ee.Geometry.Rectangle.distance

  • Calculates the minimum distance between two geometries, with one being a Rectangle.

  • Returns the distance as a float value, potentially in meters if a projection isn't specified.

  • Allows for specifying a maximum error margin and projection for the calculation.

  • Accepts another geometry as input to measure the distance against the rectangle.

 Returns the minimum distance between two geometries.

UsageReturns
Rectangle.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 Rectangle object.
var rectangle = ee.Geometry.Rectangle(-122.09, 37.42, -122.08, 37.43);

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

// Apply the distance method to the Rectangle object.
var rectangleDistance = rectangle.distance({'right': inputGeom, 'maxError': 1});

// Print the result to the console.
print('rectangle.distance(...) =', rectangleDistance);

// Display relevant geometries on the map.
Map.setCenter(-122.085, 37.422, 15);
Map.addLayer(rectangle,
             {'color': 'black'},
             'Geometry [black]: rectangle');
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 Rectangle object.
rectangle = ee.Geometry.Rectangle(-122.09, 37.42, -122.08, 37.43)

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

# Apply the distance method to the Rectangle object.
rectangle_distance = rectangle.distance(right=input_geom, maxError=1)

# Print the result.
display('rectangle.distance(...) =', rectangle_distance)

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