Azimuth

azimuth - 

(1) [cartography] The horizontal angle, measured in degrees, between a baseline drawn from a center point and another line drawn from the same point. Normally, the baseline points true north and the angle is measured clockwise from the baseline.

(2) [analysis/geoprocessing] A compass direction. For example, in some GIS software, the direction from which a light source illuminates a surface is called the azimuth.

(3) [navigation] In navigation, the horizontal angle, measured in degrees, between a reference line drawn from a point and another line drawn from the same point to a point on the celestial sphere. Normally, the reference line points true north and the angle is measured clockwise from the reference line.

[Category=Geospatial ]

Source: esri, 26 January 2012 08:22:06, http://support.esri.com/en/knowledgebase/GISDictionary/term/abbreviation