--- title: "Discover" url: "https://wherobots.com/discover/" description: "Guides to the data and methods behind AI for physical world data: LiDAR, Landsat, GeoTIFF, DEMs, HRRR, change detection, flood risk, and more." published: "2026-09-24" modified: "2026-10-06" --- # Discover 43 guides ## Discover Guides: spatial data and physical AI, explained Plain-language guides to the data, formats, and methods behind context engineering for physical world data, from LiDAR and Landsat to change detection, catastrophe modeling and more. - [Raster](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/raster/) - [Vector](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/vector/) - [Joins](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/joins/) - [Physical AI](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/physical-ai/) - [Earth Observation](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/earth-observation/) - [Tutorials](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/tutorials/) - [Risk Modeling](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/risk-modeling/) - [Change Detection](https://wherobots.com/discover_category/change-detection/) - [![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/geofence-header-v3-768x576.jpg?ver=1792618378) Geofence](https://wherobots.com/discover/geofence/) - [![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/map-matching-header-v3-768x576.jpg?ver=1792618472) Map Matching](https://wherobots.com/discover/map-matching/) - [![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/geospatial-analytics-at-scale-header-v3-768x576.jpg?ver=1792618394) Geospatial Big Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-analytics-at-scale/) - [![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/isochrone-header-v3-768x576.jpg?ver=1792618448) Isochrone](https://wherobots.com/discover/isochrone/) - [![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/geospatial-database-header-v3-768x576.jpg?ver=1792618406) Geospatial Database](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-database/) - [![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/map-projection-header-v3-768x576.jpg?ver=1792618481) Map Projection](https://wherobots.com/discover/map-projection/) [Topics](https://wherobots.com/discover/) [A–Z](https://wherobots.com/discover/?view=az) - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z ## B [Building Footprint](https://wherobots.com/discover/building-footprint/) A building footprint is the outline a building occupies on the ground. ## C [Catastrophe Modeling](https://wherobots.com/discover/catastrophe-modeling/) Catastrophe modeling, or cat modeling, is the practice of estimating the financial losses that a portfolio of buildings and insurance policies could suffer… [Change Detection in Satellite Imagery](https://wherobots.com/discover/change-detection/) Change detection is the process of comparing two or more images of the same place, captured at different times, to find where and how the surface has changed. [Context Engine](https://wherobots.com/discover/context-engine/) A context engine is the system that computes, stores, and serves the context AI models and agents receive. [Context Engineering for Physical AI](https://wherobots.com/discover/context-engineering/) Context engineering is choosing what an AI model receives at each step. [Coordinate Reference System](https://wherobots.com/discover/coordinate-reference-system/) A coordinate reference system (CRS) ties coordinates to places on Earth. ## D [Data Center Site Selection](https://wherobots.com/discover/data-center-site-selection/) Data center site selection is the process of finding land for a facility of tens to hundreds of megawatts. [Digital Elevation Model](https://wherobots.com/discover/digital-elevation-model/) A digital elevation model (DEM) is a raster in which every cell holds a height, on a regular grid with a known cell size, horizontal coordinate system, and… ## E [Earth Observation Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/earth-observation-data/) Earth observation data is the imagery and measurements of the Earth's surface, oceans, and atmosphere collected by satellites, aircraft, and drones. ## F [Flood Risk Map](https://wherobots.com/discover/flood-risk-data/) A flood risk map shows where flooding is likely, how deep the water could get, and how often a flood of that size is expected. ## G [Geofence](https://wherobots.com/discover/geofence/) A geofence is a virtual boundary that triggers an action when a device enters or leaves it. [Geospatial AI](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-ai/) Geospatial AI, also called GeoAI or spatial AI, is the use of machine learning and AI agents on data tied to places on Earth. [Geospatial Analysis](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-analysis/) Geospatial analysis, or spatial analysis, examines where things are and how location shapes patterns. [Geospatial Big Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-analytics-at-scale/) Teams struggle to scale geospatial analytics for five reasons: data volume, mixed formats, many coordinate systems, spatial joins and pipeline upkeep. [Geospatial Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-data/) Geospatial data describes things tied to a place on Earth. [Geospatial Database](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-database/) A geospatial database stores geometry, indexes it by location and runs spatial SQL queries. [Geospatial Intelligence](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-intelligence/) Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) analyzes imagery and map data to describe activity on earth. [GeoTIFF](https://wherobots.com/discover/geotiff/) A GeoTIFF is a TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) image file that carries georeferencing metadata in standardized tags, so each pixel maps to a coordinate on… [Ground Truth Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/ground-truth/) Ground truth is information collected by direct observation at a known place and time, used as the reference standard to calibrate sensors, assess map… ## H [H3](https://wherobots.com/discover/h3/) H3 is Uber's open-source hexagonal grid for indexing locations on Earth. [Havasu Catalog](https://wherobots.com/discover/havasu-catalog/) The Havasu Catalog is the Wherobots spatial data catalog: open geospatial datasets, RasterFlow models, notebooks, and apps, stored as Apache Iceberg tables… [HRRR Model](https://wherobots.com/discover/hrrr/) The High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model is a numerical weather prediction (NWP) model from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [Hyperspectral Imaging](https://wherobots.com/discover/hyperspectral-imagery/) Hyperspectral imaging records a continuous spectrum for every pixel. ## I [Isochrone](https://wherobots.com/discover/isochrone/) An isochrone is the area reachable from a place within a set travel time. ## L [Land Cover Classification](https://wherobots.com/discover/land-cover-classification/) Land cover classification labels every part of the Earth's surface by what covers it, such as water, forest, crops, or pavement. [Landsat](https://wherobots.com/discover/landsat/) Landsat is the joint U.S. [LiDAR Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/lidar-data/) LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data is a set of 3D points measured by a laser scanner, which times each light pulse's round trip to a surface. ## M [Map Matching](https://wherobots.com/discover/map-matching/) Map matching places each GPS record on the road a vehicle drove. [Map Projection](https://wherobots.com/discover/map-projection/) A map projection flattens the Earth onto a map and distorts area, shape, distance or direction. ## N [NDVI](https://wherobots.com/discover/ndvi/) NDVI, the normalized difference vegetation index, measures how green and dense vegetation is from red and near-infrared light. ## O [Ontology](https://wherobots.com/discover/ontology/) An ontology is a formal model of the things in a domain and how they relate. ## P [Parcel Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/parcel-data/) Parcel data records every piece of land: its boundary, parcel number, owner, land use, and assessed value. [Partitioning Tax](https://wherobots.com/discover/partitioning-tax/) The partitioning tax is the cost of splitting spatial data into tiles when it outgrows one machine: tile loops, seam errors at tile edges, and reruns. [Physical AI](https://wherobots.com/discover/physical-ai/) Physical AI is artificial intelligence that perceives, reasons about, and acts in the physical world: robots, autonomous vehicles, drones, world models, and… [POI Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/poi-data/) POI data lists the places people go: shops, restaurants, hospitals, schools, and landmarks. [Probable Maximum Loss (PML)](https://wherobots.com/discover/probable-maximum-loss/) Probable maximum loss (PML) is the largest loss an insurer expects from one property or a portfolio at a chosen probability. ## R [Raster vs. Vector Data](https://wherobots.com/discover/raster-vs-vector-data/) Raster data is a grid of pixels. ## S [Satellite Imagery Analysis](https://wherobots.com/discover/satellite-imagery-analysis/) Satellite imagery analysis turns satellite and aerial pixels into maps, counts, and alerts. [Sentinel-2](https://wherobots.com/discover/sentinel-2/) Sentinel-2 is the Copernicus optical satellite mission that images Earth's land and coasts in 13 spectral bands at 10 to 60 m every five days. [Spatial Join](https://wherobots.com/discover/spatial-join/) A spatial join matches rows from two tables by where their geometries sit. [Stochastic Modeling](https://wherobots.com/discover/stochastic-modeling/) Stochastic modeling simulates thousands of possible outcomes from random variables. [Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)](https://wherobots.com/discover/synthetic-aperture-radar/) Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images the ground with microwaves, day or night, through cloud. ## W [World Model](https://wherobots.com/discover/world-model/) A world model is an AI model that predicts what happens next from the current situation and an action, so an agent can test a move before it makes one. Sort By - Most Recent - Oldest Categories - View All - AI Infrastructure - World Models - Context Engineering - Classification - Segmentation - Change Detection - Stochastic Modeling - Site Selection - Risk Modeling - Earth Observation - What is? - Physical AI - Tabular - Joins - Vector - Raster - Tutorials Sort By - Most Recent - Oldest Categories - View All - AI Infrastructure - World Models - Context Engineering - Classification - Segmentation - Change Detection - Stochastic Modeling - Site Selection - Risk Modeling - Earth Observation - What is? - Physical AI - Tabular - Joins - Vector - Raster - Tutorials 18 Mins Read 6 Oct 2026 ###### [What is a Context Engine? Why Physical World Data Needs One](https://wherobots.com/discover/context-engine/) A context engine is the system that computes, stores, and serves the context AI models and agents receive. How it works, examples, and why physical world data needs one that computes spatial relations. Authors - [Ben Pruden](https://wherobots.com/author/ben-pruden/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/context-engine-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618835) 18 Mins Read 6 Oct 2026 What is a Context Engine? Why Physical World Data Needs One A context engine is the system that computes, stores, and serves the context AI models and agents receive. How it works, examples, and why physical world data needs one that computes spatial relations. Context Engineering + 5](https://wherobots.com/discover/context-engine/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/physical-ai-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618508) 18 Mins Read 2 Oct 2026 What is Physical AI? Definition, Examples, How It Works Physical AI is artificial intelligence that perceives, reasons about, and acts in the physical world: robots, autonomous vehicles, drones, world models, and Earth-scale models. Earth Observation + 4](https://wherobots.com/discover/physical-ai/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/geofence-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618378) 17 Mins Read 19 Oct 2026 What is a Geofence? How Geofencing Works, With Examples A geofence is a virtual boundary that triggers an action when a device enters or leaves it. How geofencing works, its uses and limits, and a test on ship data. Joins + 2](https://wherobots.com/discover/geofence/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/map-matching-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618472) 21 Mins Read 15 Oct 2026 What is Map Matching? GPS Traces, Methods and Examples Map matching places each GPS record on the road a vehicle drove. How it works, nearest-road snapping vs hidden Markov models, and a test on Ann Arbor drives. AI Infrastructure + 6](https://wherobots.com/discover/map-matching/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/geospatial-analytics-at-scale-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618394) 18 Mins Read 12 Oct 2026 Geospatial Big Data: Why Analytics Is Hard to Scale Teams struggle to scale geospatial analytics for five reasons: data volume, mixed formats, many coordinate systems, spatial joins and pipeline upkeep. Joins + 3](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-analytics-at-scale/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/isochrone-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618448) 18 Mins Read 12 Oct 2026 What is an Isochrone? Isochrone Maps and Travel Time An isochrone is the area reachable from a place within a set travel time. How isochrones are computed, isochrone vs radius, and a King County test. Site Selection + 3](https://wherobots.com/discover/isochrone/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/geospatial-database-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618406) 17 Mins Read 12 Oct 2026 What is a Geospatial Database? Definition, Examples A geospatial database stores geometry, indexes it by location and runs spatial SQL queries. The definition, examples, and how to choose one by workload. Joins + 3](https://wherobots.com/discover/geospatial-database/) [![Featured](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/map-projection-header-v3.jpg?ver=1792618481) 16 Mins Read 12 Oct 2026 What is a Map Projection? Types, Distortion, Examples A map projection flattens the Earth onto a map and distorts area, shape, distance or direction. Projection types, examples, and how to choose one. Tutorials + 2](https://wherobots.com/discover/map-projection/) 1 [2](https://wherobots.com/discover.md/page/2/) [3](https://wherobots.com/discover.md/page/3/) … [7](https://wherobots.com/discover.md/page/7/) [Next »](https://wherobots.com/discover.md/page/2/) ![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cta-bg-dark-desktop.svg?ver=1791575225) ![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cta-bg-dark-desktop.svg?ver=1791575225) ![](https://wherobots.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cta-bg-dark-desktop.svg?ver=1791575225) ## Sign up for our newsletter Be the first to know about releases and industry news. We care about your data; read our [privacy policy](https://wherobots.com/privacy-policy/).