Method and apparatus for estimating distances in a region

摘要

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method that computes an estimated distance between an external point and a set of points in the region. This method identifies a characteristic of the set of points. Based on the identified characteristic, the method then identifies a polygon that encloses the set of points. It then identifies a distance between the point and the polygon. Finally, it uses the identified distance to identify the estimated distance.