Patent ID: 7836082

Claim:
A computer program for reducing the number of index entries for use in an index for indexing an object, the computer program having program instructions executable by a computer and recorded on a computer-readable medium to perform: determining whether a number of grid cells the object overlaps is more than a defined limit number of grid cells at successively coarser levels of a multilevel grid index until it is determined that the number of grid cells that the object overlaps at one of the levels of the multilevel grid index does not exceed the defined limit number of grid cells or it is determined that the number of grid cells that the object overlaps exceeds the defined limit number of grid cells at a coarsest level; in response to determining that the number of grid cells that the object overlaps at one of the levels of the multilevel grid index does not exceed the defined limit number of grid cells, using that level of the multilevel grid index for grid indexing; and in response to determining that the object overlaps more than the defined limit number of grid cells at the coarsest level, determining a number of index entries for the object; storing the index entries in the multilevel grid index if the number of index entries does not exceed a threshold number using the coarsest level of the multilevel grid index for grid indexing; and storing an indicator of the object in a pool storage area if the number of index entries exceeds the threshold number.