Evaluating Geospatial Geometry and Proximity Queries Using Distributed Hash Tables

This article explores the challenges associated with supporting geospatial retrievals constrained by arbitrary geometric bounds, geographic proximity, and relevance rankings. The authors' proposed solution involves the use of a lightweight, distributed spatial indexing structure, the geoavailability grid. The index can also be used in nondistributed settings, and performs competitively with other spatial indexing technologies.