Php – Nearest locations with latitude and longitude

• Create your points using Point values of Geometry data types in MyISAM table. As of Mysql 5.7.5, InnoDB tables now also support SPATIAL indices.

• Create a SPATIAL index on these points

• Use MBRContains() to find the values:

    SELECT  *
    FROM    table
    WHERE   MBRContains(LineFromText(CONCAT(
            '('
            , @lon + 10 / ( 111.1 / cos(RADIANS(@lat)))
            , ' '
            , @lat + 10 / 111.1
            , ','
            , @lon - 10 / ( 111.1 / cos(RADIANS(@lat)))
            , ' '
            , @lat - 10 / 111.1 
            , ')' )
            ,mypoint)
  

, or, in MySQL 5.1 and above:

    SELECT  *
    FROM    table
    WHERE   MBRContains
                    (
                    LineString
                            (
                            Point (
                                    @lon + 10 / ( 111.1 / COS(RADIANS(@lat))),
                                    @lat + 10 / 111.1
                                  ),
                            Point (
                                    @lon - 10 / ( 111.1 / COS(RADIANS(@lat))),
                                    @lat - 10 / 111.1
                                  ) 
                            ),
                    mypoint
                    )

This will select all points approximately within the box (@lat +/- 10 km, @lon +/- 10km).

This actually is not a box, but a spherical rectangle: latitude and longitude bound segment of the sphere. This may differ from a plain rectangle on the Franz Joseph Land, but quite close to it on most inhabited places.

• Apply additional filtering to select everything inside the circle (not the square)

• Possibly apply additional fine filtering to account for the big circle distance (for large distances)

float(10,6) is just fine.

Any other convoluted storage schemes will require more translation in and out, and floating-point math is plenty fast.