Distance queries for complex spatial objects in oracle spatial

Abstract

With the proliferation of global positioning systems (GPS) enabled devices, a growing number of database systems are capable of storing and querying different spatial objects including points, polylines and polygons. In this paper, we present our experience with supporting one important class of spatial queries in these database systems: distance queries. For example, a traveler may want to find hotels within 500 meters of a nearby beach. In addition, this paper presents new techniques implemented in Oracle Spatial for some distance-related problems, such as the maximum distance between complex spatial objects, and the diameter, the convex hull and the minimum bounding circle of complex spatial objects. We conduct our experiments by utilizing real-world data sets and demonstrate that these distance and distance-related queries can be significantly improved.