The raster format of images and data is commonly intended as a synonymous of a square grid. Indeed, the square is not the only shape that can tessellate the plane. Other grids are well-known, and recently they have moved out of the fields of art and mathematics, and have started being of interest for technological applications. After introducing the main types of non-square grids, this paper presents experiences of practical uses of non-square grids, especially the hexagonal one, in various fields, including digital imaging, geographic systems, and their applications in sciences like medicine, environmental monitoring, etc. We conclude with considerations on the state of the art and perspectives for the future. In our opinion, the research is mature enough to prefigure a broader diffusion of some non-square grids, especially the hexagonal one.

中文翻译：

---

非方形网格：成像和建模的新趋势？


图像和数据的栅格格式通常用作方形网格的同义词。事实上，正方形并不是唯一可以镶嵌平面的形状。其他网格是众所周知的，最近它们已经走出了艺术和数学领域，并开始引起人们对技术应用的兴趣。在介绍了非方形网格的主要类型之后，本文介绍了非方形网格，尤其是六边形网格在数字成像、地理系统及其在医学、环境监测等科学中的应用等各个领域的实际应用经验。最后，我们考虑了技术现状和未来前景。在我们看来，这项研究已经足够成熟，可以预示一些非方形网格的更广泛扩散，尤其是六边形网格。