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TACHEOMETRIC SURVEY
Mohd Effendi Daud (Assc. Prof., Sr., Dr.Sc)
B.Surv (UTM, Malaysia) Msc (UTM, Malaysia), Dr.Sc., (Nagoya Univ., Japan)
(Geomatic Division)
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering,
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, MALAYSIA.
Phone : +6074564380; +60197363740; Fax : +6074536588
E-mail : effendi@uthm.edu.my
Web: http://www.fkass.uthm.edu.my/

INTRODUCTION
oThis method of survey consists of using either a level,
theodolite, “total station”, or specially constructed
tacheometer to make cross hair intercept reading on a leveling
staff. As the angle subtended by the crosshairs is known, the
distance can be calculated.

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DEFINITION
o Tacheometry is an optical solution to the measurement of
distance and elevation (vertical distance).
o The word is derived from the Greek Tacns, meaning ‘swift’, and
metrot, meaning ‘a measure’.

METHODS OF TACHEOMETRY
oPresent day methods of tacheometry can be classified in one of
the following three groups.
oThe last two groups will not be cover in these lectures.
–Stadia System,
–Electronic Tacheometry (Total Station Tacheometry),
–Subtense Bar System, and
–Optical Wedge System

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STADIA SYSTEM
oIn stadia method, a theodolite is set up at one station and staff
is held at another station. The staff intercept (S) which is the
difference between the upper stadia and the lower stadia hair
is measured.
oThe vertical angle () is also measured.

STADIA SYSTEM
oThe horizontal distance (D) between the Center of Instrument
and staff stations is computed using staff intercept (S) and the
vertical angle ().

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STADIA SYSTEM
oThere are two types of stadia method
–Fixed Hair Method
• In fixed hair method, the vertical spacing between upper and lower stadia hairs,
called stadia interval I, is fixed, while the staff intercept (S) varies depending
upon horizontal distance between the instrument station and the staff station.
–Movable Hair Method

STADIA SYSTEM
oThe fixed hair method is the most commonly employed method
for tacheometric measurements. Figure 1.0 shows the types of
diaphragms used in a fixed hair stadia tacheometer
(theodolite).

Fig. 1.0: Types of diaphragms

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STADIA SYSTEM
oIn stadia method, the staff is held vertical, the line of sight may
be horizontal or inclined either in upward direction or
downward direction.
oThere can be three cases as given below:
–Line of sight horizontal,
–Line of sight inclined upward, and
–Line of sight inclined downward.

STADIA SYSTEM
Line of Sight Horizontal
–Let us assume that the line of sight is horizontal. Figure 2.0 shows the
outline of telescope with its axis horizontal. The staff is held vertically.
A, B & X : positions of lower, upper, and
middle hair the staff.
a, b & x : positions of lower, upper, and
middle hairs
ab : i (stadia interval)
c : distance from object lens to the center
of the instrument
AB : S (staff intercept)
D : distance between the instrument &
staff

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STADIA SYSTEM
From the diagram, triangles AOB, aOb are similar
• Line of Sight Horizontal OX U AB
 
ox V ab
From the lens equation:
1 1 1
 
U V f
Multiply both sides by Uf:
U
U ff
V
From the equation 1.0 and 2.0:
AB S f
U ff U ff U S f
ab i i
The horizontal distance:
D U c
f
D  S  ( f  c)
i
If multiplicative constant, C=f/i, and additive constant, K =f + c,
The tacheometric distance formula may be stated as: D  CS  K

STADIA SYSTEM
Line of Sight Inclined Upward
–Distance and Elevation Formula

oThe theory discussed so far, in The Stadia System, all applies to

the situation where the staff is held vertically and the line of
sight of the telescope is horizontal.
oIt is very seldom, however, that this situation occurs in practice

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STADIA SYSTEM
oGenerally a theodolite is sighted to a level staff held vertically
(by use of a bubble), which gives rise to the situation below.

STADIA SYSTEM
• Let the actual distance between upper and lower
stadia be S and the required projection of it at
right angles to IQ be s1

 D  Cs1  K , but s1  s cos

Now S  D cos
 Cs cos2   k cos

Also V  D sin 
 Cs cos sin   k sin 
Sc sin 2
  k sin 
2
In practice,

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STADIA SYSTEM
The difference in height between
The two points is given by:

H  HI  V  CL
And the Relative Level (R.L) of
The points is given by

RL  RLA  HI  V  CL

STADIA SYSTEM - SUMMARY

Case : Line of Sight Horizontal Case : Line of Sight lnclined

*** Notes ***

Constant “C” is usually kept 100 and Constant “K” is kept 0 by manufacture

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WORK EXAMPLE 1
o Determine the difference in elevation and the horizontal distance between
the points A and B from the following observations.

The instrument was set up at O at 1.500 m height, and the RL of

Station O was 12.635 m.

Calculate the following:

(i) Horizontal distances OA and OB
(ii) RLs of station A and B
(iii) Difference in elevation between A and B

WORK EXAMPLE 2
o The following observations obtained from tacheometry survey.

The RL of P is 58.775 m. Determine the distances PQ and QR and the

Reduced levels of Q and R.

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TOTAL STATION TACHEOMETRIC

oUsed a Total Station, able to read distance by reflecting off a
prism.
oThe stadia procedure is used less and less often these days,
more commonly geomatics engineers or civil engineers use a
Total Station
oThis instrumentation has facilitated the development of this
method of detail and contour surveying into a very slick
operation.
oIt is now possible to produce plans of large areas that
previously would have taken weeks, in a matter of days.

TOTAL STATION TACHEOMETRIC

S  D cos
RL  RLA  HI  V  HT

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DETAILING & BOOKING

oTacheometric surveys are generally conducted for contouring,
and plotting the details of the area on undulating ground.
oThere are two main steps in tacheometric surveys:
–Running a traversing around the area to be surveyed,
–Locating details and elevations of the features in the area with
reference to the traverse stations

DETAILING & BOOKING

Figure above shows a part of the traverse with three stations A, B and C and
Some features in the area. The following observation procedure is adopted
For detailing.

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Procedure – Reconnaissance Survey

DETAILING & BOOKING

Procedure
–Set up the instrument at a station (say station B), centre and level it
accurately.
–Measure the height of instrument (HI) from the top of the peg at the
station to the centre of the trunion of the instrument.
–Orientate the instrument correctly with respect to a reference line
(traverse line) whose bearing from the station is already known by
traversing.

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DETAILING & BOOKING

Procedure … cont.,
–Take the pole reading held vertical on the nearest available temporary
benchmark (TBM) to determine the reduced level of the instrument
station.
–Located the detail points around the traverse station (B) as given
below:
• Observe the horizontal angle between the reference line and the line from the
instrument station towards the point of interest.
• Observe the vertical angle and the pole readings.
Repeat the steps above for all the points of interest.

DETAILING & BOOKING

From Inst. Target
To Stn RL Stn Bearing HD VD RL Remarks
Stn Height Height
S1 S2 1.260 1.400 46 03 17 35.456 1.350 0.988 Reference stn
P1 " 120 15 50 30.44 " -0.239 1.071 Tree 1
P2 " 125 10 10 31.234 " 0.234 1.544 Tree 2

S3 S4 1.345 1.35 120 20 10 34.567 1.35 1.567 Reference stn

R1 " 125 10 10 25.678 " -0.345 1.000 Road 1

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ACCURACY AND TYPES OF ERRORS

oBesides all the errors discussed in the topic on total station,
there are four (4) specific sources of errors needed to be
mentioned in tacheometric observations
–Staff readings
–Tilt of the pole or staff
–Vertical angle, and
–Horizontal angle

PLOTTING OF TACHEOMETRIC DATA

oThe process of tying the topographic details to the control
stations fixed by traversing is called detailing.
oA map is the final product of a
tacheometric survey.

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PLOTTING OF TACHEOMETRIC DATA

Type of Maps
o Maps produced or normally used by engineers may fall into one of the
following three categories:
– Topographic maps 1:50,000 to 125,000 which shows natural and cultural features
of an area.
– Plans 1:10,000 or larger, which shows boundaries and main features like roads,
bridges and main buildings.
– Detail survey plans (construction plans) at 1:1,000 – 1:250

PLOTTING OF TACHEOMETRIC DATA

Plotting Methods
o Can be carried out manually, or by employing computer aided design
(CAD) systems.
o The procedure consists fundamentally of plotting individual points,
regardless of which method is used.
– Lines are drawn from point to point to show the features.
– Points can be plotted in different ways using distances and directions, and lines
can be scaled and plotted directly.

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PLOTTING OF TACHEOMETRIC DATA

Plotting Methods
o There are two main methods of plotting details as discussed below:
– Plotting by Coordinates
– Plotting by Angle/bearing and Distances.

PLOTTING OF TACHEOMETRIC DATA

Map Layout
o The surveyed area should be plotted to fit neatly in the centre of a map
sheet at the largest possible scale.
–North Direction
• Every map must display a north line for orientation purpose.
–Topographic Symbols (Legends)
• Standard symbols should be used to portray topographic features.
–Title of Map
• Place title of the map where it is balanced on the sheet.

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PLOTTING OF TACHEOMETRIC DATA

Map Layout

Tacheometry Plan

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CONTOURING AND CROSS-

SECTIONS
Mohd Effendi Daud (Assc. Prof., Sr., Dr.Sc)
B.Surv (UTM, Malaysia) Msc (UTM, Malaysia), Dr.Sc., (Nagoya Univ., Japan)
(Geomatic Division)
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering,
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, MALAYSIA.
Phone : +6074564380; +60197363740; Fax : +6074536588
E-mail : effendi@uthm.edu.my
Web: http://www.fkass.uthm.edu.my/

CONTOURING
oFor planning and development of an engineering project, the
engineer requires the topographic of the natural ground.
oAn understanding of contours is therefore essential in the
interpretation of surface topography.
oSome basic understanding of contours is as follow:

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CONTOURING

CONTOURING
oA contour is an imaginary line connecting all points of the
same elevation above or below a datum.
oContours of different elevation cannot cross each other
except in the case of overhanging cliff or a cave.
oThe height between successive contours is called the contour
interval
• Its value depends on the variation in height of the area being
contoured.
• The contour interval is kept constant for a plan or map

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CONTOURING
oThe plan spacing between contour line indicates the
steepness of slopes.
• Closely spaced lines indicated a steep slope
• Widely spaced lines indicate a gentle slope.

CONTOURING

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CONTOURING
Production of contours
o There are TWO types of contouring method:
–Direct Methods, and
–Indirect Method:
• from random spot heights
• from a grid of spot heights

CONTOUR INTERPOLATION & PLOTTING

oThere are THREE methods of interpolating contours:
–Mathematical calculation,
–Graphical method, and
–Estimation method.

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PROFILE AND CROSS-SECTIONS

oProfiles (longitudinal sections) is generally carried out along the
center line of a proposed alignments e.g. highways, railways,
pipelines or canals.
oThe profile is usually plotted with the vertical scale much larger
than the horizontal scale.
oThe term cross-sectioning refers to a relatively short profile
view of the ground, which is drawn perpendicular to the route
center line of a highways or other linear type projects.

PROFILE AND CROSS-SECTIONS

oCross-section drawing are particularly important for estimating
the earthwork volumes needed to construct a roadway, canal,
railroad, etc.
oThey show the existing ground elevations, the proposed cut or
fill side slopes, and the grade elevation for the road base.
oFor one route profile, there are many cross-sections; a km-long
route, for example, will have more than 100 cross-sections
every 50 m.

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MAPS & PLANS

Mohd Effendi Daud (Assc. Prof., Sr., Dr.Sc)
B.Surv (UTM, Malaysia) Msc (UTM, Malaysia), Dr.Sc., (Nagoya Univ., Japan)
(Geomatic Division)
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering,
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, MALAYSIA.
Phone : +6074564380; +60197363740; Fax : +6074536588
E-mail : effendi@uthm.edu.my
Web: http://www.fkass.uthm.edu.my/

MAP
• A map is a graphical representation of a portion of the earth’s
surface drawn to scale, as seen from above.
• It uses colors, symbols, and label to represent features on the
ground.

Why uses Colors, Symbols, and Label?

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MAP
• A map provides information on the existence, the location of,
and the distance between ground features, such as populated
places and routes of travel and communication.
• It also indicate variation in terrain, height of natural features,
and the extent of vegetation cover.

PLAN
• Plan is a graphic representation of characteristics of
topographic features, proposed alteration to the existing
landscape (design), functional planning or route design plan.
• Most plans are drawn to a large scale.

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MAP & PLAN

Differencing Map & Plan
–The essential difference between maps and plans is their use.
• Maps – as a inventory, portray the detail (topographic, surface features,
boundaries, etc.)
• Map can be of a general nature. Such as topographic maps and published by
DSMM.
• Scales normally ranging 1:24,000 down to 1:1,000,00 (small scale)

MAP & PLAN

Differencing Map & Plan
–The essential difference between maps and plans is their use.
• Plans or engineering plans-mostly refer to engineering works.
• All features showing by a true scale (not like map showing all features by
symbols)
• Scales normally ranging from 1:10 to 1:1,000 (large scale)

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MAP & PLAN

Metric Scale Contour Typical uses

• Summary of map and Large Scale 1:10

Interval
0.5 m, and Detail
Detail
plan scale 1:50
1:100
1m
Detail, Profiles
Profiles
1:200 Municipal Design Plan,
1:500 Site Engineering
1:1000

Medium 1:2000 2m Engineering Studies and

Scale 1:5000 5m Planning (e.g., drainage
areas, route planning
1:10,000 10 m

Small Scale 1:20,000 Topographic Map,

1:25,000 Geological Map, Special
purpose maps and
1:50,000
atlases
1:100,000
1:200,000
1:500,000

Pheewww! End of Part V

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THANK YOU
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM)
86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat
Johor, Malaysia

Tel: +607-453 7000

Fax: +607-453 6337

http://www.facebook.com/uthmjohor

@uthmjohor

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