Spatial Object Abstraction

Geophile interacts with spatial objects through another abstraction. The spatial object abstraction contains just one function which compares the object to a box. The object may contain the box, the object and box may overlap, or the object and box may be disjoint.

Geophile analyzes each spatial object using the comparison function, producing a set of integers which represent the spatial object. These integers serve as keys to the index abstraction. implementations.

The spatial object abstraction has a function that compares the object to a box-shaped region. This function has three possible outcomes, 1) the object contains the region, 2) the object and the region overlap, and 3) the object and the region are disjoint. Geophile probes spatial object using this function to derive index keys.