11th/

09/ 2018

Lecture 5

COMPUTATION OF TWO
MISSING SURVEY DISTANCES

Heva Honeaki
In surveying it is essential and
important that most surveys have to
be related to outstanding land marks
on the ground for future references.
Some of these land marks may not be
easily reached by distance
measurements, may be due to their
locations or too far away.
For example:
You were carrying out road survey along the
highway and there on the top of a mountain
kilometer away you see a digicel tower pole. This
tower will remain for many years so it needs to be
related to the new road to be constructed.

So the surveyor makes bearings observation from

at least two survey points to this tower, from which
by computations the distances can be calculated
and thus the co ordinates of the tower.
 Sketch
Survey Control points MP507, MP508, MP509 & MP510 are part of Lae-Nadzab
Highway Control Survey. To connect to the tower on the right; bearings
observations were made from MP508 and MP509 respectively. The distances
computations are done below.
Exercise:
Computations;
Data we have:
We have an oblique triangle to solve. We have one distance
and three lines of known bearings.

1. Calculate the angles of each point

2. Sketch and label the triangle with appropriate angles, A, B & C. Note the rules
of triangles.

3. Using the SINE Rule b/sin B = c/sin C = a/sin A

Calculate the two missing distances.
 Computation of Angles

A angle = 127 29’20 ̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” - 47 37’55”

̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55”
= 79 51’
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” 25”

B angle = (227 37’55 ̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” +180) - 141 10’25”

̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55”
= 86 27’
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” 30”

C angle = 180 ̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” - (79 51’25”+

̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” 86 27’30”)
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55”
= 13 41’05”
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55”

 Computation of Distances
a = (c/sinC) x sinA
= (215.275/ sin 13 41’05”)
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” x sin 79 51’
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” 25”
= 895.728m

b = (c/sinC) x sinB
= (215.275/sin 13 41’05”
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” ) x sin 86 27’
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55” 30”
= 908.201m
 Computation of Coordinates
Calculate the co ordinates of the Digicel Tower if survey
point MP 508 co ordinates E= 999624.682 N=
9262792.619m. The calculated coordinates will enable
the tower connection to the road survey.

Co ordinates of tower
E DT = EMP 508 + H.Dist x sinѲ
= 999624.682m MP 508 + 908.201m x sin 127 29’20”
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55”
= 1000345.314

N DT = EMP 508 + H.Dist x cosѲ

= 9262792.619mMP 508 + 908.201m x cos 127 29’20”
̊29’20 - 47 ̊37’55”
= 9262239.405
 Tutorial Exercise One
Another case example, (refer to sketch below) is observations to the tower are only possible
from STN 1 and STN 6 of the Survey Control.
The computation is slightly lengthy by:
1. Requires computation of Missing Bearing and Distance between 1 & 5
2. The determination of the missing B/D in 1 creates an oblique triangle requiring computations
similar to the previous one. Where the Angle @ 1 is 90°30’30” and @ 6 is 70°45’45”.
Traverse Sketch
TWO MISSING BEARINGS
Line R S is a survey line with bearing and distance to known
points. Point P is a survey point and is connected by distances only
from R and S respectively. Usually two missing bearings have two
solutions, i.e., point P can also be on the right of line R S.

It may be such that the co ordinates of R and S are given which
requires calculation of the bearing and distance between them.

The Bearings of R P and S P have to be calculated.

Surveying Viewpoint Formula

Cos R = (MD)2 + (d2)2 –(d1)2 / 2 (MD) ( d2)

Cos S = (MD)2 + (d1)2 –(d2)2 / 2 (MD) ( d1)

Mathematical Viewpoint Formula

Cos A = b2 + c2 –a2 /2 b c

Cos C = a2 + b2 – c2 / 2 a b
 Example:
ThGiven the data as:
MD = 78.305m ̊30’15”
MB = 75 30’15” d1
= 47.802m d2 = 50.223m
Calculate the bearings of RP and SP. Then calculate
the Bearings of RP and SP on the right side of survey
line RS.

̊34’32” & SP bearing 293

ANS: RP bearing 39 34’32” & SP bearing 293
̊34’32” & SP bearing 293 33’56
RHS : RP bearing 111 25’59” ̊34’32” & SP bearing 293 & SP bearing 217
̊34’32” & SP bearing 293 26’36”
End of Lecture!!!