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Returns the minimum distance between two geometries.
Usage
Returns
BBox.distance(right, maxError, proj, spherical)
Float
Argument
Type
Details
this: left
Geometry
The geometry used as the left operand of the operation.
right
Geometry
The geometry used as the right operand of the operation.
maxError
ErrorMargin, default: null
The maximum amount of error tolerated when performing any necessary reprojection.
proj
Projection, default: null
The 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.
spherical
Boolean, default: false
If 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.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-06-23 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eCalculates the minimum distance between two Earth Engine geometries.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTakes a Geometry as the right operand and optional \u003ccode\u003emaxError\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003eproj\u003c/code\u003e parameters.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eReturns the distance as a float, representing meters on the sphere if \u003ccode\u003eproj\u003c/code\u003e is not specified.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCan be used with BBox, Point, and other geometry types for distance computations.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The `distance` method calculates the minimum distance between two geometries. It takes a `right` geometry as input, and optionally `maxError`, `proj` (projection), and `spherical` parameters. `maxError` sets the tolerated error, `proj` defines the projection, and `spherical` determines if the calculation is spherical or elliptical. The method returns a float representing the distance. Example usage demonstrates calculating the distance between a BBox and a Point geometry, printing the distance, and visualizing both geometries on a map.\n"],null,["# ee.Geometry.BBox.distance\n\nReturns the minimum distance between two geometries.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n| Usage | Returns |\n|-----------------------------------------------------------------|---------|\n| BBox.distance`(right, `*maxError* `, `*proj* `, `*spherical*`)` | Float |\n\n| Argument | Type | Details |\n|--------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| this: `left` | Geometry | The geometry used as the left operand of the operation. |\n| `right` | Geometry | The geometry used as the right operand of the operation. |\n| `maxError` | ErrorMargin, default: null | The maximum amount of error tolerated when performing any necessary reprojection. |\n| `proj` | Projection, default: null | The 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. |\n| `spherical` | Boolean, default: false | If 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. |\n\nExamples\n--------\n\n### Code Editor (JavaScript)\n\n```javascript\n// Define a BBox object.\nvar bBox = ee.Geometry.BBox(-122.09, 37.42, -122.08, 37.43);\n\n// Define other inputs.\nvar inputGeom = ee.Geometry.Point(-122.090, 37.423);\n\n// Apply the distance method to the BBox object.\nvar bBoxDistance = bBox.distance({'right': inputGeom, 'maxError': 1});\n\n// Print the result to the console.\nprint('bBox.distance(...) =', bBoxDistance);\n\n// Display relevant geometries on the map.\nMap.setCenter(-122.085, 37.422, 15);\nMap.addLayer(bBox,\n {'color': 'black'},\n 'Geometry [black]: bBox');\nMap.addLayer(inputGeom,\n {'color': 'blue'},\n 'Parameter [blue]: inputGeom');\n```\nPython setup\n\nSee the [Python Environment](/earth-engine/guides/python_install) page for information on the Python API and using\n`geemap` for interactive development. \n\n```python\nimport ee\nimport geemap.core as geemap\n```\n\n### Colab (Python)\n\n```python\n# Define a BBox object.\nbbox = ee.Geometry.BBox(-122.09, 37.42, -122.08, 37.43)\n\n# Define other inputs.\ninput_geom = ee.Geometry.Point(-122.090, 37.423)\n\n# Apply the distance method to the BBox object.\nbbox_distance = bbox.distance(right=input_geom, maxError=1)\n\n# Print the result.\ndisplay('bbox.distance(...) =', bbox_distance)\n\n# Display relevant geometries on the map.\nm = geemap.Map()\nm.set_center(-122.085, 37.422, 15)\nm.add_layer(bbox, {'color': 'black'}, 'Geometry [black]: bbox')\nm.add_layer(input_geom, {'color': 'blue'}, 'Parameter [blue]: input_geom')\nm\n```"]]