GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL

MINISTRY OF LAND MANAGEMENT, COOPERATIVES AND POVERTY ALLIVATION

Field Report

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Manjia Niraula
Land management

Pawan oli Training center

Bibek kafle Dhulikhel,Kavre

2075/10/06
 Repot has been prepared by the secondary source of knowledge a well as the Field
observations during chain survey. This is entirely dedicated for enhancement of practical
knowledge for students.

Acknowledgement
This report has been prepared in the platform of the field hold by land
management training centre for the students of diploma in Geomatics
engineering, batch of 2017 Ad in the month of poush of 2075 Bs.

Report contains introduction to chain surveying, its objectives,

methodology adopted, outputs from field observations and many more
with conclusions and recommendations. Field survey was taken out
with the participation of individual groups. Each group had three
members so, this report is successfully prepared with the proper
engagement and mutual performance of Bibek kafle, Pawan Oli,
Manjila Niraula .

We are so glad having inspiring teachers around us. The total activities
were succeed with the helpful teachers. We are so thankful to Program
coordinator Mr.Tanka Prashad Dahal. Similarly, we are greatful to Dr.Er
Pradip Sapkota for his inspiring coordination during field. we are
thankful to Govind sir, laxman sir too for their helpful supports to us.

In this report the survey outputs are given with the secondary
knowledges as well.
 Table of contents
1) Introduction
-Chain survey

-Principle

-History

-Types of chain

2) Field Procedures
3) Objectives
4) Methodology
-Data used

-instrument used

-Specification

-study area

-methods

-limitations

5) Outputs
6) Result and Discussions
7) Conclusion & Recommendation
8) References
INTRODUCTION
CHAIN SURVEY:
Chain survey is the method of detailing or mapping by taking linear
measurement only using chain/tape without taking any angular
measurement. Only two dimensions can be measured by this survey
but not the elevations.

Principle of Chain survey

Chain triangulation i.e Survey area is divided into networks of triangles
of suitable size and length of each side of triangle is measured with
chain/tape. Triangle is chosen as the geometry because triangle is only
geometrical shape that can be plotted completely without taking any
angular measurement.

While constructing the triangles each angle of angle should lie between
30 to 120 degree, which would avoid the propagation of error. Such
triangle is called well conditioned triangle .Else it is called ill conditioned
triangle.

Well conditioned triangle Ill conditioned triangle

IT IS SUITABLE IF
 Low or medium accuracy is sufficient
 Area is flat & free of vegetation
 The area is open and less crowded.

History of Chain Survey…

 The chain has been used for several centuries in England and in
some other countries influenced by English practice. In the United
Kingdom, there were 80 chains to the mile, but until the early
nineteenth century the Scottish and Irish CostomaryScottish and
Irish customary miles were longer than the statute mile;
consequently a Scots chain was about 74 (imperial) feet, an Irish
chain 84 feet. These longer chains became obsolete following the
adoption of the imperial system in 1824.This unit ceased to be
permitted to be "used for trade" in 1985.

 The surveyors chain was first mentioned 1579 and appears in an
illustration in 1607. In 1593 the English mile was redefined by a
statute of Queen Elizabeth I as 5280 feet, to tie in with
agricultural practice. In 1620, the polymath Edmund Gunter
developed a method of accurately surveying land using a
surveyors chain 66 feet long with 100 links. The 66 feet unit,
which was four perches or rods, took on the name the chain. By
1675 it was accepted, and Ogilby wrote:
 ...a Word or two of Dimensurators or Measuring Instruments,
whereof the mosts usual has been the Chain, and the common
 length for English Measures 4 Poles, as answering indifferently to
the Englishs Mile and Acre, 10 such Chains in length making a
Furlong, and 10 single square Chains an Acre, so that a square
Mile contains 640 square Acres...'
 John Ogilby, Britannia, 1675
 From Gunter's system, the chain and the link became standard
surveyors' units of length and crossed to the colonies. The
thirteen states of America were expanding westward and the
public land had to be surveyed for a cadastral . In 1784 Thomas
Jefferson wrote a report for the Continental Congress proposing
the rectangular survey system; it was adopted with some changes
as the Land Ordinance of 1785 on 20 May the following year. In
the report, the use of the chain as a unit of measurement was
mandated, and the chain was defined.
 The chain is the unit of linear measurement for the survey of the
public lands as prescribed by law. All returns of measurement in
the rectangular system are made in the true horizontal distance in
links, chains, and miles. The only exceptions to this rule are special
requirements for measurement in feet in mineral surveys and
townsite surveys.

 Linear Measurement
 1 Chain = 100 links or 66 feet
 1 Mile = 80 chains or 5,280 feet
 Area Measurement
 1 Acre = 10 square chains or 43,560 square feet (An acre is the
area of 10 square chains or one chain by one furlong (of ten
chains)).
 1 Square Mile = 640 acres.

Types of chain
 Metric chain- total length:20m/30m

-Total links:100/150 links

- Tallies gap: 2m
-Link length: 0.2m

 Engineer’s chain- Total length: 100ft

-Total links: 100 links

-Tallies gap: 10ft

-Link length: 1ft

  Gaunter’s chain- Total length:66ft

-Total links:100

-Link length: 0.66ft

 Revenue chain- Total length: 33ft

-Total links:16
-link length:2.0625ft

The principle of chain surveying is to provide a skeleton framework of straight

lines, which can be plotted to scale if the lengths of these lines are pre-determined
either with a chain or a surveying tape.

The framework must mostly consist of triangles.

For example, if all the four sides of the figure “ABCD” are known, the figure
cannot be plotted unless we know at least the magnitude of one angle.

But if we divide the figure into two triangles by a diagonal AC or BD whose length
has previously been determined, the plotting is possible due to the formation of
triangles of known sides.

Or in other words, if the lengths AB, BC, CD, DA, and BD are known, the
quadrilateral ABCD can be plotted without knowing any angle.

Base Line:
The longest chain line in chain surveying is often called the base line. It is the most
Important line, fixes up the directions of all other lines.

Since the accuracy of the whole survey work depends upon the accuracy of the
base line, it should be laid off on the ground level as much as possible.

Base Line should pass through the center of the area. It is measured very
accurately, and all the necessary corrections are applied.

Check Line:

The mistakes made in the measurements as well as in plotting any of the lines may
distort the actual figure. Which is liable to pass unnoticed.

These mistakes could be avoided by performing the whole survey twice or thrice,
but this may also be discovered by making cross measurements which are called
proof lines or check lines.

For example, The quadrilateral ABCD in the below Figure can be plotted even if
only the lengths of AB, BC, CD, DA, and BD are known.

But the mistake in any line cannot be detected unless it is significant enough to
change the shape of the figure. Or it is such that two sides of a triangle appear less
than the third side.

For this reason, the length of the other diagonal AC scaled from the plan should be
equal to its length measured on the ground.

This line will enable the checking of the plotting, and hence it is called “check
line”.
Chain Surveying Procedure:
For chain surveying, at least two men are required, but frequently three people are
employed.

They are:

(1) The surveyor, who does the reading and booking,

(2) The leader, and

(3) The follower.

(i) To start the chaining of a line the follower holds the zero end of the chain in
contact with the peg at the beginning of the line and presses the handle with his
feet and stands firmly over it.

(ii) The leader holds another end of the chain and goes along with the arrows and
ranging rods on the line.

(iii) Nearly at the end of the chain length, he stops and aligns with the help of
ranging rod which he keeps vertical and faces the follower, who gives him
instructions by his arms.

(iv) After alignment, the leader pulls the chain and inserts an arrow in to the
ground to mark the end.

(v) The lateral measurements or offsets are taken from the chain line to any object
that is to be plotted on the plan.

(vi) The chain line should be such that these offsets are as short as possible. While
pulling the chain, care should be taken.

(vii) After taking the offsets, the leader picks up the staff rod and remaining arrows
keeping the chain a little away from the line so that the arrow placed is not
disturbed, starts moving ahead as before.

Watch the Video Below for Better understanding.

(viii) As the follower reaches the arrow with the near end of the chain, he should
speak loud “chain” or “tape” to give a warning to the leader that he has nearly
reached the arrow or a chain length and immediately the leader stops.

(ix) The follower holds the handle against the arrow and directs the leader to come
in line as before.

(x) The leader again stretches the chain and fixes the arrow in the ground at
another chain length or make a cross if the ground is firm.

(xi) Again, the leader walks in the line in the same manner and the follower now
picks up the first arrow, comes to the second arrow and gives instructions for the
third chain length.

(xii) Thus, the whole process is repeated until the end of the line is reached.

(xiii) The number of arrows with the follower is an indication of the number of full
chain lengths completed at any time.

(xiv) After some time the number of arrows should be checked mutually by the
follower and the leader so that no chain length is missed and no arrow is lost.

Generally, the number of arrows taken is ten and hence after fixing the tenth arrow,
the leader speaks out “arrows” which means that this was the tenth chain line.

(xv) The follower then goes to the tenth arrow and picks it up after fixing a ranging
rod there. The arrows are then handed over to the leader, and a record is made in
the field book by the surveyor.

(xvi) For the fractional length of the Chain, the leader stretches the chain beyond
the end station. While the follower holds the rear handle of the chain against the
last arrow.

The leader reads the fractional chain length loudly, and the surveyor notes the
entire length of the line.

The duties of the follower 

(i) To give signals and instructions to the leader.

(ii) To place the leader in the line of the ranging rod.

(iii) To carry the rear handle.

(iv) To pick up the arrows.

The duties of the leader

(i) To stretch the chain forward.

(ii) To insert the arrow at every chain length.

(iii) To obey the directions given by the follower.

Recording the measurements in the Field Book.

The field book is an oblong book with a hinge at the narrow edge, and the chain is
represented in it by one or two red lines or blue lines ruled down centrally along
the length of each page.

The booking or recording of the field work is commenced from the bottom of the
first page. The double line book is better because the main chain line readings are
separated from offset readings.

The station points are lettered or numbered, and a small rectangle or triangle is
drawn in the field book to enclose the chaining figure at the station points.

The lines meeting at the station point are also marked, and the reference sketches
are drawn on field book, and after this line survey, lines are run by chaining.

When a chain survey is to be conducted the necessary equipment should be taken,

and reconnaissance or preliminary inspection, of the area, should be made.

By this inspection, the surveyor can judge the network.

Wooden pegs & ranging rods mark the station points.

Then, the stations are marked the reference sketches are drawn on field book, and
after this, the survey lines are run by chaining.

Precautions.
The following points should be kept in view while booking the field notes.
(i) All the measurements should be recorded as soon as they are taken.

(ii) Each chain line should be recorded on a separate page of the field book.

(iii) Figuring and writing should be neat, and legible overwriting of the figures
should be avoided completely.

(iv) The notes should be complete, and nothing should be left to memory.

(v) Notes should be so full and neat that the draftsman who is unfamiliar with the
area surveyed may plot easily

(vi) Neat reference sketches should be given in the field book, and explanatory
notes should be added.

(vii) The field book should be kept clean, and no entry should be made in it, nor it
should be rubbed.

If an entry is wrong, a line should be drawn through it, and the count entry is made
over it.

if an entire page of the Field book is to be discarded, it should be crossed and

marked canceled and reference of the other page in which the correct entries are
made should be given on the canceled page.

OBJECTIVES
1) Selection of framework and control points
2) For direct method of linear measurement.
3) Setting out offsets .
4) Finding Linear distance between two points.

5)Detailing an area without angular measurement

METHODOLOGY
a) Data used
 Primary Data:
-Primary Data in the report is collected by the original source of knowledge
and by the field observation .Primary data like distance between two points
, offset distance and knowledge obtained from instrumental construction
and its works.

 Secondary Data :
Secondary data in the report is collected by different journals, publications
and internet source. Secondary data like history of chain survey has been
collected from specific journal.

b)Instruments used
 20m Metric chain
 Optical square
 Plumb bub
 30m glass fiber tape
 2m Ranging rod

Similarly equipments like scale, paper, pencil etc were used during plotting
in the office.
C) Specification
Base line was made exactly 20 long during field and other main line were
constructed .we were taught that the angle between two survey line should
be around 30-120 degree and they must be in equal proportion while
making triangular shape in the field but we were not able to do so. We
constructed ill conditioned triangle because of difficult landscape of survey
area.

d) Study area
This survey field helps us to enroll ourselves in practical knowledge with
the help of theory based knowledge. So all the field activities were taken
by above principle of chain surveying.

e)Methods
Both kinds of primary and secondary source of data were used to
prepare this report. All the methods used during field were given in
procedure above.
f) Limitations
The report is totally based on the field work we had done recently. All
the field activities were taken in the supervision of the Land
management training centre.

Result & Discussion

Hence, Chain survey Is suitable if the survey area is less crowded with
details &survey work with less accuracy. It is good for the survey of flat
land but we were provided steep land so, it was difficult to locate base
line and other main lines and there was difficulties to locate details too.
Details were not at the same flat surface so difficulties occurred. So we
concluded that chain survey is easy and accurate at flat surface.

Conclusion & Recommendation

Therefore, we came to the conclusion that chain surveying was one of
the important mean of land surveying at old time and modern survey is
also inspired by the principle of chain surveying. We were aware about
the construction of more than three lines without angular
measurement. We learned chain survey helps to give horizontal position
but not an elevation of point.

We recommend Land management training centre to facilitate students

with new equipments and to make these field activities more systematic
and regular.
References: wikipedia , Fundamental of surveying Book by SK
Duggal
Presented By:
Manjila niraula
Pawan Oli
Bibek Kafle