MAGM 230

Field Surveying

Principles of Surveying

Mr. Conrado
 Definition
• Surveying
– The act of determining horizontal
distances, differences in elevation,
directions, positions, areas and
volume at or near the earths
surface.
– Incident are locations, graphs,
maps, profiles, contours, cross
sections and diagrams.
• Importance
– Mark boundaries and divide land.
– Highways, canals, bridges,
buildings, tunnels, ditches, dams,
drains, water supply systems, pipe
lines, etc.
 Applications in Agriculture
• Measure acreages
• Lay out
– Boundaries
– Fence lines
– Ditches
– Tree and crop rows
– Drain tiles or line of slope
– Square corners and angles
– Buildings
– Field contours
 Training required
• Anyone can be a surveyor
• Degree
– Not a requirement but would help
in advancement.
• Civil Engineer
– 6 years of experience and one of
those must be as head of party.
– Pass state board exam.
• Wages
– $60.00+/hour
– Usually two assistants at minimum
wage up to $15.00/hour.
• Other surveying jobs
– Land leveling, pipeline installation,
building and plot layout, etc.
 History of surveying
• Had beginnings in Egypt 1400 BC
– Annual floods washed away all
plot markers and had to be
determined for taxation
• Romans 4th to 6th century
– Used ancient plumb bobs, levels,
and straight edges
• 18th century
– Survey advanced rapidly
– Surveyed US coats
– Started the Geodetic Survey in
1807
 Types of Surveys
• Plane
– Curvature of the earth negated
• Geodetic
– Curvature considered, used for
long lines and large areas.
• Land and Boundary Surveys
– Establish property corners and
land lines.
– Usually a closed survey
• Starts and stops at the same
point.
• Topographic
– Map preparation, shows land
contours, natural and artificial
features, also elevation
 Types of Surveys
• Route
– Hiways, pipelines,
RR, power lines.
• Hydrographic
– Lakes, streams,
reservoirs
• Construction
– Location and
elevation provided
for structures
• Photogrammatic
 Types of Measurements
• Plane surveying
– Linear measurements-
made on or reduced to
the horizontal plane
• Elevations
– Distance above or
below a reference
• Points are located in
horizontal or vertical
planes by determining
their positions with
respect to an
established point.
 Measuring
• Four kinds of measurements form
the basis for all plane surveying
– Horizontal distance
– Horizontal angles
– Vertical distance
– Vertical angles
• Therefore the basis for surveying
techniques are therefore:
– Actual linear measurement of a
given line
– Determination of angle from a
given line
– Erection of right triangle from a
given line.
– Actual measurement of angles
and intersections
– Distance from 1 point, angle
from another
– Intersection diagnosis
 Units of Measure
• Basic units are for length and
angle
– The Foot – King Edward I
proclaimed that one inch was
equal to three corns of barley laid
end to end.
– The meter – Is defined as one
wavelength of the element
Krypton by an international
committee that worked 19 years to
come to consensus on October
1960.
 Units of Measure
– 1 yard = 3 feet
– 1 meter = 39.37” = 3.2808’
– 1 rod = 16.5’
– 1 gunters chain = 66’ = 100 links =
4 rods
– 1 mile = 5280’ = 80 chains
– 1 engineer’s chain = 100’ = 100
links (read in tenths of a foot)
– 1 degree = 1/360 of the angle
around a point
– 1 degree = 60 minutes
– 1 foot = 60 seconds
– Radian = 57.3 degrees
° - ‘ - “ to Decimal
Degrees
 1 degree = 60 minutes
 1 minute = 60
32°15’24”
 seconds
24” = 24/60’ = 0.4’
 15’24” = 15.4’
= 15.4/60° =
0.2567°
 32°15’24” = 32.2567°
 Most calculators do
trig calculations using
decimal degrees -
 Geometry of a Circle
23°18’
Total angle = 360°
4 quadrants - NE, SE, SW,
NW NE
NW - each total 90°
Angles typically measured SW SE
East from North or East
from South
Clockwise (CW) and
360° - 23°18’ = 336°42’
Counterclockwise
(CCW) angles add to
360°
 Geometry of a
Circle
N
 Transit sited along line AB,
105°15’ clockwise from North. C
135°4
 Transit is turned 135°42’ 2’ 105°1
counterclockwise to site on C. 5’
A
 Determine the direction of line AC.
 105°15’ - 135°42’ = -30°27’ B
 Counterclockwise – angle gets smaller
224°1
 Negative result – add 360 8’
 -30°27’ + 360° = 329°33’
 Or: 360° - 135°42’ =
 224°18’
105°15’ + 224°18’ =
329°33’
 Direct and Indirect Measurement
• Direct measurement
– Applying a tape to a line
– Applying a protractor to a line
– Turning an angle with a transit
• Indirect
– Secured when direct
measurement is not possible.
Always will be in relation to some
other measured quantity. Thus
some knowledge of math
functions are necessary
 Errors in Measurement
• No measurement is exact – every
measurement contains an error.
• Mistake
– Caused by misunderstanding the
problem, carelessness, or by poor
judgment.
 Sources of Errors
• Natural errors
– Caused by wind, temperature,
humidity, refraction, gravity, and
magnetic declination.
• Instrumental errors
– Caused by imperfections in
construction or adjustment of
instruments. ie; tape sag,
misleveled instrument
• Personal errors
– Arise from the limitations of
human senses to sight, touch, and
hearing.
 Types of Errors
• Systematic
– Known as cumulative errors.
Corrections can be made to
eliminate them.
• Accidental
– Errors remaining after mistakes
and systematic errors have been
eliminated. Caused by factors out
of control of observer and obey
law of probability.
 Magnitude of Errors
• Discrepancy –
– Difference between 2 measured
values of the same quantity. Small
discrepancy means no mistakes
and very little accidental error.
• Precision
– Denotes relative or apparent
nearness to truth and is based on
refinement of measurements and
size discrepancies. Degree
precision is dependant of
sensitivity of equipment and skill of
observer.
• Agreement
– Implies accuracy as well as
precision but does not insure.
 Elimination of Errors
• Need to reduce and eliminate
constantly
• Mistakes
– Can be corrected if discovered
• Comparisons
– Compare measurement to knows,
common sense, estimations
• Repeat
– If mistake is found best to repeat
process
• Significant figures
– Include all positive digits plus one.
• ie; 1007.5
 Elimination of Errors
• Rounding numbers
– If greater than 5 round up
– If less than 5 round down
– If exactly 5 go to next even
number
• ie; 78.375 = 78.38
• ie; 78.365 = 78.36
 Field Box Inventory
• 100 foot tape
• 11 surveyor’s arrows
• 10 auxiliary pins
• 1 hand axe
• 1 plumb bob
• 1 hand level
• 1 magnifying glass
• 4 wood stakes
• 100 foot string
• 1 wiping rag
• 1 marking crayon
 Field Parties
• Next class meeting you will need
to organize a field party. A field
party consists of three members.
• After the parties are organized we
will assign equipment for each
party.