pointsfrom

Pointsfrom is a term used in computing and data processing to denote an operation or function that produces a collection of points from a source dataset, geometry, or sequence. There is no single universal definition, and the exact behavior is determined by the library or domain in which it appears. The term is most commonly encountered as a programming identifier rather than as a fixed mathematical construct.

In programming libraries, pointsFrom typically accepts an input such as an array of coordinates or a function yielding coordinates, and returns a list or stream of point objects. It may apply a mapping or transformation to convert raw data into standardized point representations.

In GIS and spatial databases, pointsFrom may extract point geometries from linear features or polygons, by sampling along a line or by taking the vertices, optionally with a specified spacing or resolution.

In data visualization, pointsFrom can generate the coordinate data required for a scatter plot or point-based rendering, possibly deriving values from a time series or categorical data.

Variations and design choices commonly include the input source type, a sampling step or resolution parameter, and the output form (array, stream, or generator). Some implementations support lazy evaluation, missing-value handling, and configurability of coordinate formats.

See also: point geometry, point cloud, sampling, data transformation.