SIMPLE COMPUTATION OF DISTANCES OVER THE EARTH

B. W. Sitterly and J. A. Pierce

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	Radar aids to navigation and those of hyperbolic type (such as Loran) depend upon an accurate knowledge of the distances between points on the surface of the earth. Except over distances of a few tens of miles, the assumption that the earth is a sphere is insufficient; the computer must take into account the polar flattening. Unfortunately, distances over a spheroidal surface cannot be calculated by any straightforward formula, but must be approximated step by step. The standard method of approximation [l] may be carried to any degree of precision desired, but it is laborious. A first-order approximation, sufficiently accurate for navigational purposes, has been given independently by M.H. Andoyer [2] and by W.D. Lambert [3].
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 1, Number 4
Pages:	62 - 67
Cite this article:	Sitterly, B. W., Pierce, J. A., "SIMPLE COMPUTATION OF DISTANCES OVER THE EARTH", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1946-1947, pp. 62-67.
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