ABSTRACT
Advanced geospatial applications often involve complex computing operations performed under sometimes severe resource constraints. These applications primarily rely on traditional raster and vector data structures based on square lattices. But there is a significant body of research that indicates that data structures based on hexagonal lattices may be a superior alternative for efficient representation and processing of raster and vector data in high performance applications. The advantages of hexagonal rasters for image processing are discussed, and hexagonal discrete global grid systems for location coding are introduced. The combination provides an efficient, unified approach to location representation and processing in geospatial systems.