Measuring Distance Between Coordinates

[+Birdsong-n-Bud]

Can anyone help me with a **stupid** question?

 

How do I measure the distance between 2 coordinates to approximate how far they are apart before I go?

[+fizzymagic]

Not stupid at all.

 

I have written a little freeware app called GeoCalc to do this and a few other tasks. You can get it here.

Edited August 10, 2005 by fizzymagic

[+Markwell]

You can also do it online here.

[+AtoZ]

you can use your GPSr just tell it your at point A and then tell it to GOTO point B or you can calculate it if it in the same UTM quad or use Fuxxylogic cool program.

cheers

[+Birdsong-n-Bud]

you can use your GPSr just tell it your at point A and then tell it to GOTO point B or you can calculate it if it in the same UTM quad or use Fuxxylogic cool program.

 

Okay, I guess that leads me to another dumb question: how do I convince it I'm at point A if I'm not there?

[+mtn-man]

Markwell's link is easy to do online. As long as you have your points you are OK. If using decimal minutes, just put a zero in the seconds box and your decimal minutes in the minutes box. The same works for decimal degrees on that web page.

[+WascoZooKeeper]

you can use your GPSr just tell it your at point A and then tell it to GOTO point B or you can calculate it if it in the same UTM quad or use Fuxxylogic cool program.

 

Okay, I guess that leads me to another dumb question: how do I convince it I'm at point A if I'm not there?

On my coal-fired Garmin II+, you can use the "Dist and Sun" function to find the distance between ANY two waypoints that are stored in the GPSr -- you don't have to be AT either of them.

[+Langner91]

For relatively short distances, I rely on the Pythagorean Theorem.

 

Distance equals the square root of the sum of the differences between the two coordinates squared.

 

But, I am like that.

["Paws"itraction]

I know on a Magellan you can also set up a "route", using two or more waypoints, and it'll tell you how long the route is. Takes about a minute to do, tops.

[+Markwell]

I do speak of this in my FAQ...

[+sbell111]

Don't feel bad, most of us have never read his FAQ.

Edited August 10, 2005 by sbell111

[+EScout]

The easiest way, once the two waypoints are entered into your GPSr is to create a route. This takes a few seconds. Go to your route create screen. Enter the first waypoint, and then the second one and you are done. When you highlight the first, your GPSr shows you the distance and direction from it to the second.

 

The advantage is that you do not need to be anywhere near the points to do this, and you do not need a computer. Most GPSRs use the Great Circl calculation. Make sure in the setup you have the measurements you want such as Ft/miles and True or magnetic north reference.

[+DocDiTTo]

Can anyone help me with a **stupid** question?

 

How do I measure the distance between 2 coordinates to approximate how far they are apart before I go?

I often use USAPhotomaps to plots the caches, then you can hold down the CTRL key and click on one then the other to calculate the distance. I also use Street Atlas USA for the same thing. But if you don't have the cool software, the web sites and other programs already mentioned will do the trick. USAPhotomaps is quick and easy for finding that magical 528 foot distance though.

 

(www.jdmcox.com is the web site for it, btw - it's free)

[newmonster]

Langner91, Good call on the Pythagorean Theorem, went through and read it, clear as mud now, lol. j/k

[+Markwell]

Don't feel bad, most of us have never read his FAQ.

Then why'd I type it.

 

Can I still post a link to it whenever a question comes up that's there?

[+sbell111]

Heck, you can post a link to it even if the answer's not in there.

 

See above post.

Edited August 10, 2005 by sbell111

[+Markwell]

Scroll down a bit...

[+The Jester]

There's a great program for a palm PDA - Navigate that can do that and project waypoints. Very handy.

[+WizCreations]

Seeing as there are many responses to a 1 response question, I might as well add my site.

 

http://boulter.com/gps/distance/

 

If you use http://boulter.com/gps/, it has some handy coordinate conversions.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Can I still post a link to it whenever a question comes up that's there?

Why isn't it in your sig line? Your FAQ is actually quite handy.

[+Markwell]

It's part of the site that's linked on my name.

[+EScout]

There's a great program for a palm PDA - Navigate that can do that and project waypoints. Very handy.

 

Nice program and good for those with eXplorists (no project a waypoint on them.)

 

However, as I said earlier, every GPSr has the ability to give you distance between 2 waypoints. I like to see people use more of the features already built into their GPSrs (routes, tracks-to-routes, tracks to elevation profiles, export tracks to PC maps, projections,etc.)

[+fizzymagic]

I like to see people use more of the features already built into their GPSrs (routes, tracks-to-routes, tracks to elevation profiles, export tracks to PC maps, projections,etc.)

Problem with that is that the functions built into many GPSrs are not very accurate for those things. eTrex models, for example, use great circle navigation to calculate distances and do projections. Fine for a few miles, but it has significant error over hundreds of miles.

 

Projections are also problematic, as the GPSr interfaces allow only very limited precision to the distance input.