binning

noun

1. A data pre-processing technique in which original data values fall into a small interval ("bin") and are replaced by a value representative of that interval, often the central value.
2. The process of grouping reads or contigs and assigning them to operational taxonomic units.
3. The categorization of finished products based on their characteristics.
4. The process of combining charge from adjacent pixels of an image sensor during readout.
5. The process of downscaling a digital image (or any array) by combining blocks of adjacent elements by taking the sum, average, median, minimum, or maximum of each block.