RightChain Nodes User Guide

5.9 Distance Modeling RightChain.ai models the distance between locations using the Haversine distance computation modified by an index based upon modes of transportation taking into account road, rail, ocean, and air routing. The Haversine distance, often referred to as the Haversine formula or Haversine formula distance, is a method used to calculate the distance between two points on the surface of a sphere, such as the Earth. It is particularly useful for computing distances between locations specified by their latitude and longitude coordinates. The formula is named after its inventor, R. W. Sinnott, who published it in 1984, although the underlying principles have been known for centuries. The Haversine formula is based on spherical trigonometry and is particularly accurate for short to moderate distances on the Earth's surface. It calculates the great-circle distance, which is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere's surface along the surface of the sphere (like the arc of a circle). This makes it suitable for measuring distances over the curved surface of the Earth, as opposed to linear distance calculations that assume a flat surface. The Haversine formula is commonly used in geographic applications, such as mapping, geolocation, and navigation systems, to calculate distances between GPS coordinates or other latitude and longitude pairs on the Earth's surface. It provides reasonably accurate results for most practical purposes, but it should be noted that the Earth's shape is not a perfect sphere, so more complex geodesic distance formulas may be employed for high-precision calculations over longer distances or in specific geographic regions.

RightChain Nodes

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