1. A method for providing proximity information comprising the step of processing a location data set having locations of a plurality of objects in a network space by applying a grid and hashing paradigm to the locations of the plurality of objects so as to generate a proximity set arranged to represent one or more proximity relationships between the one or more objects in the network space wherein, the grid and hashing paradigm is arranged to transform the locations of the plurality of objects in the network space onto a multi-layered grid model arranged to model the network space so as to generate a plurality of signatures each associated with each of the plurality of objects in the multi-layered grid model.