MAP
Abbreviation with 7 meanings
| Stands for | Mean arterial pressure |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 7 |
| Categories | Medical, Education & Academia, Business & Finance, Transportation & Travel, Units & Measurements, Technology & Computing |
| Also written | mAP |
MAP has seven meanings. The most common are Mean arterial pressure (cardiology) and Measures of Academic Progress (standardized test); it can also stand for Minimum advertised price, Manifold absolute pressure, Missed approach point, Maximum a posteriori and Mean average precision.
Meanings of MAP at a glance
| # | MAP stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mean arterial pressure | Medical › Cardiology |
| 2 | Measures of Academic Progress | Education & Academia › Standardized Test |
| 3 | Minimum advertised price | Business & Finance › E-commerce & Retail |
| 4 | Manifold absolute pressure | Transportation & Travel › Automotive |
| 5 | Missed approach point | Transportation & Travel › Aviation |
| 6 | Maximum a posteriori | Units & Measurements › Statistics |
| 7 | Mean average precision | Technology & Computing › Artificial Intelligence |
1. Mean arterial pressure
Medical · Cardiology Abbreviations
Average pressure in the arteries over one cardiac cycle, estimated as diastolic pressure plus one-third of the pulse pressure. A MAP of at least 65 mmHg is the usual minimum target for organ perfusion in shock and sepsis.
Example: MAP 58 despite 3 L of fluid; norepinephrine started to keep MAP above 65.
Because diastole lasts longer than systole at normal heart rates, MAP sits closer to diastolic than systolic pressure; arterial lines and automated cuffs report it directly. The SEPSISPAM trial (2014) found no overall survival benefit from targeting 80 to 85 mmHg instead of 65 to 70 in septic shock. Neurocritical care uses MAP to calculate cerebral perfusion pressure.
2. Measures of Academic Progress
Education & Academia · Standardized Test Abbreviations
Computer-adaptive assessment from NWEA, usually called MAP Growth, given in fall, winter and spring to track growth in reading, language usage, mathematics and science. Scores use the RIT scale, which allows comparison across grade levels from kindergarten through grade 12.
Example: Her MAP reading RIT score rose 14 points between the fall and spring tests.
NWEA became part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2023. Because MAP is untimed and adaptive, teachers use it to group students and set growth goals rather than to rate schools. RIT means Rasch Unit, after the statistical model behind the scale. Some districts use MAP scores to screen for gifted services.
3. Minimum advertised price
Business & Finance · E-commerce & Retail Abbreviations
Lowest price at which a manufacturer allows its authorized retailers to advertise a product, used to protect brand image and dealer margins. Retailers may usually still sell for less in the cart or in store.
Example: The retailer shows "see price in cart" because the sale price is below MAP.
MAP policies in the US rest on the 1919 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Colgate, which lets manufacturers unilaterally refuse to deal with resellers that ignore their policies. The 2007 Leegin decision made minimum resale price agreements subject to a case-by-case "rule of reason," though some states remain stricter.
4. Manifold absolute pressure
Transportation & Travel · Automotive Abbreviations
Sensor that measures air pressure inside the intake manifold, which the engine computer uses to calculate engine load and, on turbocharged engines, boost pressure. "Speed-density" fuel systems rely on the MAP sensor instead of a mass airflow sensor.
Example: The boost gauge reads from the MAP sensor, so a cracked vacuum hose throws everything off.
MAP sensors read absolute pressure, so they register about 100 kilopascals at sea level with the engine off. Many engines use both MAF and MAP sensors for cross-checking. In aviation, MAP means missed approach point, an unrelated meaning.
5. Missed approach point
Transportation & Travel · Aviation Abbreviations
Point on an instrument approach at which a pilot who cannot see the runway must begin the published missed approach procedure. On a nonprecision approach the MAP is a fix, a distance or a time from the final approach fix; on an ILS it coincides with reaching the decision altitude.
Example: No runway at the MAP, so we flew the missed approach and climbed to 3,000 feet direct to the holding fix.
ICAO and European charts often write it MAPt to avoid confusion with an ordinary map. Older approaches defined the MAP purely by timing from the final approach fix, using a groundspeed table printed on the chart. In cars, MAP has an unrelated meaning: the manifold absolute pressure sensor.
6. Maximum a posteriori
Units & Measurements · Statistics Abbreviations
A Bayesian estimate equal to the parameter value with the highest posterior probability, combining the likelihood with a prior distribution. With a flat prior it coincides with the maximum likelihood estimate.
Example: The MAP estimate shrinks the click-through rate toward the prior mean of 2 percent.
Ridge regression and L2 weight decay in neural networks are equivalent to MAP estimation with a normal prior, and the lasso corresponds to a Laplace prior. Unlike a full Bayesian analysis, MAP returns a single point and ignores posterior uncertainty. In medicine, MAP means mean arterial pressure.
7. Mean average precision (mAP)
Technology & Computing · Artificial Intelligence Abbreviations
The standard accuracy metric for object detection and information retrieval, averaging precision across recall levels and across all classes or queries. Higher mAP means more objects found with fewer false detections.
Example: The new detector reached 52.4 mAP on COCO, three points above the baseline.
COCO-style mAP averages results over IoU thresholds from 0.5 to 0.95, while PASCAL VOC used a single 0.5 threshold, so scores from the two are not directly comparable. The lowercase m distinguishes it from the everyday word "map". Search engineers use it to measure ranking quality across many queries.
Related abbreviations
More cardiology abbreviations
- LVEF – Left ventricular ejection fraction
- LVH – Left ventricular hypertrophy
- LVOT – Left ventricular outflow tract
- MACE – Major adverse cardiovascular events
- MAT – Multifocal atrial tachycardia
- METs – Metabolic equivalents
- MI – Myocardial infarction
- MINOCA – Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries
See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →
More standardized test abbreviations
- JLPT – Japanese-Language Proficiency Test
- LEQ – Long essay question
- LNAT – National Admissions Test for Law
- LSAT – Law School Admission Test
- MCAS – Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
- MCAT – Medical College Admission Test
- MCQ – Multiple-choice question
- NAEP – National Assessment of Educational Progress
See all 106 standardized test abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.