distance_matrix: Compute distance matrix between sf objects

In spopt: Spatial Optimization for Regionalization, Facility Location, and Market Analysis

Compute distance matrix between sf objects

Description

Computes pairwise distances between geometries. For geographic (longlat) coordinate systems, uses great circle distances in meters via sf::st_distance(). For projected coordinate systems, uses fast Euclidean distance in the CRS units (typically meters).

Usage

distance_matrix(
  x,
  y = NULL,
  type = c("euclidean", "manhattan"),
  use_centroids = NULL
)

Arguments

x	An sf object (demand points for facility location, or areas for regionalization).
y	An sf object (facility locations). If NULL, computes distances within x.
type	Distance type: "euclidean" (default) or "manhattan". Note that for geographic CRS, only "euclidean" (great circle) distance is available.
use_centroids	Logical. If TRUE (default for polygons), use polygon centroids.

Value

A numeric matrix of distances. Rows correspond to x, columns to y. For geographic CRS, distances are in meters. For projected CRS, distances are in the CRS units (usually meters).

Examples

library(sf)
demand <- st_as_sf(data.frame(x = runif(10), y = runif(10)), coords = c("x", "y"))
facilities <- st_as_sf(data.frame(x = runif(5), y = runif(5)), coords = c("x", "y"))
d <- distance_matrix(demand, facilities)

spopt documentation built on April 22, 2026, 9:07 a.m.