R: Random or regularly distributed coordinates on the globe

randomCoordinates {geosphere} | R Documentation

## Random or regularly distributed coordinates on the globe

### Description

randomCoordinates returns a 'uniform random sample' in the sense that the probability that a point is drawn from any region is equal to the area of that region divided by the area of the entire sphere. This would not happen if you took a random uniform sample of longitude and latitude, as the sample would be biased towards the poles.

regularCoordiaates returns a set of coordinates that are regularly distributed on the globe.

### Usage

    randomCoordinates(n)
    regularCoordinates(N)

### Arguments

`n` | Sample size (number of points (coordinate pairs))
`N` | Number of 'parts' in which the earth is subdived )

### Value

Matrix of lon/lat coordiantes

### Author(s)

Robert Hijmans, based on code by Nils Haeck (regularCoordinates), http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=3985660&tstart=0

and suggstions by Michael Orion (randomCoordinates), http://sci.tech-archive.net/Archive/sci.math/2005-09/msg04691.html

### Examples

    randomCoordinates(3)
    regularCoordinates(1)

[Package geosphere version 1.5-5 Index]