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ee.Geometry.MultiLineString.distance

  • Thedistance method returns the minimum distance between two geometries.

  • The method can be used with different types of geometries, includingMultiLineString andPoint.

  • Optional arguments likemaxError,proj, andspherical can be used to control the calculation's precision and coordinate system.

  • Examples are provided in both JavaScript and Python demonstrating how to use the method.

 Returns the minimum distance between two geometries.

UsageReturns
MultiLineString.distance(right,maxError,proj,spherical)Float
ArgumentTypeDetails
this:leftGeometryThe geometry used as the left operand of the operation.
rightGeometryThe geometry used as the right operand of the operation.
maxErrorErrorMargin, default: nullThe maximum amount of error tolerated when performing any necessary reprojection.
projProjection, default: nullThe projection in which to perform the operation. If not specified, the operation will be performed in a spherical coordinate system, and linear distances will be in meters on the sphere.
sphericalBoolean, default: falseIf true, the calculation will be done on the unit sphere. If false, the calculation will be elliptical, taking earth flattening into account. Ignored if proj is specified. Default is false.

Examples

Code Editor (JavaScript)

// Define a MultiLineString object.varmultiLineString=ee.Geometry.MultiLineString([[[-122.088,37.418],[-122.086,37.422],[-122.082,37.418]],[[-122.087,37.416],[-122.083,37.416],[-122.082,37.419]]]);// Define other inputs.varinputGeom=ee.Geometry.Point(-122.090,37.423);// Apply the distance method to the MultiLineString object.varmultiLineStringDistance=multiLineString.distance({'right':inputGeom,'maxError':1});// Print the result to the console.print('multiLineString.distance(...) =',multiLineStringDistance);// Display relevant geometries on the map.Map.setCenter(-122.085,37.422,15);Map.addLayer(multiLineString,{'color':'black'},'Geometry [black]: multiLineString');Map.addLayer(inputGeom,{'color':'blue'},'Parameter [blue]: inputGeom');

Python setup

See the Python Environment page for information on the Python API and usinggeemap for interactive development.

importeeimportgeemap.coreasgeemap

Colab (Python)

# Define a MultiLineString object.multilinestring=ee.Geometry.MultiLineString([[[-122.088,37.418],[-122.086,37.422],[-122.082,37.418]],[[-122.087,37.416],[-122.083,37.416],[-122.082,37.419]],])# Define other inputs.input_geom=ee.Geometry.Point(-122.090,37.423)# Apply the distance method to the MultiLineString object.multilinestring_distance=multilinestring.distance(right=input_geom,maxError=1)# Print the result.display('multilinestring.distance(...) =',multilinestring_distance)# Display relevant geometries on the map.m=geemap.Map()m.set_center(-122.085,37.422,15)m.add_layer(multilinestring,{'color':'black'},'Geometry [black]: multilinestring')m.add_layer(input_geom,{'color':'blue'},'Parameter [blue]: input_geom')m

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Last updated 2025-06-23 UTC.