On a perfect sphere, the distance between points on the surface of the sphere can be represented by angles. For spherical models of the Earth, Moon, and other planetary bodies, Mapping Toolbox™ allows spherical distance conversion between common units of angles and length.
Angle Representations and Angular Units
You can represent angles as a single number in degrees or radians. You can also use alternative notation and units, such as a triplet of numbers with degree-minute-second angular units.
Angles as Binary and Formatted Numbers
Angles are traditionally formatted in decimal degrees for mapping applications.
Linear measurements of arc lengths and distances on spheroids use the same units as on the plane, such as feet, meters, miles, and kilometers.
Compute Conversion Ratio Between Units of Length
This example shows how to create a conversion factor that facilitates conversion between units of length, such as inches to centimeters.
You can represent distances on the sphere using angles or linear arc lengths.
Relationship Between Points on Sphere
There are many ways to define the 2-D spatial relationship between two points on a perfect sphere, including azimuth, heading, spherical distance, linear distance, and range.
Convert from Linear Measurements to Spherical Measurements
This example shows how to convert distances along the surface of the Earth from linear units to angular units.