Geometric Geodesy

2-D and 3-D coordinate systems; distances, areas, and curves on the Earth

Using toolbox functions and reference spheroid classes, you can perform geodetic calculations that account for the curvature of Earth and other planetary bodies. These include 2D distances, directions, areas, special curves (geodesics, rhumb lines, small circles, ellipses), and intersections on a spheroidal or planar surface. These also include transformations of 3D locations and vectors (such as, velocities and gradients) between geodetic, earth-centered earth-fixed, and local (east-north-up, north-east-down, azimuth-elevation-range) systems.

Categories

Modeling the Earth
Represent the shape and size of the Earth; represent ellipsoids; convert between parameters
3-D Coordinate and Vector Transformations
Transform coordinates and vector components between global and local systems; find intersection with spheroid
Lengths and Angles
Convert between different angle and length units and perform longitude wrapping; convert units of distances along the surface of the Earth
Great Circles, Geodesics, and Rhumb Lines
Find the shortest path between two points; find the curve that crosses each meridian at the same angle
Small Circles and Ellipses
Define small circles and ellipses
Zones, Lunes, Quadrangles, and Other Areas
Find areas bounded by meridians and parallels or by intersections of polygons