geocoder 0.9.11 → 0.9.12

data/CHANGELOG.rdoc

@@ -2,7 +2,18 @@
 
 Per-release changes to Geocoder.
 
-== 0.9.11 (2011 Mar ??)
+== 0.9.12 (2011 Apr 6)
+
+* Add support for Mongoid.
+* Add bearing_to/from methods to geocoded objects.
+* Improve SQLite's distance calculation heuristic.
+* Fix: Geocoder::Calculations.geographic_center was modifying its argument in-place (reported by github.com/joelmats).
+* Fix: sort 'near' query results by distance when using SQLite.
+* Clean up input: search for coordinates as a string with space after comma yields zero results from Google. Now we get rid of any such space before sending the query.
+* DEPRECATION: Geocoder.near should not take <tt>:limit</tt> or <tt>:offset</tt> options.
+* DEPRECATION: Change argument format of all methods that take lat/lon as separate arguments. Now you must pass the coordinates as an array [lat,lon], but you may alternatively pass a address string (will look up coordinates) or a geocoded object (or any object that implements a to_coordinates method which returns a [lat,lon] array).
+
+== 0.9.11 (2011 Mar 25)
 
 * Add support for result caching.
 * Add support for Geocoder.ca geocoding service.

data/README.rdoc

@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
 = Geocoder
 
-Geocoder is a complete geocoding solution for Ruby. With Rails it adds geocoding (by street or IP address), reverse geocoding (find street address based on given coordinates), and distance calculations for ActiveRecord objects. It's as simple as calling +geocode+ on your objects, and then using a scope like <tt>Venue.near("Billings, MT")</tt>. Since it does not rely on proprietary database functions finding geocoded objects in a given area works with out-of-the-box PostgreSQL, MySQL, and even SQLite.
+Geocoder is a complete geocoding solution for Ruby. With Rails it adds geocoding (by street or IP address), reverse geocoding (find street address based on given coordinates), and distance queries. It's as simple as calling +geocode+ on your objects, and then using a scope like <tt>Venue.near("Billings, MT")</tt>.
 
 
 == Compatibility
 
-Geocoder has been successfully tested with Ruby (MRI) 1.8.7, 1.9.2, and JRuby 1.5.3.
-
-Geocoder is compatible with Rails 3. If you need to use it with Rails 2 please see the <tt>rails2</tt> branch (no longer maintained, limited feature set).
-
-Geocoder also works outside of Rails but you'll need to install either the +json+ (for MRI) or +json_pure+ (for JRuby) gem.
+* Supports multiple Ruby versions: Ruby 1.8.7, 1.9.2, and JRuby.
+* Supports multiple databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MongoDB (1.7.0 and higher).
+* Supports Rails 3. If you need to use it with Rails 2 please see the <tt>rails2</tt> branch (no longer maintained, limited feature set).
+* Works very well outside of Rails but you'll need to install either the +json+ (for MRI) or +json_pure+ (for JRuby) gem.
 
 
 == Install
@@ -33,40 +32,69 @@ At the command prompt:
 
 == Configure Object Geocoding
 
-=== Required Attributes
+In the below, note that addresses may be street or IP addresses.
 
-*ActiveRecord:* Your object must have two attributes (database columns) for storing latitude and longitude coordinates. By default they should be called +latitude+ and +longitude+ but this can be changed (see "More on Configuration" below):
+=== ActiveRecord
+
+Your model must have two attributes (database columns) for storing latitude and longitude coordinates. By default they should be called +latitude+ and +longitude+ but this can be changed (see "More on Configuration" below):
 
   rails generate migration AddLatitudeAndLongitudeToModel latitude:float longitude:float
   rake db:migrate
 
 For reverse geocoding your model must provide a method that returns an address. This can be a single attribute, but it can also be a method that returns a string assembled from different attributes (eg: +city+, +state+, and +country+).
 
-*Mongoid:* Define your address and coordinate fields right in the model. You also need to include the <tt>Geocoder::Model::Mongoid</tt> module _before_ calling <tt>geocoded_by</tt>:
+Next, your model must tell Geocoder which method returns your object's geocodable address:
 
-  field :address
-  field :latitude,  :type => Float
-  field :longitude, :type => Float
+  geocoded_by :full_street_address   # can also be an IP address
+  after_validation :geocode          # auto-fetch coordinates
 
-  include Geocoder::Model::Mongoid
-  geocoded_by :address
+For reverse geocoding, tell Geocoder which attributes store latitude and longitude:
 
-=== Model Behavior
+  reverse_geocoded_by :lat, :lon
+  after_validation :reverse_geocode  # auto-fetch address
 
-In your model, tell Geocoder which method returns your object's full address:
+=== Mongoid
 
-  geocoded_by :full_street_address   # can also be an IP address
+First, your model must have an array field for storing coordinates:
+
+  field :coordinates, :type => Array
+
+You may also want an address field, like this:
+
+  field :address
+
+but if you store address components (city, state, country, etc) in separate fields you can instead define a method called +address+ that combines them into a single string which will be used to query the geocoding service.
+
+Once your fields are defined, include the <tt>Geocoder::Model::Mongoid</tt> module and then call <tt>geocoded_by</tt>:
+
+  include Geocoder::Model::Mongoid
+  geocoded_by :address               # can also be an IP address
   after_validation :geocode          # auto-fetch coordinates
 
-For reverse geocoding, tell Geocoder which methods return latitude and longitude:
+Reverse geocoding is similar:
 
-  reverse_geocoded_by :lat, :lon
+  include Geocoder::Model::Mongoid
+  reverse_geocoded_by :coordinates
   after_validation :reverse_geocode  # auto-fetch address
 
-If you have just added geocoding to a class and have a lot of existing objects you can use this Rake task to geocode them all:
+=== Bulk Geocoding
+
+If you have just added geocoding to an existing application with a lot of objects you can use this Rake task to geocode them all:
 
   rake geocode:all CLASS=YourModel
 
+Geocoder will print warnings if you exceed the rate limit for your geocoding service.
+
+
+== Request Geocoding by IP Address
+
+Geocoder adds a +location+ method to the standard <tt>Rack::Request</tt> object so you can easily look up the location of any HTTP request by IP address. For example, in a Rails controller or a Sinatra app:
+
+  # returns Geocoder::Result object
+  result = request.location
+
+See "Advanced Geocoding" below for more information about Geocoder::Result objects.
+
 
 == Location-Aware Database Queries
 
@@ -79,8 +107,9 @@ To find objects by location, use the following scopes:
 
 With geocoded objects you can do things like this:
 
-  obj.nearbys(30)                    # other objects within 30 miles
-  obj.distance_to(40.714, -100.234)  # distance from object to arbitrary point
+  obj.nearbys(30)                      # other objects within 30 miles
+  obj.distance_from([40.714,-100.234]) # distance from arbitrary point to object
+  obj.bearing_to("Paris, France")      # direction from object to arbitrary point
 
 Some utility methods are also available:
 
@@ -89,11 +118,11 @@ Some utility methods are also available:
    => [42.700149, -74.922767]
 
   # distance (in miles) between Eiffel Tower and Empire State Building
-  Geocoder::Calculations.distance_between( 47.858205,2.294359,  40.748433,-73.985655 )
+  Geocoder::Calculations.distance_between([47.858205,2.294359], [40.748433,-73.985655])
    => 3619.77359999382
 
   # find the geographic center (aka center of gravity) of objects or points
-  Geocoder::Calculations.geographic_center([ city1, city2, [40.22,-73.99], city4 ])
+  Geocoder::Calculations.geographic_center(city1, city2, [40.22,-73.99], city4)
    => [35.14968, -90.048929]
 
 Please see the code for more methods and detailed information about arguments (eg, working with kilometers).
@@ -101,19 +130,19 @@ Please see the code for more methods and detailed information about arguments (e
 
 == Distance and Bearing
 
-When you run a location-aware query the returned objects have two attributes added to them:
+When you run a location-aware query the returned objects have two attributes added to them (only w/ ActiveRecord):
 
 * <tt>obj.distance</tt> - number of miles from the search point to this object
 * <tt>obj.bearing</tt> - direction from the search point to this object
 
-The bearing is given as a number (between 0 and 360): clockwise degrees from due north. Some examples:
+Results are automatically sorted by distance from the search point, closest to farthest. Bearing is given as a number of clockwise degrees from due north, for example:
 
-* +0+ - due north
-* +180+ - due south
-* +90+ - due east
-* +270+ - due west
-* +230.1+ - southwest
-* +359.9+ - almost due north
+* <tt>0</tt> - due north
+* <tt>180</tt> - due south
+* <tt>90</tt> - due east
+* <tt>270</tt> - due west
+* <tt>230.1</tt> - southwest
+* <tt>359.9</tt> - almost due north
 
 You can convert these numbers to compass point names by using the utility method provided:
 
@@ -121,14 +150,23 @@ You can convert these numbers to compass point names by using the utility method
   Geocoder::Calculations.compass_point(45)  # => "NE"
   Geocoder::Calculations.compass_point(208) # => "SW"
 
-<i>Note: when using SQLite +distance+ and +bearing+ values are provided for interface consistency only. They are not accurate.</i>
+<i>Note: when using SQLite +distance+ and +bearing+ values are provided for interface consistency only. They are not very accurate.</i>
+
+To calculate accurate distance and bearing with SQLite or Mongoid:
+
+  obj.distance_to([43.9,-98.6])  # distance from obj to point
+  obj.bearing_to([43.9,-98.6])   # bearing from obj to point
+  obj.bearing_from(obj2)         # bearing from obj2 to obj
+
+The <tt>bearing_from/to</tt> methods take a single argument which can be: a <tt>[lat,lon]</tt> array, a geocoded object, or a geocodable address (string). The <tt>distance_from/to</tt> methods also take a units argument (<tt>:mi</tt> or <tt>:km</tt>).
 
 
 == More on Configuration
 
-You are not stuck with using the +latitude+ and +longitude+ database column names for storing coordinates. For example, to use +lat+ and +lon+:
+You are not stuck with using the +latitude+ and +longitude+ database column names (with ActiveRecord) or the +coordinates+ array (Mongoid) for storing coordinates. For example:
 
-  geocoded_by :address, :latitude  => :lat, :longitude => :lon
+  geocoded_by :address, :latitude  => :lat, :longitude => :lon # ActiveRecord
+  geocoded_by :address, :coordinates => :coords                # Mongoid
 
 The +address+ method can return any string you'd use to search Google Maps. For example, any of the following are acceptable:
 
@@ -146,30 +184,33 @@ If your model has +street+, +city+, +state+, and +country+ attributes you might
 
 For reverse geocoding you can also specify an alternate name attribute where the address will be stored, for example:
 
-  reverse_geocoded_by :lat, :lon, :address => :location
+  reverse_geocoded_by :lat, :lon, :address => :location  # ActiveRecord
+  reverse_geocoded_by :coordinates, :address => :loc     # Mongoid
 
 
 == Advanced Geocoding
 
-So far we have looked at shortcuts for assigning geocoding results to object attributes. However, if you need to do something fancy you can skip the auto-assignment by providing a block (takes the object to be geocoded and a <tt>Geocoder::Result</tt> object) in which you handle the parsed geocoding result any way you like, for example:
+So far we have looked at shortcuts for assigning geocoding results to object attributes. However, if you need to do something fancy you can skip the auto-assignment by providing a block (takes the object to be geocoded and an array of <tt>Geocoder::Result</tt> objects) in which you handle the parsed geocoding result any way you like, for example:
 
-  reverse_geocoded_by :lat, :lon do |obj,geo|
-    obj.city    = geo.city
-    obj.zipcode = geo.postal_code
-    obj.country = geo.country_code
+  reverse_geocoded_by :lat, :lon do |obj,results|
+    if geo = results.first
+      obj.city    = geo.city
+      obj.zipcode = geo.postal_code
+      obj.country = geo.country_code
+    end
   end
   after_validation :reverse_geocode
 
 Every <tt>Geocoder::Result</tt> object, +result+, provides the following data:
 
-* +result.latitude+ - float
-* +result.longitude+ - float
-* +result.coordinates+ - array of the above two
-* +result.address+ - string
-* +result.city+ - string
-* +result.postal_code+ - string
-* +result.country_name+ - string
-* +result.country_code+ - string
+* <tt>result.latitude</tt> - float
+* <tt>result.longitude</tt> - float
+* <tt>result.coordinates</tt> - array of the above two
+* <tt>result.address</tt> - string
+* <tt>result.city</tt> - string
+* <tt>result.postal_code</tt> - string
+* <tt>result.country_name</tt> - string
+* <tt>result.country_code</tt> - string
 
 and if you're familiar with the results returned by the geocoding service you're using, you can access even more (see code comments for details: <tt>lib/geocoder/results/*</tt>).
 
@@ -288,14 +329,6 @@ However, there can be only one set of latitude/longitude attributes, and whichev
 The reason for this is that we don't want ambiguity when doing distance calculations. We need a single, authoritative source for coordinates!
 
 
-== Request Geocoding by IP Address
-
-Geocoder adds a +location+ method to the standard <tt>Rack::Request</tt> object so you can easily look up the location of any HTTP request by IP address. For example, in a Rails controller or a Sinatra app:
-
-  # returns Geocoder::Result object
-  result = request.location
-
-
 == Use Outside of Rails
 
 You can use Geocoder outside of Rails by calling the <tt>Geocoder.search</tt> method:
@@ -305,6 +338,17 @@ You can use Geocoder outside of Rails by calling the <tt>Geocoder.search</tt> me
 This returns an array of <tt>Geocoder::Result</tt> objects with all information provided by the geocoding service. Please see above and in the code for details.
 
 
+== Notes on Mongoid
+
+=== The Near Method
+
+Mongoid document classes have a built-in +near+ scope, but since it only works two-dimensions Geocoder overrides it with its own spherical +near+ method in geocoded classes.
+
+=== Latitude/Longitude Order
+
+Coordinates are generally printed and spoken as latitude, then logitude ([lat,lon]). Geocoder respects this convention and always expects method arguments to be given in [lat,lon] order. However, MongoDB requires that coordinates be stored in [lon,lat] order as per the GeoJSON spec (http://geojson.org/geojson-spec.html#positions), so internally they are stored "backwards." However, this does not affect order of arguments to methods when using Mongoid. I mention this only in case you notice it and freak out. Don't worry. Everything is going to be OK.
+
+
 == Distance Queries in SQLite
 
 SQLite's lack of trigonometric functions requires an alternate implementation of the +near+ scope. When using SQLite, Geocoder will automatically use a less accurate algorithm for finding objects near a given point. Results of this algorithm should not be trusted too much as it will return objects that are outside the given radius, along with inaccurate distance and bearing calculations.
@@ -323,6 +367,13 @@ There are few options for finding objects near a given point in SQLite without i
 Because Geocoder needs to provide this functionality as a scope, we must go with option #1, but feel free to implement #2 or #3 if you need more accuracy.
 
 
+== Tests
+
+Geocoder comes with a test suite (just run <tt>rake test</tt>) that mocks ActiveRecord and is focused on testing the aspects of Geocoder that do not involve executing database queries. Geocoder uses many database engine-specific queries which must be tested against all supported databases (SQLite, MySQL, etc). Ideally this involves creating a full, working Rails application, and that seems beyond the scope of the included test suite. As such, I have created a separate repository which includes a full-blown Rails application and some utilities for easily running tests against multiple environments:
+
+http://github.com/alexreisner/geocoder_test
+
+
 == Known Issue
 
 You cannot use the +near+ scope with another scope that provides an +includes+ option because the +SELECT+ clause generated by +near+ will overwrite it (or vice versa). Instead, try using +joins+ and pass a <tt>:select</tt> option to the +near+ scope to get the columns you want. For example, in Rails 2 syntax:

data/Rakefile

@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ Rake::RDocTask.new do |rdoc|
 
   rdoc.rdoc_dir = 'rdoc'
   rdoc.title = "geocoder #{version}"
-  rdoc.rdoc_files.include('README*')
+  rdoc.rdoc_files.include('*.rdoc')
   rdoc.rdoc_files.include('lib/**/*.rb')
 end

data/VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.9.11
+0.9.12

data/lib/geocoder.rb

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ require "geocoder/configuration"
 require "geocoder/calculations"
 require "geocoder/cache"
 require "geocoder/request"
+require "geocoder/models/active_record"
+require "geocoder/models/mongoid"
 
 module Geocoder
   extend self
@@ -9,12 +11,16 @@ module Geocoder
   ##
   # Search for information about an address or a set of coordinates.
   #
-  def search(*args)
-    if blank_query?(args[0])
+  def search(query, *args)
+    # convert coordinates as separate arguments to an array
+    if query.is_a?(Numeric) and args.first.is_a?(Numeric)
+      warn "DEPRECATION WARNING: Instead of passing latitude/longitude as separate arguments to the search method, please pass an array: [#{query},#{args.first}]. The old argument format will not be supported in Geocoder v.1.0."
+      query = [query, args.first]
+    end
+    if blank_query?(query)
       results = []
     else
-      ip = (args.size == 1 and ip_address?(args.first))
-      results = lookup(ip).search(*args)
+      results = lookup(ip_address?(query)).search(query)
     end
     results.instance_eval do
       def warn_search_deprecation(attr)
@@ -43,10 +49,15 @@ module Geocoder
   end
 
   ##
-  # Look up the address of the given coordinates.
+  # Look up the address of the given coordinates ([lat,lon])
+  # or IP address (string).
   #
-  def address(latitude, longitude)
-    if (results = search(latitude, longitude)).size > 0
+  def address(query, *args)
+    if lon = args.first
+      warn "DEPRECATION WARNING: Instead of passing latitude/longitude as separate arguments to the address method, please pass an array: [#{query},#{args.first}]. The old argument format will not be supported in Geocoder v.1.0."
+      query = [query, lon]
+    end
+    if (results = search(query)).size > 0
       results.first.address
     end
   end
@@ -124,7 +135,7 @@ module Geocoder
   # dot-delimited 8-bit numbers.
   #
   def ip_address?(value)
-    !!value.match(/^(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})$/)
+    !!value.to_s.match(/^(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})$/)
   end
 
   ##

data/lib/geocoder/calculations.rb

@@ -22,51 +22,70 @@ module Geocoder
     KM_IN_MI = 0.621371192
 
     ##
-    # Calculate the distance spanned by one
-    # degree of latitude in the given units.
+    # Distance spanned by one degree of latitude in the given units.
     #
     def latitude_degree_distance(units = :mi)
       2 * Math::PI * earth_radius(units) / 360
     end
 
     ##
-    # Calculate the distance spanned by one degree of longitude
-    # at the given latitude. This ranges from around 69 miles at
-    # the equator to zero at the poles.
+    # Distance spanned by one degree of longitude at the given latitude.
+    # This ranges from around 69 miles at the equator to zero at the poles.
     #
     def longitude_degree_distance(latitude, units = :mi)
       latitude_degree_distance(units) * Math.cos(to_radians(latitude))
     end
 
     ##
-    # Calculate the distance between two points on Earth (Haversine formula).
-    # Takes two sets of coordinates and an options hash:
+    # Distance between two points on Earth (Haversine formula).
+    # Takes two points and an options hash.
+    # The points are given in the same way that points are given to all
+    # Geocoder methods that accept points as arguments. They can be:
+    #
+    # * an array of coordinates ([lat,lon])
+    # * a geocodable address (string)
+    # * a geocoded object (one which implements a +to_coordinates+ method
+    #   which returns a [lat,lon] array
+    #
+    # The options hash supports:
     #
     # * <tt>:units</tt> - <tt>:mi</tt> (default) or <tt>:km</tt>
     #
-    def distance_between(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2, options = {})
+    def distance_between(point1, point2, options = {}, *args)
+      if args.size > 0
+        warn "DEPRECATION WARNING: Instead of passing lat1/lon1/lat2/lon2 as separate arguments to the distance_between method, please pass two two-element arrays: [#{point1},#{point2}], [#{options}, #{args.first}]. The old argument format will not be supported in Geocoder v.1.0."
+        point1 = [point1, point2]
+        point2 = [options, args.shift]
+        options = args.shift || {}
+      end
 
       # set default options
       options[:units] ||= :mi
 
+      # convert to coordinate arrays
+      point1 = extract_coordinates(point1)
+      point2 = extract_coordinates(point2)
+
       # convert degrees to radians
-      lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2 = to_radians(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2)
+      point1 = to_radians(point1)
+      point2 = to_radians(point2)
 
       # compute deltas
-      dlat = lat2 - lat1
-      dlon = lon2 - lon1
+      dlat = point2[0] - point1[0]
+      dlon = point2[1] - point1[1]
 
-      a = (Math.sin(dlat / 2))**2 + Math.cos(lat1) *
-          (Math.sin(dlon / 2))**2 * Math.cos(lat2)
+      a = (Math.sin(dlat / 2))**2 + Math.cos(point1[0]) *
+          (Math.sin(dlon / 2))**2 * Math.cos(point2[0])
       c = 2 * Math.atan2( Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1-a))
       c * earth_radius(options[:units])
     end
 
     ##
-    # Calculate bearing between two sets of coordinates.
+    # Bearing between two points on Earth.
     # Returns a number of degrees from due north (clockwise).
     #
-    # Also accepts an options hash:
+    # See Geocoder::Calculations.distance_between for
+    # ways of specifying the points. Also accepts an options hash:
     #
     # * <tt>:method</tt> - <tt>:linear</tt> (default) or <tt>:spherical</tt>;
     #   the spherical method is "correct" in that it returns the shortest path
@@ -76,15 +95,27 @@ module Geocoder
     #
     # Based on: http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html
     #
-    def bearing_between(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2, options = {})
+    def bearing_between(point1, point2, options = {}, *args)
+      if args.size > 0
+        warn "DEPRECATION WARNING: Instead of passing lat1/lon1/lat2/lon2 as separate arguments to the bearing_between method, please pass two two-element arrays: [#{point1},#{point2}], [#{options}, #{args.first}]. The old argument format will not be supported in Geocoder v.1.0."
+        point1 = [point1, point2]
+        point2 = [options, args.shift]
+        options = args.shift || {}
+      end
+
       options[:method] = :linear unless options[:method] == :spherical
 
+      # convert to coordinate arrays
+      point1 = extract_coordinates(point1)
+      point2 = extract_coordinates(point2)
+
       # convert degrees to radians
-      lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2 = to_radians(lat1, lon1, lat2, lon2)
+      point1 = to_radians(point1)
+      point2 = to_radians(point2)
 
       # compute deltas
-      dlat = lat2 - lat1
-      dlon = lon2 - lon1
+      dlat = point2[0] - point1[0]
+      dlon = point2[1] - point1[1]
 
       case options[:method]
       when :linear
@@ -92,9 +123,9 @@ module Geocoder
         x = dlat
 
       when :spherical
-        y = Math.sin(dlon) * Math.cos(lat2)
-        x = Math.cos(lat1) * Math.sin(lat2) -
-            Math.sin(lat1) * Math.cos(lat2) * Math.cos(dlon)
+        y = Math.sin(dlon) * Math.cos(point2[0])
+        x = Math.cos(point1[0]) * Math.sin(point2[0]) -
+            Math.sin(point1[0]) * Math.cos(point2[0]) * Math.cos(dlon)
       end
 
       bearing = Math.atan2(x,y)
@@ -119,15 +150,12 @@ module Geocoder
     #
     def geographic_center(points)
 
-      # convert objects to [lat,lon] arrays and remove nils
-      points.map!{ |p| p.is_a?(Array) ? p : p.to_coordinates }.compact
-
-      # convert degrees to radians
-      points.map!{ |p| to_radians(p) }
+      # convert objects to [lat,lon] arrays and convert degrees to radians
+      coords = points.map{ |p| to_radians(extract_coordinates(p)) }
 
       # convert to Cartesian coordinates
       x = []; y = []; z = []
-      points.each do |p|
+      coords.each do |p|
         x << Math.cos(p[0]) * Math.cos(p[1])
         y << Math.cos(p[0]) * Math.sin(p[1])
         z << Math.sin(p[0])
@@ -157,14 +185,26 @@ module Geocoder
     # roughly limiting the possible solutions in a geo-spatial search
     # (ActiveRecord queries use it thusly).
     #
-    def bounding_box(latitude, longitude, radius, options = {})
-      units = options[:units] || :mi
-      radius = radius.to_f
+    # See Geocoder::Calculations.distance_between for
+    # ways of specifying the point. Also accepts an options hash:
+    #
+    # * <tt>:units</tt> - <tt>:mi</tt> (default) or <tt>:km</tt>
+    #
+    def bounding_box(point, radius, options = {}, *args)
+      if point.is_a?(Numeric)
+        warn "DEPRECATION WARNING: Instead of passing latitude/longitude as separate arguments to the bounding_box method, please pass an array [#{point},#{radius}], a geocoded object, or a geocodable address (string). The old argument format will not be supported in Geocoder v.1.0."
+        point   = [point, radius]
+        radius  = options
+        options = args.first || {}
+      end
+      lat,lon = extract_coordinates(point)
+      radius  = radius.to_f
+      units   = options[:units] || :mi
       [
-        latitude  - (radius / latitude_degree_distance(units)),
-        longitude - (radius / longitude_degree_distance(latitude, units)),
-        latitude  + (radius / latitude_degree_distance(units)),
-        longitude + (radius / longitude_degree_distance(latitude, units))
+        lat - (radius / latitude_degree_distance(units)),
+        lon - (radius / longitude_degree_distance(lat, units)),
+        lat + (radius / latitude_degree_distance(units)),
+        lon + (radius / longitude_degree_distance(lat, units))
       ]
     end
 
@@ -196,6 +236,14 @@ module Geocoder
       end
     end
 
+    def distance_to_radians(distance, units = :mi)
+      distance.to_f / earth_radius(units)
+    end
+
+    def radians_to_distance(radians, units = :mi)
+      radians * earth_radius(units)
+    end
+
     ##
     # Convert miles to kilometers.
     #
@@ -230,5 +278,19 @@ module Geocoder
     def mi_in_km
       1.0 / KM_IN_MI
     end
+
+    ##
+    # Takes an object which is a [lat,lon] array, a geocodable string,
+    # or an object that implements +to_coordinates+ and returns a
+    # [lat,lon] array. Note that if a string is passed this may be a slow-
+    # running method and may return nil.
+    #
+    def extract_coordinates(point)
+      case point
+        when Array; point
+        when String; Geocoder.coordinates(point)
+        else point.to_coordinates
+      end
+    end
   end
 end