individual stars rather than only integrated galaxy light. Resolved stars can trace structures too faint to detect reliably in diffuse light.

SWRL

Semantic Web Rule Language, used to express inference rules over OWL individuals and properties.