A proximity search engine for carrying out a proximity search with respect
to a reference location uses as a reference frame the earth divided into
tiles, which are predefined geographic regions of substantially equal
areas. Records that are searched based on proximity to a reference
location include location pointers, each of which identifies a particular
tile that encompasses the physical location indicated by the
corresponding record. When the proximity search is carried out, the tiles
that are within a specified distance from the reference location are
obtained and records having location pointers corresponding to such tiles
are selected for inclusion in the search results.