locationbearing

Locationbearing is the angular direction from a defined origin location to a target location, expressed as a compass bearing or azimuth measured clockwise from a reference north. It describes the orientation of the line joining the two points and is independent of the distance between them.

In geographic coordinates, the initial bearing from point A (lat1, lon1) to point B (lat2, lon2) is computed on a sphere by the formula: bearing = atan2(sin Δlon × cos φ2, cos φ1 × sin φ2 − sin φ1 × cos φ2 × cos Δlon). Here φ are latitudes in radians and Δlon is the difference in longitudes. The result is converted to degrees and normalized to the range 0–360 degrees. For short distances a planar approximation can be used, but spherical calculations remain more accurate over longer distances.

Locationbearing is used in navigation planning, route orientation, surveying, and geographic information systems to convey direction. It can be a true bearing relative to true north, a magnetic bearing adjusted for declination, or a grid bearing corresponding to a map projection.

Limitations include dependence on the chosen reference frame and projection, potential distortions over long distances, and the need for accurate coordinates. The concept is supported by many geospatial tools and libraries, which provide routines to compute bearings between points.