ee.Number.short

  • The short() function casts a given Earth Engine Number to a signed 16-bit integer, effectively converting it to a value within the range of -32768 to 32767.

  • When applied to floating-point numbers, the short() function truncates the decimal portion, resulting in a loss of precision.

  • If the input number exceeds the maximum value of a signed 16-bit integer (32767), the function returns the maximum value; conversely, if the input falls below the minimum value (-32768), the function returns the minimum value.

  • This function is useful for ensuring that numerical data conforms to the constraints of a 16-bit integer representation, which can be important for memory management and compatibility with certain data formats.

 Casts the input value to a signed 16-bit integer.

UsageReturns
Number.short()Number
ArgumentTypeDetails
this: inputNumberThe input value.

Examples

Code Editor (JavaScript)

// Cast a number to signed 16-bit integer: [-32768, 32767].
var number = ee.Number(100);
print('Number:', number);

var shortNumber = number.short();
print('Number cast to short:', shortNumber);


/**
 * Casting numbers to short that are outside of its range and precision can
 * modify the resulting value, note the behavior of the following scenarios.
 */

// A floating point number cast to short loses decimal precision.
var float = ee.Number(1.7);
print('Floating point value:', float);

var floatToShort = float.short();
print('Floating point value cast to short:', floatToShort);

// A number greater than short range max cast to short becomes short range max.
var SHORT_MAX = 32767;
var outOfRangeHi = ee.Number(SHORT_MAX + 12345);
print('Greater than short max:', outOfRangeHi);

var outOfRangeHiToShort = outOfRangeHi.short();
print('Greater than short max cast to short becomes short max:', outOfRangeHiToShort);

// A number greater than short range min cast to short becomes short range min.
var SHORT_MIN = -32768;
var outOfRangeLo = ee.Number(SHORT_MIN - 12345);
print('Less than short min:', outOfRangeLo);

var outOfRangeLoToShort = outOfRangeLo.short();
print('Less than short min cast to short becomes short min:', outOfRangeLoToShort);

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)

# Cast a number to signed 16-bit integer: [-32768, 32767].
number = ee.Number(100)
print('Number:', number.getInfo())

short_number = number.short()
print('Number cast to short:', short_number.getInfo())


"""Casting numbers to short that are outside of its range and precision can
modify the resulting value, note the behavior of the following scenarios.
"""

# A floating point number cast to short loses decimal precision.
float_number = ee.Number(1.7)
print('Floating point value:', float_number.getInfo())

float_to_short = float_number.short()
print('Floating point value cast to short:', float_to_short.getInfo())

# A number greater than short range max cast to short becomes short range max.
SHORT_MAX = 32767
out_of_range_hi = ee.Number(SHORT_MAX + 12345)
print('Greater than short max:', out_of_range_hi.getInfo())

out_of_range_hi_to_short = out_of_range_hi.short()
print('Greater than short max cast to short becomes short max:',
      out_of_range_hi_to_short.getInfo())

# A number greater than short range min cast to short becomes short range min.
SHORT_MIN = -32768
out_of_range_lo = ee.Number(SHORT_MIN - 12345)
print('Less than short min:', out_of_range_lo.getInfo())

out_of_range_lo_to_short = out_of_range_lo.short()
print('Less than short min cast to short becomes short min:',
      out_of_range_lo_to_short.getInfo())