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Compare Databases with SQL Effects Clarity
 
 How to calculate the distance between two points on Earth

Posted on
2/18/2001
Author:
Robert Gelb
Email:
Not Shown
Applies To OS:
All
Product:
5, 6



Earth is round (or so Copernicus will have us believe) and that sucks.  Why?  Because we can't use c=Square root of (a2 + b2) to figure the distance between two points.  So in order to perform this calculation we must use 3D trigonometry.  Linked below is a project that does just that.  It comes with an external C DLL.  The reason the DLL was written in C is because the calculations proved to be too slow in VB.  The DLL is freely distributable.

Download Distance.zip

 


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Comments
#1. By Mary. Posted on 6/1/2006 3:30:24 AM
How long does it take to circle the earth? If the average speed of an orbiting space shuttle is 19800mi/h. The shuttle is orbiting aobut 117mi above the earth''s surface. assume the earth's radius is 3963mi.

#2. By FERHAT AÇICI. Posted on 4/25/2007 12:33:57 PM
thanks very useful to my programme...

#3. By Mark. Posted on 5/2/2007 8:40:45 PM
Disregarding the 'round / spherical' earth, I am playing with
GPS coordinates within less than one mile of each other to
calcualte ( approximate ) the distances petween my house
and my friends, schools, and randon points in and around
the small community of Herndon , VA.

So what is a 'simple formula ' that I can use to work with
degrees, minutes, seconds (and smaller). Should I symplify
things by only working with long and lat degrees in decimul
formats ??
Thank you in advance Mark !