Abstract We revisit a classic problem in computational geometry: preprocessing a planar n-point set to answer nearest neighbor queries. In SoCG 2004, Br"onnimann, Chan, and Chen showed that it is possible to design an efficient data structure that takes no extra space at all other than the input array holding a permutation of the points. The best query time known for such "in-place data structures " is O(log 2 n). In this paper, we break the O(log 2 n) barrier by providing a method that answers nearest neighbor queries in time O((log n) log3=2 2 log log n) = O(log

We propose to design data structures called succinct geometric indexes of negligible space (more precisely, o(n) bits) that support geometric queries in optimal time, by taking advantage of the n points in the data set permuted and stored elsewhere as a sequence. Our first and main result is a succinct geometric index that can answer point location queries, a fundamental problem in computational geometry, on planar triangulations in O(lg n) time1. We also design three variants of this index. The first supports point location using lg n +2 √ lg n + O(lg 1/4 n) point-line comparisons. The second supports point location in o(lg n) time when the coordinates are integers bounded by U. The last variant can answer point location queries in O(H +1) expected time, where H is the entropy of the query distribution. These results match the query efficiency of previous point location structures that occupy O(n) words or O(n lg n) bits, while saving drastic amounts of space. We generalize our succinct geometric index to planar subdivisions, and design indexes for other types of queries. Finally, we apply our techniques to design the first implicit data structures that support point location in O(lg 2 n) time. 1