Flat plane 2D geospatial queries in Mongo using geospatial indexes

In this recipe, we will see what geospatial queries are and then see how to apply these queries on flat planes. We will put it to use in a test map application.

Geospatial queries can be executed on data in which geospatial indexes are created. There are two types of geospatial indexes. The first one is called the 2D indexes and is the simpler of the two, it assumes that the data is given as x,y coordinates. The second one is called 3D or spherical indexes and is relatively more complicated. In this recipe, we will explore the 2D indexes and execute some queries on 2D data. The data on which we are going to work upon is a 25 x 25 grid with some coordinates representing bus stops, restaurants, hospitals, and gardens.

Getting ready

Refer to the recipe Connecting to the single node using a Java client from Chapter 1, Installing and Starting the Server, for all the necessary setup for this recipe. Download the data file 2dMapLegacyData...