--- a/python/moving.py	Fri Jul 14 16:48:42 2017 -0400
+++ b/python/moving.py	Mon Jul 17 01:38:06 2017 -0400
@@ -865,6 +865,23 @@
         positions = self.getPositions().asArray().T
         return cdist(positions, positions, metric = metric).max()
 
+    def getClosestPoint(self, p1, maxDist2 = None):
+        '''Returns the instant of the closest position in trajectory to p1 (and the point)
+        if maxDist is not None, will check the distance is smaller
+        TODO: could use cdist for different metrics'''
+        distances2 = []
+        minDist2 = float('inf')
+        i = -1
+        for p2 in self:
+            distances2.append(Point.distanceNorm2(p1, p2))
+            if distances2[-1] < minDist2:
+                minDist2 = distances2[-1]
+                i = len(distances)-1
+        if maxDist2 is None or (maxDist2 is not None and minDist2 < maxDist2):
+            return i
+        else:
+            return None
+
     def similarOrientation(self, refDirection, cosineThreshold, minProportion = 0.5):
         '''Indicates whether the minProportion (<=1.) (eg half) of the trajectory elements (vectors for velocity) 
         have a cosine with refDirection is smaller than cosineThreshold'''