An elevation is different. It shows the face of something, or perhaps more correct, the projection of an object/s to a plane. But my testing suggests it produces SECTIONS, not elevations.
Yes, you can use abbreviations in tables and figures. All abbreviations used in tables and figures should be defined in the table note or figure caption, respectively, even though the abbreviations will be also be defined in the text if they are used there.
Signology - Signs and Abbreviations have been used for centuries and the use of symbols and abbreviations are as old as the use of alphabets! Symbols and abbreviations were originally used where space was an issue, for example on a coin where an abbreviation would be used to represent a long latin phrase.