First release

An R-tree, which stands for "R-tree," is a data structure primarily used in computer science and geographic information systems (GIS) for efficient spatial indexing of objects, especially in multidimensional space. It is particularly valuable for organizing and querying spatial data, such as geographical coordinates or spatial regions.

The R-tree is designed to store information about objects, typically in the form of rectangles or bounding boxes. These rectangles encompass the spatial extent of the objects they represent. The data structure recursively subdivides the space into smaller bounding boxes, forming a tree-like structure. This hierarchical organization allows for efficient searching and retrieval of objects that overlap or are contained within a given query region.

Each node in the R-tree contains information about the bounding box that encloses its child nodes or the actual data objects if it's a leaf node. The tree structure ensures that the bounding boxes are organized in a way that minimizes overlap, making it an efficient structure for spatial queries, such as range queries or nearest-neighbor searches.

In summary, an R-tree is a powerful data structure used for spatial indexing, allowing for efficient retrieval and manipulation of spatial data, and it finds applications in various domains like GIS, database management, and computer graphics.