ee.Geometry.distance

  • Calculates the minimum distance between two geometries, returning the result as a float.

  • Takes an optional maxError parameter to specify the maximum allowed error for reprojection.

  • The calculation can be performed in a specified projection using the proj parameter, or defaults to spherical coordinates with distances in meters.

  • Accepts a second geometry as input (right) to measure the distance against.

 Returns the minimum distance between two geometries.

UsageReturns
Geometry.distance(right, maxError, proj, spherical)Float
ArgumentTypeDetails
this: leftGeometryThe geometry used as the left operand of the operation.
rightGeometryThe geometry used as the right operand of the operation.
maxErrorErrorMargin, default: nullThe maximum amount of error tolerated when performing any necessary reprojection.
projProjection, default: nullThe projection in which to perform the operation. If not specified, the operation will be performed in a spherical coordinate system, and linear distances will be in meters on the sphere.
sphericalBoolean, default: falseIf true, the calculation will be done on the unit sphere. If false, the calculation will be elliptical, taking earth flattening into account. Ignored if proj is specified. Default is false.

Examples

Code Editor (JavaScript)

// Define a Geometry object.
var geometry = ee.Geometry({
  'type': 'Polygon',
  'coordinates':
    [[[-122.081, 37.417],
      [-122.086, 37.421],
      [-122.084, 37.418],
      [-122.089, 37.416]]]
});

// Define other inputs.
var inputGeom = ee.Geometry.Point(-122.090, 37.423);

// Apply the distance method to the Geometry object.
var geometryDistance = geometry.distance({'right': inputGeom, 'maxError': 1});

// Print the result to the console.
print('geometry.distance(...) =', geometryDistance);

// Display relevant geometries on the map.
Map.setCenter(-122.085, 37.422, 15);
Map.addLayer(geometry,
             {'color': 'black'},
             'Geometry [black]: geometry');
Map.addLayer(inputGeom,
             {'color': 'blue'},
             'Parameter [blue]: inputGeom');

Python setup

See the Python Environment page for information on the Python API and using geemap for interactive development.

import ee
import geemap.core as geemap

Colab (Python)

# Define a Geometry object.
geometry = ee.Geometry({
    'type': 'Polygon',
    'coordinates': [[
        [-122.081, 37.417],
        [-122.086, 37.421],
        [-122.084, 37.418],
        [-122.089, 37.416],
    ]],
})

# Define other inputs.
input_geom = ee.Geometry.Point(-122.090, 37.423)

# Apply the distance method to the Geometry object.
geometry_distance = geometry.distance(right=input_geom, maxError=1)

# Print the result.
display('geometry.distance(...) =', geometry_distance)

# Display relevant geometries on the map.
m = geemap.Map()
m.set_center(-122.085, 37.422, 15)
m.add_layer(geometry, {'color': 'black'}, 'Geometry [black]: geometry')
m.add_layer(input_geom, {'color': 'blue'}, 'Parameter [blue]: input_geom')
m