How do I calculate distance between two GPS coordinates (using latitude and longitude)?
This question is related to
math
geolocation
geometry
latitude-longitude
geography
you can find a implementation of this (with some good explanation) in F# on fssnip
here are the important parts:
let GreatCircleDistance<[<Measure>] 'u> (R : float<'u>) (p1 : Location) (p2 : Location) =
let degToRad (x : float<deg>) = System.Math.PI * x / 180.0<deg/rad>
let sq x = x * x
// take the sin of the half and square the result
let sinSqHf (a : float<rad>) = (System.Math.Sin >> sq) (a / 2.0<rad>)
let cos (a : float<deg>) = System.Math.Cos (degToRad a / 1.0<rad>)
let dLat = (p2.Latitude - p1.Latitude) |> degToRad
let dLon = (p2.Longitude - p1.Longitude) |> degToRad
let a = sinSqHf dLat + cos p1.Latitude * cos p2.Latitude * sinSqHf dLon
let c = 2.0 * System.Math.Atan2(System.Math.Sqrt(a), System.Math.Sqrt(1.0-a))
R * c
I guess you want it along the curvature of the earth. Your two points and the center of the earth are on a plane. The center of the earth is the center of a circle on that plane and the two points are (roughly) on the perimeter of that circle. From that you can calculate the distance by finding out what the angle from one point to the other is.
If the points are not the same heights, or if you need to take into account that the earth is not a perfect sphere it gets a little more difficult.
C# Version of Haversine
double _eQuatorialEarthRadius = 6378.1370D;
double _d2r = (Math.PI / 180D);
private int HaversineInM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
return (int)(1000D * HaversineInKM(lat1, long1, lat2, long2));
}
private double HaversineInKM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * _d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * _d2r;
double a = Math.Pow(Math.Sin(dlat / 2D), 2D) + Math.Cos(lat1 * _d2r) * Math.Cos(lat2 * _d2r) * Math.Pow(Math.Sin(dlong / 2D), 2D);
double c = 2D * Math.Atan2(Math.Sqrt(a), Math.Sqrt(1D - a));
double d = _eQuatorialEarthRadius * c;
return d;
}
Here's a .NET Fiddle of this, so you can test it out with your own Lat/Longs.
This is very easy to do with geography type in SQL Server 2008.
SELECT geography::Point(lat1, lon1, 4326).STDistance(geography::Point(lat2, lon2, 4326))
-- computes distance in meters using eliptical model, accurate to the mm
4326 is SRID for WGS84 elipsoidal Earth model
Here it is in C# (lat and long in radians):
double CalculateGreatCircleDistance(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2, double radius)
{
return radius * Math.Acos(
Math.Sin(lat1) * Math.Sin(lat2)
+ Math.Cos(lat1) * Math.Cos(lat2) * Math.Cos(long2 - long1));
}
If your lat and long are in degrees then divide by 180/PI to convert to radians.
Look for haversine with Google; here is my solution:
#include <math.h>
#include "haversine.h"
#define d2r (M_PI / 180.0)
//calculate haversine distance for linear distance
double haversine_km(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * d2r;
double a = pow(sin(dlat/2.0), 2) + cos(lat1*d2r) * cos(lat2*d2r) * pow(sin(dlong/2.0), 2);
double c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a));
double d = 6367 * c;
return d;
}
double haversine_mi(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * d2r;
double a = pow(sin(dlat/2.0), 2) + cos(lat1*d2r) * cos(lat2*d2r) * pow(sin(dlong/2.0), 2);
double c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a));
double d = 3956 * c;
return d;
}
I guess you want it along the curvature of the earth. Your two points and the center of the earth are on a plane. The center of the earth is the center of a circle on that plane and the two points are (roughly) on the perimeter of that circle. From that you can calculate the distance by finding out what the angle from one point to the other is.
If the points are not the same heights, or if you need to take into account that the earth is not a perfect sphere it gets a little more difficult.
A T-SQL function, that I use to select records by distance for a center
Create Function [dbo].[DistanceInMiles]
( @fromLatitude float ,
@fromLongitude float ,
@toLatitude float,
@toLongitude float
)
returns float
AS
BEGIN
declare @distance float
select @distance = cast((3963 * ACOS(round(COS(RADIANS(90-@fromLatitude))*COS(RADIANS(90-@toLatitude))+
SIN(RADIANS(90-@fromLatitude))*SIN(RADIANS(90-@toLatitude))*COS(RADIANS(@fromLongitude-@toLongitude)),15))
)as float)
return round(@distance,1)
END
I needed to calculate a lot of distances between the points for my project, so I went ahead and tried to optimize the code, I have found here. On average in different browsers my new implementation runs 2 times faster than the most upvoted answer.
function distance(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2) {
var p = 0.017453292519943295; // Math.PI / 180
var c = Math.cos;
var a = 0.5 - c((lat2 - lat1) * p)/2 +
c(lat1 * p) * c(lat2 * p) *
(1 - c((lon2 - lon1) * p))/2;
return 12742 * Math.asin(Math.sqrt(a)); // 2 * R; R = 6371 km
}
You can play with my jsPerf and see the results here.
Recently I needed to do the same in python, so here is a python implementation:
from math import cos, asin, sqrt
def distance(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2):
p = 0.017453292519943295
a = 0.5 - cos((lat2 - lat1) * p)/2 + cos(lat1 * p) * cos(lat2 * p) * (1 - cos((lon2 - lon1) * p)) / 2
return 12742 * asin(sqrt(a))
And for the sake of completeness: Haversine on wiki.
This is version from "Henry Vilinskiy" adapted for MySQL and Kilometers:
CREATE FUNCTION `CalculateDistanceInKm`(
fromLatitude float,
fromLongitude float,
toLatitude float,
toLongitude float
) RETURNS float
BEGIN
declare distance float;
select
6367 * ACOS(
round(
COS(RADIANS(90-fromLatitude)) *
COS(RADIANS(90-toLatitude)) +
SIN(RADIANS(90-fromLatitude)) *
SIN(RADIANS(90-toLatitude)) *
COS(RADIANS(fromLongitude-toLongitude))
,15)
)
into distance;
return round(distance,3);
END;
This is very easy to do with geography type in SQL Server 2008.
SELECT geography::Point(lat1, lon1, 4326).STDistance(geography::Point(lat2, lon2, 4326))
-- computes distance in meters using eliptical model, accurate to the mm
4326 is SRID for WGS84 elipsoidal Earth model
It depends on how accurate you need it to be, if you need pinpoint accuracy, is best to look at an algorithm with uses an ellipsoid, rather than a sphere, such as Vincenty's algorithm, which is accurate to the mm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenty%27s_algorithm
I guess you want it along the curvature of the earth. Your two points and the center of the earth are on a plane. The center of the earth is the center of a circle on that plane and the two points are (roughly) on the perimeter of that circle. From that you can calculate the distance by finding out what the angle from one point to the other is.
If the points are not the same heights, or if you need to take into account that the earth is not a perfect sphere it gets a little more difficult.
Look for haversine with Google; here is my solution:
#include <math.h>
#include "haversine.h"
#define d2r (M_PI / 180.0)
//calculate haversine distance for linear distance
double haversine_km(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * d2r;
double a = pow(sin(dlat/2.0), 2) + cos(lat1*d2r) * cos(lat2*d2r) * pow(sin(dlong/2.0), 2);
double c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a));
double d = 6367 * c;
return d;
}
double haversine_mi(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * d2r;
double a = pow(sin(dlat/2.0), 2) + cos(lat1*d2r) * cos(lat2*d2r) * pow(sin(dlong/2.0), 2);
double c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a));
double d = 3956 * c;
return d;
}
Here's a Kotlin variation:
import kotlin.math.*
class HaversineAlgorithm {
companion object {
private const val MEAN_EARTH_RADIUS = 6371.0
private const val D2R = Math.PI / 180.0
}
private fun haversineInKm(lat1: Double, lon1: Double, lat2: Double, lon2: Double): Double {
val lonDiff = (lon2 - lon1) * D2R
val latDiff = (lat2 - lat1) * D2R
val latSin = sin(latDiff / 2.0)
val lonSin = sin(lonDiff / 2.0)
val a = latSin * latSin + (cos(lat1 * D2R) * cos(lat2 * D2R) * lonSin * lonSin)
val c = 2.0 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1.0 - a))
return EQATORIAL_EARTH_RADIUS * c
}
}
you can find a implementation of this (with some good explanation) in F# on fssnip
here are the important parts:
let GreatCircleDistance<[<Measure>] 'u> (R : float<'u>) (p1 : Location) (p2 : Location) =
let degToRad (x : float<deg>) = System.Math.PI * x / 180.0<deg/rad>
let sq x = x * x
// take the sin of the half and square the result
let sinSqHf (a : float<rad>) = (System.Math.Sin >> sq) (a / 2.0<rad>)
let cos (a : float<deg>) = System.Math.Cos (degToRad a / 1.0<rad>)
let dLat = (p2.Latitude - p1.Latitude) |> degToRad
let dLon = (p2.Longitude - p1.Longitude) |> degToRad
let a = sinSqHf dLat + cos p1.Latitude * cos p2.Latitude * sinSqHf dLon
let c = 2.0 * System.Math.Atan2(System.Math.Sqrt(a), System.Math.Sqrt(1.0-a))
R * c
Dart Version
Haversine Algorithm.
import 'dart:math';
class GeoUtils {
static double _degreesToRadians(degrees) {
return degrees * pi / 180;
}
static double distanceInKmBetweenEarthCoordinates(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2) {
var earthRadiusKm = 6371;
var dLat = _degreesToRadians(lat2-lat1);
var dLon = _degreesToRadians(lon2-lon1);
lat1 = _degreesToRadians(lat1);
lat2 = _degreesToRadians(lat2);
var a = sin(dLat/2) * sin(dLat/2) +
sin(dLon/2) * sin(dLon/2) * cos(lat1) * cos(lat2);
var c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a));
return earthRadiusKm * c;
}
}
I think a version of the algorithm in R is still missing:
gpsdistance<-function(lat1,lon1,lat2,lon2){
# internal function to change deg to rad
degreesToRadians<- function (degrees) {
return (degrees * pi / 180)
}
R<-6371e3 #radius of Earth in meters
phi1<-degreesToRadians(lat1) # latitude 1
phi2<-degreesToRadians(lat2) # latitude 2
lambda1<-degreesToRadians(lon1) # longitude 1
lambda2<-degreesToRadians(lon2) # longitude 2
delta_phi<-phi1-phi2 # latitude-distance
delta_lambda<-lambda1-lambda2 # longitude-distance
a<-sin(delta_phi/2)*sin(delta_phi/2)+
cos(phi1)*cos(phi2)*sin(delta_lambda/2)*
sin(delta_lambda/2)
cc<-2*atan2(sqrt(a),sqrt(1-a))
distance<- R * cc
return(distance) # in meters
}
i took the top answer and used it in a Scala program
import java.lang.Math.{atan2, cos, sin, sqrt}
def latLonDistance(lat1: Double, lon1: Double)(lat2: Double, lon2: Double): Double = {
val earthRadiusKm = 6371
val dLat = (lat2 - lat1).toRadians
val dLon = (lon2 - lon1).toRadians
val latRad1 = lat1.toRadians
val latRad2 = lat2.toRadians
val a = sin(dLat / 2) * sin(dLat / 2) + sin(dLon / 2) * sin(dLon / 2) * cos(latRad1) * cos(latRad2)
val c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a))
earthRadiusKm * c
}
i curried the function in order to be able to easily produce functions that have one of the two locations fixed and require only a pair of lat/lon to produce distance.
I guess you want it along the curvature of the earth. Your two points and the center of the earth are on a plane. The center of the earth is the center of a circle on that plane and the two points are (roughly) on the perimeter of that circle. From that you can calculate the distance by finding out what the angle from one point to the other is.
If the points are not the same heights, or if you need to take into account that the earth is not a perfect sphere it gets a little more difficult.
i took the top answer and used it in a Scala program
import java.lang.Math.{atan2, cos, sin, sqrt}
def latLonDistance(lat1: Double, lon1: Double)(lat2: Double, lon2: Double): Double = {
val earthRadiusKm = 6371
val dLat = (lat2 - lat1).toRadians
val dLon = (lon2 - lon1).toRadians
val latRad1 = lat1.toRadians
val latRad2 = lat2.toRadians
val a = sin(dLat / 2) * sin(dLat / 2) + sin(dLon / 2) * sin(dLon / 2) * cos(latRad1) * cos(latRad2)
val c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a))
earthRadiusKm * c
}
i curried the function in order to be able to easily produce functions that have one of the two locations fixed and require only a pair of lat/lon to produce distance.
// Maybe a typo error ?
We have an unused variable dlon in GetDirection,
I assume
double y = Math.Sin(dlon) * Math.Cos(lat2);
// cannot use degrees in Cos ?
should be
double y = Math.Sin(dlon) * Math.Cos(dlat);
here is the Swift implementation from the answer
func degreesToRadians(degrees: Double) -> Double {
return degrees * Double.pi / 180
}
func distanceInKmBetweenEarthCoordinates(lat1: Double, lon1: Double, lat2: Double, lon2: Double) -> Double {
let earthRadiusKm: Double = 6371
let dLat = degreesToRadians(degrees: lat2 - lat1)
let dLon = degreesToRadians(degrees: lon2 - lon1)
let lat1 = degreesToRadians(degrees: lat1)
let lat2 = degreesToRadians(degrees: lat2)
let a = sin(dLat/2) * sin(dLat/2) +
sin(dLon/2) * sin(dLon/2) * cos(lat1) * cos(lat2)
let c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a))
return earthRadiusKm * c
}
If you're using .NET don't reivent the wheel. See System.Device.Location. Credit to fnx in the comments in another answer.
using System.Device.Location;
double lat1 = 45.421527862548828D;
double long1 = -75.697189331054688D;
double lat2 = 53.64135D;
double long2 = -113.59273D;
GeoCoordinate geo1 = new GeoCoordinate(lat1, long1);
GeoCoordinate geo2 = new GeoCoordinate(lat2, long2);
double distance = geo1.GetDistanceTo(geo2);
Here's a Kotlin variation:
import kotlin.math.*
class HaversineAlgorithm {
companion object {
private const val MEAN_EARTH_RADIUS = 6371.0
private const val D2R = Math.PI / 180.0
}
private fun haversineInKm(lat1: Double, lon1: Double, lat2: Double, lon2: Double): Double {
val lonDiff = (lon2 - lon1) * D2R
val latDiff = (lat2 - lat1) * D2R
val latSin = sin(latDiff / 2.0)
val lonSin = sin(lonDiff / 2.0)
val a = latSin * latSin + (cos(lat1 * D2R) * cos(lat2 * D2R) * lonSin * lonSin)
val c = 2.0 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1.0 - a))
return EQATORIAL_EARTH_RADIUS * c
}
}
// Maybe a typo error ?
We have an unused variable dlon in GetDirection,
I assume
double y = Math.Sin(dlon) * Math.Cos(lat2);
// cannot use degrees in Cos ?
should be
double y = Math.Sin(dlon) * Math.Cos(dlat);
I needed to implement this in PowerShell, hope it can help someone else. Some notes about this method
I'm using Haversine, as other posts have pointed out Vincenty's formulae is much more accurate
Function MetresDistanceBetweenTwoGPSCoordinates($latitude1, $longitude1, $latitude2, $longitude2)
{
$Rad = ([math]::PI / 180);
$earthsRadius = 6378.1370 # Earth's Radius in KM
$dLat = ($latitude2 - $latitude1) * $Rad
$dLon = ($longitude2 - $longitude1) * $Rad
$latitude1 = $latitude1 * $Rad
$latitude2 = $latitude2 * $Rad
$a = [math]::Sin($dLat / 2) * [math]::Sin($dLat / 2) + [math]::Sin($dLon / 2) * [math]::Sin($dLon / 2) * [math]::Cos($latitude1) * [math]::Cos($latitude2)
$c = 2 * [math]::ATan2([math]::Sqrt($a), [math]::Sqrt(1-$a))
$distance = [math]::Round($earthsRadius * $c * 1000, 0) #Multiple by 1000 to get metres
Return $distance
}
This Lua code is adapted from stuff found on Wikipedia and in Robert Lipe's GPSbabel tool:
local EARTH_RAD = 6378137.0
-- earth's radius in meters (official geoid datum, not 20,000km / pi)
local radmiles = EARTH_RAD*100.0/2.54/12.0/5280.0;
-- earth's radius in miles
local multipliers = {
radians = 1, miles = radmiles, mi = radmiles, feet = radmiles * 5280,
meters = EARTH_RAD, m = EARTH_RAD, km = EARTH_RAD / 1000,
degrees = 360 / (2 * math.pi), min = 60 * 360 / (2 * math.pi)
}
function gcdist(pt1, pt2, units) -- return distance in radians or given units
--- this formula works best for points close together or antipodal
--- rounding error strikes when distance is one-quarter Earth's circumference
--- (ref: wikipedia Great-circle distance)
if not pt1.radians then pt1 = rad(pt1) end
if not pt2.radians then pt2 = rad(pt2) end
local sdlat = sin((pt1.lat - pt2.lat) / 2.0);
local sdlon = sin((pt1.lon - pt2.lon) / 2.0);
local res = sqrt(sdlat * sdlat + cos(pt1.lat) * cos(pt2.lat) * sdlon * sdlon);
res = res > 1 and 1 or res < -1 and -1 or res
res = 2 * asin(res);
if units then return res * assert(multipliers[units])
else return res
end
end
It depends on how accurate you need it to be, if you need pinpoint accuracy, is best to look at an algorithm with uses an ellipsoid, rather than a sphere, such as Vincenty's algorithm, which is accurate to the mm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenty%27s_algorithm
Here's a Haversine function in Python that I use:
from math import pi,sqrt,sin,cos,atan2
def haversine(pos1, pos2):
lat1 = float(pos1['lat'])
long1 = float(pos1['long'])
lat2 = float(pos2['lat'])
long2 = float(pos2['long'])
degree_to_rad = float(pi / 180.0)
d_lat = (lat2 - lat1) * degree_to_rad
d_long = (long2 - long1) * degree_to_rad
a = pow(sin(d_lat / 2), 2) + cos(lat1 * degree_to_rad) * cos(lat2 * degree_to_rad) * pow(sin(d_long / 2), 2)
c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a))
km = 6367 * c
mi = 3956 * c
return {"km":km, "miles":mi}
private double deg2rad(double deg)
{
return (deg * Math.PI / 180.0);
}
private double rad2deg(double rad)
{
return (rad / Math.PI * 180.0);
}
private double GetDistance(double lat1, double lon1, double lat2, double lon2)
{
//code for Distance in Kilo Meter
double theta = lon1 - lon2;
double dist = Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat2)) + Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(theta));
dist = Math.Abs(Math.Round(rad2deg(Math.Acos(dist)) * 60 * 1.1515 * 1.609344 * 1000, 0));
return (dist);
}
private double GetDirection(double lat1, double lon1, double lat2, double lon2)
{
//code for Direction in Degrees
double dlat = deg2rad(lat1) - deg2rad(lat2);
double dlon = deg2rad(lon1) - deg2rad(lon2);
double y = Math.Sin(dlon) * Math.Cos(lat2);
double x = Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat2)) - Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.Cos(dlon);
double direct = Math.Round(rad2deg(Math.Atan2(y, x)), 0);
if (direct < 0)
direct = direct + 360;
return (direct);
}
private double GetSpeed(double lat1, double lon1, double lat2, double lon2, DateTime CurTime, DateTime PrevTime)
{
//code for speed in Kilo Meter/Hour
TimeSpan TimeDifference = CurTime.Subtract(PrevTime);
double TimeDifferenceInSeconds = Math.Round(TimeDifference.TotalSeconds, 0);
double theta = lon1 - lon2;
double dist = Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat2)) + Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(theta));
dist = rad2deg(Math.Acos(dist)) * 60 * 1.1515 * 1.609344;
double Speed = Math.Abs(Math.Round((dist / Math.Abs(TimeDifferenceInSeconds)) * 60 * 60, 0));
return (Speed);
}
private double GetDuration(DateTime CurTime, DateTime PrevTime)
{
//code for speed in Kilo Meter/Hour
TimeSpan TimeDifference = CurTime.Subtract(PrevTime);
double TimeDifferenceInSeconds = Math.Abs(Math.Round(TimeDifference.TotalSeconds, 0));
return (TimeDifferenceInSeconds);
}
If you need something more accurate then have a look at this.
Vincenty's formulae are two related iterative methods used in geodesy to calculate the distance between two points on the surface of a spheroid, developed by Thaddeus Vincenty (1975a) They are based on the assumption that the figure of the Earth is an oblate spheroid, and hence are more accurate than methods such as great-circle distance which assume a spherical Earth.
The first (direct) method computes the location of a point which is a given distance and azimuth (direction) from another point. The second (inverse) method computes the geographical distance and azimuth between two given points. They have been widely used in geodesy because they are accurate to within 0.5 mm (0.020") on the Earth ellipsoid.
Scala version
def deg2rad(deg: Double) = deg * Math.PI / 180.0
def rad2deg(rad: Double) = rad / Math.PI * 180.0
def getDistanceMeters(lat1: Double, lon1: Double, lat2: Double, lon2: Double) = {
val theta = lon1 - lon2
val dist = Math.sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.sin(deg2rad(lat2)) + Math.cos(deg2rad(lat1)) *
Math.cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.cos(deg2rad(theta))
Math.abs(
Math.round(
rad2deg(Math.acos(dist)) * 60 * 1.1515 * 1.609344 * 1000)
)
}
Here's a Haversine function in Python that I use:
from math import pi,sqrt,sin,cos,atan2
def haversine(pos1, pos2):
lat1 = float(pos1['lat'])
long1 = float(pos1['long'])
lat2 = float(pos2['lat'])
long2 = float(pos2['long'])
degree_to_rad = float(pi / 180.0)
d_lat = (lat2 - lat1) * degree_to_rad
d_long = (long2 - long1) * degree_to_rad
a = pow(sin(d_lat / 2), 2) + cos(lat1 * degree_to_rad) * cos(lat2 * degree_to_rad) * pow(sin(d_long / 2), 2)
c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a))
km = 6367 * c
mi = 3956 * c
return {"km":km, "miles":mi}
private double deg2rad(double deg)
{
return (deg * Math.PI / 180.0);
}
private double rad2deg(double rad)
{
return (rad / Math.PI * 180.0);
}
private double GetDistance(double lat1, double lon1, double lat2, double lon2)
{
//code for Distance in Kilo Meter
double theta = lon1 - lon2;
double dist = Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat2)) + Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(theta));
dist = Math.Abs(Math.Round(rad2deg(Math.Acos(dist)) * 60 * 1.1515 * 1.609344 * 1000, 0));
return (dist);
}
private double GetDirection(double lat1, double lon1, double lat2, double lon2)
{
//code for Direction in Degrees
double dlat = deg2rad(lat1) - deg2rad(lat2);
double dlon = deg2rad(lon1) - deg2rad(lon2);
double y = Math.Sin(dlon) * Math.Cos(lat2);
double x = Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat2)) - Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.Cos(dlon);
double direct = Math.Round(rad2deg(Math.Atan2(y, x)), 0);
if (direct < 0)
direct = direct + 360;
return (direct);
}
private double GetSpeed(double lat1, double lon1, double lat2, double lon2, DateTime CurTime, DateTime PrevTime)
{
//code for speed in Kilo Meter/Hour
TimeSpan TimeDifference = CurTime.Subtract(PrevTime);
double TimeDifferenceInSeconds = Math.Round(TimeDifference.TotalSeconds, 0);
double theta = lon1 - lon2;
double dist = Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Sin(deg2rad(lat2)) + Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.Cos(deg2rad(theta));
dist = rad2deg(Math.Acos(dist)) * 60 * 1.1515 * 1.609344;
double Speed = Math.Abs(Math.Round((dist / Math.Abs(TimeDifferenceInSeconds)) * 60 * 60, 0));
return (Speed);
}
private double GetDuration(DateTime CurTime, DateTime PrevTime)
{
//code for speed in Kilo Meter/Hour
TimeSpan TimeDifference = CurTime.Subtract(PrevTime);
double TimeDifferenceInSeconds = Math.Abs(Math.Round(TimeDifference.TotalSeconds, 0));
return (TimeDifferenceInSeconds);
}
This is very easy to do with geography type in SQL Server 2008.
SELECT geography::Point(lat1, lon1, 4326).STDistance(geography::Point(lat2, lon2, 4326))
-- computes distance in meters using eliptical model, accurate to the mm
4326 is SRID for WGS84 elipsoidal Earth model
Java Version of Haversine Algorithm based on Roman Makarov`s reply to this thread
public class HaversineAlgorithm {
static final double _eQuatorialEarthRadius = 6378.1370D;
static final double _d2r = (Math.PI / 180D);
public static int HaversineInM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2) {
return (int) (1000D * HaversineInKM(lat1, long1, lat2, long2));
}
public static double HaversineInKM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2) {
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * _d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * _d2r;
double a = Math.pow(Math.sin(dlat / 2D), 2D) + Math.cos(lat1 * _d2r) * Math.cos(lat2 * _d2r)
* Math.pow(Math.sin(dlong / 2D), 2D);
double c = 2D * Math.atan2(Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1D - a));
double d = _eQuatorialEarthRadius * c;
return d;
}
}
If you need something more accurate then have a look at this.
Vincenty's formulae are two related iterative methods used in geodesy to calculate the distance between two points on the surface of a spheroid, developed by Thaddeus Vincenty (1975a) They are based on the assumption that the figure of the Earth is an oblate spheroid, and hence are more accurate than methods such as great-circle distance which assume a spherical Earth.
The first (direct) method computes the location of a point which is a given distance and azimuth (direction) from another point. The second (inverse) method computes the geographical distance and azimuth between two given points. They have been widely used in geodesy because they are accurate to within 0.5 mm (0.020") on the Earth ellipsoid.
C# Version of Haversine
double _eQuatorialEarthRadius = 6378.1370D;
double _d2r = (Math.PI / 180D);
private int HaversineInM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
return (int)(1000D * HaversineInKM(lat1, long1, lat2, long2));
}
private double HaversineInKM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2)
{
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * _d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * _d2r;
double a = Math.Pow(Math.Sin(dlat / 2D), 2D) + Math.Cos(lat1 * _d2r) * Math.Cos(lat2 * _d2r) * Math.Pow(Math.Sin(dlong / 2D), 2D);
double c = 2D * Math.Atan2(Math.Sqrt(a), Math.Sqrt(1D - a));
double d = _eQuatorialEarthRadius * c;
return d;
}
Here's a .NET Fiddle of this, so you can test it out with your own Lat/Longs.
PHP version:
(Remove all deg2rad() if your coordinates are already in radians.)
$R = 6371; // km
$dLat = deg2rad($lat2-$lat1);
$dLon = deg2rad($lon2-$lon1);
$lat1 = deg2rad($lat1);
$lat2 = deg2rad($lat2);
$a = sin($dLat/2) * sin($dLat/2) +
sin($dLon/2) * sin($dLon/2) * cos($lat1) * cos($lat2);
$c = 2 * atan2(sqrt($a), sqrt(1-$a));
$d = $R * $c;
A T-SQL function, that I use to select records by distance for a center
Create Function [dbo].[DistanceInMiles]
( @fromLatitude float ,
@fromLongitude float ,
@toLatitude float,
@toLongitude float
)
returns float
AS
BEGIN
declare @distance float
select @distance = cast((3963 * ACOS(round(COS(RADIANS(90-@fromLatitude))*COS(RADIANS(90-@toLatitude))+
SIN(RADIANS(90-@fromLatitude))*SIN(RADIANS(90-@toLatitude))*COS(RADIANS(@fromLongitude-@toLongitude)),15))
)as float)
return round(@distance,1)
END
Dart Version
Haversine Algorithm.
import 'dart:math';
class GeoUtils {
static double _degreesToRadians(degrees) {
return degrees * pi / 180;
}
static double distanceInKmBetweenEarthCoordinates(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2) {
var earthRadiusKm = 6371;
var dLat = _degreesToRadians(lat2-lat1);
var dLon = _degreesToRadians(lon2-lon1);
lat1 = _degreesToRadians(lat1);
lat2 = _degreesToRadians(lat2);
var a = sin(dLat/2) * sin(dLat/2) +
sin(dLon/2) * sin(dLon/2) * cos(lat1) * cos(lat2);
var c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a));
return earthRadiusKm * c;
}
}
I. Regarding "Breadcrumbs" method
Below see the function in C which takes #1 and #2 into account:
double calcDistanceByHaversine(double rLat1, double rLon1, double rHeading1,
double rLat2, double rLon2, double rHeading2){
double rDLatRad = 0.0;
double rDLonRad = 0.0;
double rLat1Rad = 0.0;
double rLat2Rad = 0.0;
double a = 0.0;
double c = 0.0;
double rResult = 0.0;
double rEarthRadius = 0.0;
double rDHeading = 0.0;
double rDHeadingRad = 0.0;
if ((rLat1 < -90.0) || (rLat1 > 90.0) || (rLat2 < -90.0) || (rLat2 > 90.0)
|| (rLon1 < -180.0) || (rLon1 > 180.0) || (rLon2 < -180.0)
|| (rLon2 > 180.0)) {
return -1;
};
rDLatRad = (rLat2 - rLat1) * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
rDLonRad = (rLon2 - rLon1) * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
rLat1Rad = rLat1 * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
rLat2Rad = rLat2 * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
a = sin(rDLatRad / 2) * sin(rDLatRad / 2) + sin(rDLonRad / 2) * sin(
rDLonRad / 2) * cos(rLat1Rad) * cos(rLat2Rad);
if (a == 0.0) {
return 0.0;
}
c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a));
rEarthRadius = 6378.1370 - (21.3847 * 90.0 / ((fabs(rLat1) + fabs(rLat2))
/ 2.0));
rResult = rEarthRadius * c;
// Chord to Arc Correction based on Heading changes. Important for routes with many turns and U-turns
if ((rHeading1 >= 0.0) && (rHeading1 < 360.0) && (rHeading2 >= 0.0)
&& (rHeading2 < 360.0)) {
rDHeading = fabs(rHeading1 - rHeading2);
if (rDHeading > 180.0) {
rDHeading -= 180.0;
}
rDHeadingRad = rDHeading * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
if (rDHeading > 5.0) {
rResult = rResult * (rDHeadingRad / (2.0 * sin(rDHeadingRad / 2)));
} else {
rResult = rResult / cos(rDHeadingRad);
}
}
return rResult;
}
II. There is an easier way which gives pretty good results.
By Average Speed.
Trip_distance = Trip_average_speed * Trip_time
Since GPS Speed is detected by Doppler effect and is not directly related to [Lon,Lat] it can be at least considered as secondary (backup or correction) if not as main distance calculation method.
It depends on how accurate you need it to be, if you need pinpoint accuracy, is best to look at an algorithm with uses an ellipsoid, rather than a sphere, such as Vincenty's algorithm, which is accurate to the mm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenty%27s_algorithm
I. Regarding "Breadcrumbs" method
Below see the function in C which takes #1 and #2 into account:
double calcDistanceByHaversine(double rLat1, double rLon1, double rHeading1,
double rLat2, double rLon2, double rHeading2){
double rDLatRad = 0.0;
double rDLonRad = 0.0;
double rLat1Rad = 0.0;
double rLat2Rad = 0.0;
double a = 0.0;
double c = 0.0;
double rResult = 0.0;
double rEarthRadius = 0.0;
double rDHeading = 0.0;
double rDHeadingRad = 0.0;
if ((rLat1 < -90.0) || (rLat1 > 90.0) || (rLat2 < -90.0) || (rLat2 > 90.0)
|| (rLon1 < -180.0) || (rLon1 > 180.0) || (rLon2 < -180.0)
|| (rLon2 > 180.0)) {
return -1;
};
rDLatRad = (rLat2 - rLat1) * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
rDLonRad = (rLon2 - rLon1) * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
rLat1Rad = rLat1 * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
rLat2Rad = rLat2 * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
a = sin(rDLatRad / 2) * sin(rDLatRad / 2) + sin(rDLonRad / 2) * sin(
rDLonRad / 2) * cos(rLat1Rad) * cos(rLat2Rad);
if (a == 0.0) {
return 0.0;
}
c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a));
rEarthRadius = 6378.1370 - (21.3847 * 90.0 / ((fabs(rLat1) + fabs(rLat2))
/ 2.0));
rResult = rEarthRadius * c;
// Chord to Arc Correction based on Heading changes. Important for routes with many turns and U-turns
if ((rHeading1 >= 0.0) && (rHeading1 < 360.0) && (rHeading2 >= 0.0)
&& (rHeading2 < 360.0)) {
rDHeading = fabs(rHeading1 - rHeading2);
if (rDHeading > 180.0) {
rDHeading -= 180.0;
}
rDHeadingRad = rDHeading * DEGREE_TO_RADIANS;
if (rDHeading > 5.0) {
rResult = rResult * (rDHeadingRad / (2.0 * sin(rDHeadingRad / 2)));
} else {
rResult = rResult / cos(rDHeadingRad);
}
}
return rResult;
}
II. There is an easier way which gives pretty good results.
By Average Speed.
Trip_distance = Trip_average_speed * Trip_time
Since GPS Speed is detected by Doppler effect and is not directly related to [Lon,Lat] it can be at least considered as secondary (backup or correction) if not as main distance calculation method.
This is very easy to do with geography type in SQL Server 2008.
SELECT geography::Point(lat1, lon1, 4326).STDistance(geography::Point(lat2, lon2, 4326))
-- computes distance in meters using eliptical model, accurate to the mm
4326 is SRID for WGS84 elipsoidal Earth model
This Lua code is adapted from stuff found on Wikipedia and in Robert Lipe's GPSbabel tool:
local EARTH_RAD = 6378137.0
-- earth's radius in meters (official geoid datum, not 20,000km / pi)
local radmiles = EARTH_RAD*100.0/2.54/12.0/5280.0;
-- earth's radius in miles
local multipliers = {
radians = 1, miles = radmiles, mi = radmiles, feet = radmiles * 5280,
meters = EARTH_RAD, m = EARTH_RAD, km = EARTH_RAD / 1000,
degrees = 360 / (2 * math.pi), min = 60 * 360 / (2 * math.pi)
}
function gcdist(pt1, pt2, units) -- return distance in radians or given units
--- this formula works best for points close together or antipodal
--- rounding error strikes when distance is one-quarter Earth's circumference
--- (ref: wikipedia Great-circle distance)
if not pt1.radians then pt1 = rad(pt1) end
if not pt2.radians then pt2 = rad(pt2) end
local sdlat = sin((pt1.lat - pt2.lat) / 2.0);
local sdlon = sin((pt1.lon - pt2.lon) / 2.0);
local res = sqrt(sdlat * sdlat + cos(pt1.lat) * cos(pt2.lat) * sdlon * sdlon);
res = res > 1 and 1 or res < -1 and -1 or res
res = 2 * asin(res);
if units then return res * assert(multipliers[units])
else return res
end
end
I needed to calculate a lot of distances between the points for my project, so I went ahead and tried to optimize the code, I have found here. On average in different browsers my new implementation runs 2 times faster than the most upvoted answer.
function distance(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2) {
var p = 0.017453292519943295; // Math.PI / 180
var c = Math.cos;
var a = 0.5 - c((lat2 - lat1) * p)/2 +
c(lat1 * p) * c(lat2 * p) *
(1 - c((lon2 - lon1) * p))/2;
return 12742 * Math.asin(Math.sqrt(a)); // 2 * R; R = 6371 km
}
You can play with my jsPerf and see the results here.
Recently I needed to do the same in python, so here is a python implementation:
from math import cos, asin, sqrt
def distance(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2):
p = 0.017453292519943295
a = 0.5 - cos((lat2 - lat1) * p)/2 + cos(lat1 * p) * cos(lat2 * p) * (1 - cos((lon2 - lon1) * p)) / 2
return 12742 * asin(sqrt(a))
And for the sake of completeness: Haversine on wiki.
It depends on how accurate you need it to be, if you need pinpoint accuracy, is best to look at an algorithm with uses an ellipsoid, rather than a sphere, such as Vincenty's algorithm, which is accurate to the mm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenty%27s_algorithm
Here's my implementation in Elixir
defmodule Geo do
@earth_radius_km 6371
@earth_radius_sm 3958.748
@earth_radius_nm 3440.065
@feet_per_sm 5280
@d2r :math.pi / 180
def deg_to_rad(deg), do: deg * @d2r
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :km), do: haversine(p1, p2) * @earth_radius_km
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :sm), do: haversine(p1, p2) * @earth_radius_sm
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :nm), do: haversine(p1, p2) * @earth_radius_nm
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :m), do: great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :km) * 1000
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :ft), do: great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :sm) * @feet_per_sm
@doc """
Calculate the [Haversine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haversine_formula)
distance between two coordinates. Result is in radians. This result can be
multiplied by the sphere's radius in any unit to get the distance in that unit.
For example, multiple the result of this function by the Earth's radius in
kilometres and you get the distance between the two given points in kilometres.
"""
def haversine({lat1, lon1}, {lat2, lon2}) do
dlat = deg_to_rad(lat2 - lat1)
dlon = deg_to_rad(lon2 - lon1)
radlat1 = deg_to_rad(lat1)
radlat2 = deg_to_rad(lat2)
a = :math.pow(:math.sin(dlat / 2), 2) +
:math.pow(:math.sin(dlon / 2), 2) *
:math.cos(radlat1) * :math.cos(radlat2)
2 * :math.atan2(:math.sqrt(a), :math.sqrt(1 - a))
end
end
here is the Swift implementation from the answer
func degreesToRadians(degrees: Double) -> Double {
return degrees * Double.pi / 180
}
func distanceInKmBetweenEarthCoordinates(lat1: Double, lon1: Double, lat2: Double, lon2: Double) -> Double {
let earthRadiusKm: Double = 6371
let dLat = degreesToRadians(degrees: lat2 - lat1)
let dLon = degreesToRadians(degrees: lon2 - lon1)
let lat1 = degreesToRadians(degrees: lat1)
let lat2 = degreesToRadians(degrees: lat2)
let a = sin(dLat/2) * sin(dLat/2) +
sin(dLon/2) * sin(dLon/2) * cos(lat1) * cos(lat2)
let c = 2 * atan2(sqrt(a), sqrt(1 - a))
return earthRadiusKm * c
}
Java Version of Haversine Algorithm based on Roman Makarov`s reply to this thread
public class HaversineAlgorithm {
static final double _eQuatorialEarthRadius = 6378.1370D;
static final double _d2r = (Math.PI / 180D);
public static int HaversineInM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2) {
return (int) (1000D * HaversineInKM(lat1, long1, lat2, long2));
}
public static double HaversineInKM(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2) {
double dlong = (long2 - long1) * _d2r;
double dlat = (lat2 - lat1) * _d2r;
double a = Math.pow(Math.sin(dlat / 2D), 2D) + Math.cos(lat1 * _d2r) * Math.cos(lat2 * _d2r)
* Math.pow(Math.sin(dlong / 2D), 2D);
double c = 2D * Math.atan2(Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1D - a));
double d = _eQuatorialEarthRadius * c;
return d;
}
}
This is version from "Henry Vilinskiy" adapted for MySQL and Kilometers:
CREATE FUNCTION `CalculateDistanceInKm`(
fromLatitude float,
fromLongitude float,
toLatitude float,
toLongitude float
) RETURNS float
BEGIN
declare distance float;
select
6367 * ACOS(
round(
COS(RADIANS(90-fromLatitude)) *
COS(RADIANS(90-toLatitude)) +
SIN(RADIANS(90-fromLatitude)) *
SIN(RADIANS(90-toLatitude)) *
COS(RADIANS(fromLongitude-toLongitude))
,15)
)
into distance;
return round(distance,3);
END;
Scala version
def deg2rad(deg: Double) = deg * Math.PI / 180.0
def rad2deg(rad: Double) = rad / Math.PI * 180.0
def getDistanceMeters(lat1: Double, lon1: Double, lat2: Double, lon2: Double) = {
val theta = lon1 - lon2
val dist = Math.sin(deg2rad(lat1)) * Math.sin(deg2rad(lat2)) + Math.cos(deg2rad(lat1)) *
Math.cos(deg2rad(lat2)) * Math.cos(deg2rad(theta))
Math.abs(
Math.round(
rad2deg(Math.acos(dist)) * 60 * 1.1515 * 1.609344 * 1000)
)
}
PHP version:
(Remove all deg2rad() if your coordinates are already in radians.)
$R = 6371; // km
$dLat = deg2rad($lat2-$lat1);
$dLon = deg2rad($lon2-$lon1);
$lat1 = deg2rad($lat1);
$lat2 = deg2rad($lat2);
$a = sin($dLat/2) * sin($dLat/2) +
sin($dLon/2) * sin($dLon/2) * cos($lat1) * cos($lat2);
$c = 2 * atan2(sqrt($a), sqrt(1-$a));
$d = $R * $c;
Here it is in C# (lat and long in radians):
double CalculateGreatCircleDistance(double lat1, double long1, double lat2, double long2, double radius)
{
return radius * Math.Acos(
Math.Sin(lat1) * Math.Sin(lat2)
+ Math.Cos(lat1) * Math.Cos(lat2) * Math.Cos(long2 - long1));
}
If your lat and long are in degrees then divide by 180/PI to convert to radians.
If you're using .NET don't reivent the wheel. See System.Device.Location. Credit to fnx in the comments in another answer.
using System.Device.Location;
double lat1 = 45.421527862548828D;
double long1 = -75.697189331054688D;
double lat2 = 53.64135D;
double long2 = -113.59273D;
GeoCoordinate geo1 = new GeoCoordinate(lat1, long1);
GeoCoordinate geo2 = new GeoCoordinate(lat2, long2);
double distance = geo1.GetDistanceTo(geo2);
Here's my implementation in Elixir
defmodule Geo do
@earth_radius_km 6371
@earth_radius_sm 3958.748
@earth_radius_nm 3440.065
@feet_per_sm 5280
@d2r :math.pi / 180
def deg_to_rad(deg), do: deg * @d2r
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :km), do: haversine(p1, p2) * @earth_radius_km
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :sm), do: haversine(p1, p2) * @earth_radius_sm
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :nm), do: haversine(p1, p2) * @earth_radius_nm
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :m), do: great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :km) * 1000
def great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :ft), do: great_circle_distance(p1, p2, :sm) * @feet_per_sm
@doc """
Calculate the [Haversine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haversine_formula)
distance between two coordinates. Result is in radians. This result can be
multiplied by the sphere's radius in any unit to get the distance in that unit.
For example, multiple the result of this function by the Earth's radius in
kilometres and you get the distance between the two given points in kilometres.
"""
def haversine({lat1, lon1}, {lat2, lon2}) do
dlat = deg_to_rad(lat2 - lat1)
dlon = deg_to_rad(lon2 - lon1)
radlat1 = deg_to_rad(lat1)
radlat2 = deg_to_rad(lat2)
a = :math.pow(:math.sin(dlat / 2), 2) +
:math.pow(:math.sin(dlon / 2), 2) *
:math.cos(radlat1) * :math.cos(radlat2)
2 * :math.atan2(:math.sqrt(a), :math.sqrt(1 - a))
end
end
This Lua code is adapted from stuff found on Wikipedia and in Robert Lipe's GPSbabel tool:
local EARTH_RAD = 6378137.0
-- earth's radius in meters (official geoid datum, not 20,000km / pi)
local radmiles = EARTH_RAD*100.0/2.54/12.0/5280.0;
-- earth's radius in miles
local multipliers = {
radians = 1, miles = radmiles, mi = radmiles, feet = radmiles * 5280,
meters = EARTH_RAD, m = EARTH_RAD, km = EARTH_RAD / 1000,
degrees = 360 / (2 * math.pi), min = 60 * 360 / (2 * math.pi)
}
function gcdist(pt1, pt2, units) -- return distance in radians or given units
--- this formula works best for points close together or antipodal
--- rounding error strikes when distance is one-quarter Earth's circumference
--- (ref: wikipedia Great-circle distance)
if not pt1.radians then pt1 = rad(pt1) end
if not pt2.radians then pt2 = rad(pt2) end
local sdlat = sin((pt1.lat - pt2.lat) / 2.0);
local sdlon = sin((pt1.lon - pt2.lon) / 2.0);
local res = sqrt(sdlat * sdlat + cos(pt1.lat) * cos(pt2.lat) * sdlon * sdlon);
res = res > 1 and 1 or res < -1 and -1 or res
res = 2 * asin(res);
if units then return res * assert(multipliers[units])
else return res
end
end
I think a version of the algorithm in R is still missing:
gpsdistance<-function(lat1,lon1,lat2,lon2){
# internal function to change deg to rad
degreesToRadians<- function (degrees) {
return (degrees * pi / 180)
}
R<-6371e3 #radius of Earth in meters
phi1<-degreesToRadians(lat1) # latitude 1
phi2<-degreesToRadians(lat2) # latitude 2
lambda1<-degreesToRadians(lon1) # longitude 1
lambda2<-degreesToRadians(lon2) # longitude 2
delta_phi<-phi1-phi2 # latitude-distance
delta_lambda<-lambda1-lambda2 # longitude-distance
a<-sin(delta_phi/2)*sin(delta_phi/2)+
cos(phi1)*cos(phi2)*sin(delta_lambda/2)*
sin(delta_lambda/2)
cc<-2*atan2(sqrt(a),sqrt(1-a))
distance<- R * cc
return(distance) # in meters
}
Source: Stackoverflow.com