granualitet

Granualitet, commonly translated as granularity, refers to the level of detail or the size of the constituent parts that make up a representation, system, or process. It describes how finely something is divided or specified, with high granularity indicating many small units and low granularity indicating fewer, larger units. The concept is widely used across disciplines to express the trade-off between detail and practicality.

In data, computing, and information systems, granularity defines how finely data is captured, stored, or processed. Examples include fine-grained access control versus coarse-grained, high-resolution timestamps versus coarse time intervals, and detailed versus summarized data views. Database design, indexing, partitioning, and caching strategies are often driven by the desired granularity to balance performance, storage, and accuracy.

In measurement and science, granularity describes the size distribution of particles or components and the resolution of observations. In GIS and mapping, spatial granularity affects feature representation and map detail at different scales. In user interfaces and information presentation, granularity relates to progressive disclosure and the amount of information shown at once.

Trade-offs are central to the concept. Finer granularity yields more flexibility and precision but increases data volume, processing cost, and management complexity. Coarser granularity reduces overhead but may obscure important differences and reduce responsiveness. Many systems adopt adaptive or layered granularity, enabling components to operate at the most suitable level for their purpose.

See also: granularity, resolution, level of detail, data granularity, sampling rate.