Provided by: grass-doc_6.4.3-3_all 
NAME
v.distance - Finds the nearest element in vector map 'to' for elements in vector map 'from'.
KEYWORDS
vector, database, attribute table
SYNOPSIS
v.distance
v.distance help
v.distance [-pa] from=name to=name [from_type=string[,string,...]] [to_type=string[,string,...]]
[from_layer=integer] [to_layer=integer] [output=name] [dmax=float] [dmin=float]
upload=string[,string,...] column=name[,name,...] [to_column=name] [table=name] [--overwrite]
[--verbose] [--quiet]
Flags:
-p
Print output to stdout, don't update attribute table
First column is always category of 'from' feature called from_cat
-a
Calculate distances to all features within the threshold
Output is written to stdout but may be uploaded to a new table created by this module; multiple
'upload' options may be used.
--overwrite
Allow output files to overwrite existing files
--verbose
Verbose module output
--quiet
Quiet module output
Parameters:
from=name
Name of existing vector map (from)
to=name
Name of existing vector map (to)
from_type=string[,string,...]
Feature type (from)
Feature type
Options: point,centroid
Default: point
to_type=string[,string,...]
Feature type (to)
Feature type
Options: point,line,boundary,centroid,area
Default: point,line,area
from_layer=integer
Layer number (from)
A single vector map can be connected to multiple database tables. This number determines which table
to use.
Default: 1
to_layer=integer
Layer number (to)
A single vector map can be connected to multiple database tables. This number determines which table
to use.
Default: 1
output=name
Name for output vector map containing lines connecting nearest elements
dmax=float
Maximum distance or -1 for no limit
Default: -1
dmin=float
Minimum distance or -1 for no limit
Default: -1
upload=string[,string,...]
Values describing the relation between two nearest features
Options: cat,dist,to_x,to_y,to_along,to_angle,to_attr
cat: category of the nearest feature
dist: minimum distance to nearest feature
to_x: x coordinate of the nearest point on the 'to' feature
to_y: y coordinate of the nearest point on the 'to' feature
to_along: distance to the nearest point on the 'to' feature along that linear feature
to_angle: angle along the nearest linear feature in the 'to' map, measured CCW from the +x axis, in
radians, between -Pi and Pi inclusive
to_attr: attribute of nearest feature given by to_column option
column=name[,name,...]
Column name(s) where values specified by 'upload' option will be uploaded
to_column=name
Column name of nearest feature (used with upload=to_attr)
table=name
Name of table created for output when the distance to all flag is used
DESCRIPTION
v.distance finds the nearest element in vector map (to) for elements in vector map (from). Various
information about the vectors' relationships (distance, category, etc.) may be uploaded to the attribute
table attached to the first vector map, or printed to ’stdout'. A new vector map may be created where
lines connecting nearest points on features are written. dmin and/or dmax can be used to limit the search
radius.
NOTES
If a nearest feature does not have a category, the attribute column is updated to null. This is true
also for areas, which means for example, that if a point is in an island (area WITHOUT category),
v.distance does not search for the nearest area WITH category; the island is identified as the nearest
and category updated to null.
The upload column(s) must already exist. Create one with v.db.addcol.
In lat-long locations v.distance gives distances (dist and to_along) in meters not in degrees calculated
as geodesic distances on a sphere.
EXAMPLES
Find nearest lines
Find nearest lines in vector map ln for points from vector map pnt within the given threshold and write
related line categories to column linecat in an attribute table attached to vector map pnt:
v.distance from=pnt to=ln upload=cat column=linecat
Find nearest area
For each point from vector map pnt, find the nearest area from map ar within the given threshold and
write the related area categories to column areacat in an attribute table attached to vector map pnt (in
the case that a point falls into a polygon area, the distance is zero):
v.distance from=pnt to=ar upload=cat column=areacat
Create a new vector map
Create a new vector map which contains lines connecting nearest features of maps pnt and map ln. The
resulting vector map can be used for example to connect points to a network as needed for network
analysis:
v.distance -p from=pnt to=ln out=connections upload=dist column=dist
Query information
Query information from selected point(s). v.distance takes points from a vector map as input instead of
stdin. A new vector map with query points has to be created before the map can be analysed.
Create query map (if not present):
echo "123456|654321|1" | v.in.ascii output=pnt
Find nearest features:
v.distance from=pnt to=map_to_query upload=cat col=somecol -p
Point-in-polygon
The option dmax=0 is here important because otherwise for points not falling into any area, the category
of the nearest area is recorded.
For each point from vector map pnt, find the area from vector map ar in which the individual point falls,
and write the related area categories to column areacat into the attribute table attached to vector map
pnt:
v.distance from=pnt to=ar dmax=0 upload=cat column=areacat
Univariate statistics on results
Create a vector map containing connecting lines and investigate mean distance to targets. An alternative
solution is to use the v.distance upload=dist option to upload distances into the bugs vector directly,
then run v.univar on that. Also note you can upload two columns at a time, e.g. v.distance
upload=cat,dist column=nearest_id,dist_to_nr.
# create working copy
g.copy vect=bugsites,bugs
# add new attribute column to hold nearest archsite category number
v.db.addcol map=bugs column="nrst_arch INTEGER"
v.distance from=bugs to=archsites to_type=point upload=to_attr \
to_column=cat column=nrst_arch out=vdistance_vectors_raw
# we need to give the lines category numbers, create a table, and create
# a column in that table to hold the distance data.
v.category vdistance_vectors_raw out=vdistance_vectors type=line op=add
g.remove v=vdistance_vectors_raw
v.db.addtable map=vdistance_vectors column="length DOUBLE"
v.to.db map=vdistance_vectors option=length column=length
# calculcate statistics. Use v.univar.sh for extended statistics.
v.univar vdistance_vectors column=length
Print distance matrix
v.distance -pa from=archsites to=archsites upload=dist col=dist
Note: Matrix-like output is enabled only for flag -a and one given upload option.
SEE ALSO
r.distance, v.db.addcol, v.what.vect
AUTHOR
Janne Soimasuo 1994, University of Joensuu, Faculty of Forestry, Finland
Cmd line coordinates support: Markus Neteler, ITC-irst, Trento, Italy
Updated for 5.1: Radim Blazek, ITC-irst, Trento, Italy
Martix-like output by Martin Landa, FBK-irst, Trento, Italy
Last changed: $Date: 2011-11-08 03:29:50 -0800 (Tue, 08 Nov 2011) $
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© 2003-2013 GRASS Development Team
GRASS 6.4.3 v.distance(1grass)