5/9/2010
 
GeoDistance.exe
 
    This is an application ported to Java from my Python code and then ported to C++, faster and AOT compiled.
    The calculations use the Vincenty formulas to get the geodesic distance on the surface on an ellipsoid like the Earth.

    Note: Since this was ported to C++ it is menu driven and most of the functions are self explanatory.

A location in the lat,lon format put in Point1 and Point2 Calculate->Distance will return the distance between the points.
This distance is derived using the Vincenty Inverse formula.

   With a location in Point1, a distance in Distance and the starting angle in Angle1 Calculate->Point 2 will return
the end location. This is derived using the Vincenty Direct formula.

   The Vincenty formulas are VERY accurate.  With the Python code running it through a series of locations using the
Inverse formula and the returned values input to the Direct formula the result coincided usually to 10 decimal places
but did not exceed +/- 1 in the 9th decimal place.  9 decimal places is one billionth of a meter.  The accuracy will not be
affected by the calculations.  The accuracy of data input for locations, distance and starting angle, for all intent and 
purposes, will determine the accuracy of the output.
    This uses WGS84 but a modification of the code could use another reference.

   The format for the Latitude, Longitude and the start and ending angles can be:
   
decimal degrees
    degrees minutes seconds
    degrees minutes.

   The distance can be in meters, kilometers, nautical miles, miles or feet.

   Under Settings the decimal places displayed can also be set.

This can be used with the Nww app to get the points, go to the points, draw the line between the points, calculate the distance and angles, etc.
With a later Nww app it will draw survey data from text files, each segment can be picked to give the endpoints, the distance and angles can be calculated, copied, pasted, etc.

Your survey data, or any similar data, is drawn on top of any active layer you have turned on in Nww.
Here are a few more images.



email:  neil@nlneilson.com