pe_geodesic_distance

Finds the distance and forward and inverse azimuths between two points along a geodesic

Usage syntax

void pe_geodesic_distance (double a, double e2, double lam1, double phi1, double lam2, double phi2, double *distance, double *az12, double *az21);

Parameters
a Semimajor axis of the spheroid
e2 Eccentricity squared of the spheroid
lam1 Longitude value of the first point
phi1 Latitude value of the first point
lam2 Longitude value of the second point
phi2 Latitude value of the second point
distance Geodesic distance
az12 Azimuth from the first to the second point
az21 Azimuth from the second to the first point
Description

The pe_geodesic_distance function takes a spheroid and two geographic points and calculates the distance and azimuths along the geodesic. A geodesic is the shortest path between two points on a spheroid. Set e2 to zero to calculate distances on a sphere. The geographic coordinates and the azimuths are in radians. The azimuth value range is -π ≤ azimuth ≤ +π. An azimuth is measured positive clockwise with North equal to a zero azimuth. The semimajor axis (a) is usually given in meters, which means that the distance is in meters. To return the distance in another linear unit of measure, specify the semimajor axis in that unit of measure. As an example, if the semimajor axis is in US survey feet, the returned distance is in US survey feet.

Returns

Distance and forward and inverse azimuths (in radians)