Proximity can be conceptualized by point to point distance. Proximity indicates the shortest straight-line distance between locations, however, a straight line may not always represent a meaningful measure of distance. In proximity measure, it is useful to establish equally distant zones around a location or set of locations, rather than repeatedly computing the distance between pairs of locations.

Point to Point: "How far is point A from point B?" Useful, but limited.







Proximity: A proximity surface is established by measurement of distance in all directions from a location, or group of locations. "How far from the forest is every location on the map?" This process is very powerful, but difficult to calculate by hand.