NIR-Tree: A Non-Intersecting R-Tree

Abstract

Indexes for multidimensional data based on the R-Tree are popularly used by databases for a wide range of applications. Such index trees support point and range queries but are costly to construct over datasets of millions of points. We present the Non-Intersecting R-Tree (NIR-Tree), a novel insert-efficient, in-memory, multidimensional index that uses bounding polygons to provide efficient point and range query performance while indexing data at least an order of magnitude faster. The NIR-Tree leverages non-intersecting bounding polygons to reduce the number of nodes accessed during queries, compared to existing R-family indexes. Our experiments demonstrate that inserting into a NIR-Tree is 27 × faster than the ubiquitous R*-Tree, with point queries completing 2 × faster and range queries executing just as quickly.