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The scale of a map is the ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground. This simple concept is complicated by the curvature of the Earth's surface, which forces scale to vary across a map. Because of this variation, the concept of scale becomes meaningful in two distinct ways.
A metric or distance function is a function d which takes pairs of points or objects to real numbers and satisfies the following rules: The distance between an object and itself is always zero. The distance between distinct objects is always positive. Distance is symmetric: the distance from x to y is always the same as the distance from y to x.
Geographical distance or geodetic distance is the distance measured along the surface of the Earth, or the shortest arch length. The formulae in this article calculate distances between points which are defined by geographical coordinates in terms of latitude and longitude. This distance is an element in solving the second (inverse) geodetic ...
In mathematics, a metric space is a set together with a notion of distance between its elements, usually called points. The distance is measured by a function called a metric or distance function. [1] Metric spaces are the most general setting for studying many of the concepts of mathematical analysis and geometry.
Proximity analysis is a class of spatial analysis tools and algorithms that employ geographic distance as a central principle. [1] Distance is fundamental to geographic inquiry and spatial analysis, due to principles such as the friction of distance, Tobler's first law of geography, and Spatial autocorrelation, which are incorporated into analytical tools. [2]
Randles (1985) documents longitude measurement by the Portuguese and Spanish between 1514 and 1627 both in the Americas and Asia. Errors ranged from 2° to 25°. [15] The telescope was invented in the early 17th century. Initially an observation device, developments over the next half century transformed it into an accurate measurement tool.
Length measurement, distance measurement, or range measurement (ranging) all refer to the many ways in which length, distance, or range can be measured. The most commonly used approaches are the rulers, followed by transit-time methods and the interferometer methods based upon the speed of light. Surveying is one ancient use of measuring long ...
Geodesy or geodetics [1] is the science of measuring and representing the geometry, gravity, and spatial orientation of the Earth in temporally varying 3D.It is called planetary geodesy when studying other astronomical bodies, such as planets or circumplanetary systems. [2]