1. A method comprising: receiving, by a database comprising a columnar data store storing data in a column-oriented structure, a query of spatial data; identifying a minimal bounding rectangle associated with the query using a tree-order scanning technique; mapping, by at least one data processor and using the identified minimal bounding rectangle, a spatial data set corresponding to the received query to physical storage in the database; and retrieving, by at least one data processor, the spatial data set.