exyz

Exyz is a term used to describe a theoretical data-encoding and coordinate notation intended to represent high-dimensional spatial and attribute data. It extends the conventional three-dimensional XYZ coordinates with one or more additional axes, allowing compact representation of time, energy, categorical attributes, or other modalities within a single point. In Exyz notation an observation is expressed as (x, y, z; e1, e2, ...). The x, y, z components are numeric, while e1, e2, etc., may be numeric, symbolic, or interval values. Additional axes can be used to encode metadata such as timestamp, material type, or measurement quality. Datasets can be serialized in line-oriented text formats or in compact binary forms, depending on the use case.

Rationale: By integrating extra axes into the coordinate system, Exyz intends to simplify data pipelines that require synchronized spatial and attribute data, potentially improving memory locality in visualization and simulation workflows.

History and status: The concept has appeared in theoretical discussions and educational materials as an illustrative extension of 3D coordinates. There is no single official standard named Exyz, and real-world implementations vary in syntax and semantics.

Applications: Conceptual use in computer graphics, scientific visualization, GIS, and data science for teaching high-dimensional representation and for prototype pipelines.

Disclaimers: Because Exyz is not a universal standard, practitioners should document the exact semantics of the extra axes when sharing datasets.