Calculates the spherical distance between two points or geometries. Uses a spherical earth model to determine the minimum distance in meters.
ST_DISTANCE_SPHERE(g1,g2,[r])Returns the spherical distance in meters between two geometries (point or multipoint) on a sphere. The optional radius r is in meters, must be positive, and defaults to the Earth's radius (6370986 meters) if not specified. If either of the two geometries are not valid, NULL is returned.
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SET @zenica = ST_GeomFromText('POINT(17.907743 44.203438)');
SET @sarajevo = ST_GeomFromText('POINT(18.413076 43.856258)');
SELECT ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo);
+----------------------------------------+
| ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo) |
+----------------------------------------+
| 55878.59337591705 |
+----------------------------------------+
SELECT ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 6370986);
+-------------------------------------------------+
| ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 6370986) |
+-------------------------------------------------+
| 55878.59337591705 |
+-------------------------------------------------+
SELECT ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 200);
+---------------------------------------------+
| ST_Distance_Sphere(@zenica, @sarajevo, 200) |
+---------------------------------------------+
| 1.754158410516584 |
+---------------------------------------------+