What Does Interactive Data Language Mean?
Interactive data language (IDL) is a programming language used to build applications performing data analysis. IDL is mostly utilized by astronomers and medical imaging experts.
The typical IDL application is in the bulk interactive processing field, where digital image processing requires high speed in many applications, such as those in security and the monitoring of applications requiring real time analysis.
Techopedia Explains Interactive Data Language
IDL effectively processes data arrays of different dimensions, including vectors (single dimension arrays). IDL saves multiple programming codes required to perform repeated functions, thereby using single lines of code for such functions.
IDL is extremely useful when arithmetic overflow issues occur and store a NaN (Not a Number) value, rather than returning an exception, which could force a closed program if written in any other language.
IDL is not efficient during sequential element operations. Thus, if a program does not contain a sufficient number of arrays, IDL is not advised. (Using a language like C# is much more efficient.)
