Example Problems

4. Compute and tabulate the bearings of a regular hexagon given the starting bearing of side AS = S 50°10'E (Station C is
easterly from B).
COMPASS SURVEYING
INTRODUCTION:
❑Compass surveying is a surveying technique that makes use of a
compass to determine the direction of survey lines. This is a relatively
simple technique that is often used in the early stages of surveying
before more sophisticated techniques are employed.

❑Before transits, theodolites and total station instruments were invented,

directions of lines and angles were determined using compasses.

❑Compass surveying is a kind of surveying in which surveying lines’

directions are established using a magnetic compass and their lengths
are measured using a tape, chain, or laser range finder.
TYPES OF COMPASS:
SURVEYOR’S COMPASS
• Surveyor’s compass is an
instrument for determining
difference in direction between any
horizontal line and a magnetic
needle, the needle pointing towards
the magnetic north.
• A surveyor’s compass is made out
of a circular brass box carrying a
magnetic needle that swings freely
over a 360-degree brass circle.
- The instrument consists of:
(A) a metal baseplate
(B) two sight vanes
(C) The compass box
(D) two small level vials
- are mounted on the baseplate, the level
vials being perpendicular to each other.
- When the compass was set up and the
bubbles in the vials centered, the compass
(a) Surveyor’s compass. (b) Compass box.
box was horizontal and ready for use.
The compass box of the surveyor’s compass was covered with glass to protect the
magnetized steel needle inside. The needle was mounted on a pivot at the center of a circle
that was graduated in degrees. A top view of a surveyor’s compass box with its
graduations is illustrated in (b). In the figure, the zero graduations are at the north and
south points of the compass and in line with the two sight-vane slits that comprise the line
of sight. Graduations are numbered in multiples of 10° clockwise and counterclockwise
from 0° at the north and south, to 90° at the east and west.
PRISMATIC COMPASS
• A prismatic compass is a portable
magnetic compass that may be
used as a handheld device or
mounted on a tripod. It has a prism
that is used to accurately measure
readings.
• The best feature of this compass is
that it can be used for both sighting
and reading without moving
position.
LEVEL COMPASS
• The level compass is a simple,
needle-style compass with a spirit
level at its center, fixed to require no
adjustment for accuracy.
• It is used for surveying horizontal
angles such as angles in a building
and related measurements and is
accurate only when the card’s plane
of rotation remains perpendicular to
the horizontal plane.
 COMPASS SURVEYING EQUIPMENTS:
1. Compass (Surveyor’s compass, Prismatic or Level Compass)
2. Tape Measure - With a tape-measure it is easy to measure any kind of distance because the
tape-measure can go straight through any contour.
3. Tripod - is a device made of two poles that are linked together in the center by three legs, each
leg has a round section on its bottom. The round section rests on the ground and the legs are
adjusted so that their top is at the same level.
4. Chaining Rods -is a device that can be used to measure the distance between two points.
5. Plumb Bob - is a tied weight that hangs from a string or wire. The weight has a line attached to
it that is marked with measurements. The plumb bob can be used to find the height of an object
because the plumb bob points at the center of gravity of a straight object.
6. Arrow is a straight stick that has been sharpened at the end and is used to point at something.
Arrows can be made from any kind of material but are usually made from metal or plastic.
7. Ranging rod is a measuring tool that can measure the exact distance between two points. It is
essentially a rod with a known length and an attached scale. Ranging rods have different scales
to allow for measurements that are in multiples of 2, 3 or 5 meters. Ranging rods come in sets
of 4, 6 or 8 meters and are used in gaging work when it’s important to be able to measure
precise distances.
COMPASS SURVEYING USES:
1. It is useful for checking plans and subdivision maps.
2. It is helpful to establish a point of reference to make the total station or GPS systems more
accurate.
3. it is used for temporary surveying as well as permanent work such as land surveys, boundary
surveys, topographical maps, aerial surveys, and layout projects.
4. Compass surveying is used to determine the length of each side of a triangle, any curve, and any
circle.
5. It is also used in the construction industry to measure slopes and as a checking tool when
constructing lines and relative positions of objects.
6. In road and railway construction, it is used to check elevations and the straightness of alignments.
7. It is also used in mining, oil prospecting, and land grading.
8. Compass Surveying is also used in gas exploration, oil drilling, and other fields that require
measurements in remote locations.
9. In geological exploration, compass surveying is used to determine the length and direction of a
line.
10.Compasses are used in archaeology to survey relics such as temples, graves or rock carvings.
SOURCES OF ERRORS IN COMPASS WORKS
1. Needle bent – if the needle is not perfectly straight, a constant error is
introduced in all observed bearings. The needle can be corrected by using
pliers.

2. Pivot Bent – if the point of the pivot supporting the needle is not at the center
of the graduated circle, there is introduced a variable systematic error, the
magnitude of which depends on the direction in which the compass is
sighted. The instrument can be corrected by bending the pivot until the end
readings of the needle are 180o apart for any direction of pointing.
3. Plane of sight not vertical or graduated circle not horizontal.
4. Sluggish
5. Reading the needle
6. Magnetic Variations
PRINCIPLE OF COMPASS:
The earth acts as a powerful magnet and like any magnet forms of magnetic
force which exerts a directive action on a magnetized bar of steel or iron. A
freely suspended magnetic needle will align itself in a direction parallel to the
lines of magnetic force of the earth at that point and indicate the magnetic north.
The imaginary line on the surface of the earth joining a point and the true North
and South geographical poles indicate. the true north or Astronomical North. The
horizontal angle between true north and magnetic north is known as declination.
The earth's magnetic force not only aligns a freely suspended magnetic needle
along magnetic north and south but also pulls or dips one end of it below the
horizontal position. The angle of dip varies from 0" near the equator to 90° at the
magnetic poles. To overcome this dip a small weight is placed on one side of the
needle so that it can be adjusted until the needle is horizontal.
MAGNETIC DECLINATION
-Magnetic declination is the horizontal angle observed from the geodetic meridian to the magnetic meridian.
Navigators call this angle variation of the compass; the armed forces use the term deviation.
-Declination may be towards east or west. (SEE FIGURE)
-When the magnetic north is towards the west of true north, the declination is west or negative, when towards
east, it is east declination or positive.
-The declination at any location can be obtained (if there is no local attraction) by establishing a true meridian
from astronomical observations and then reading the compass when sighting along the true meridian.

(a) West or negative declination. (b) East or positive declination.

-A line on a map or chart connecting points that have the same declination is called isogonic lines.
-An agonic line consists of points having zero declination.
VARIATION OF MAGNETIC DECLINATION:
❑ SECULAR VARIATION of declination occurs over a long period of time approximately for 250
years. The magnitude also is very high. However, this variation does not follow any general
law or mathematical law. It can be obtained only from detailed charts and tables derived from
observations. For example. in London, the declination was 11oE in 1580 and 24oW in 1820.In
Paris it was 11oE in 1680 to 22oW in 1820. Secular variation is very important in the work of
the surveyor and unless mentioned otherwise variation in declination means secular variation
❑ANNUAL VARIATION means variation over a year. It is roughly l' to 2' in amplitude. It varies
from place to place.
❑DAILY VARIATION means variation over a day. It depends on the following. four factors:
1. Locality-It is greater near poles and less near equator,
2. Season-It is greater in summer than in winter.
3. Time-It is more during day and less during night. The rate of variation over 24hr is
quite irregular.
4. Year-The daily variation changes from year to year.
❑IRREGULAR VARIATION is caused by unpredictable magnetic 'disturbances and storms. The
magnitude of variation is more than a degree.
LOCAL ATTRACTION
- The difference between the true magnetic north and the north , pointed by the magnetic
needle at a particular station should be corrected before true bearings of the lines may
be obtained.

- Normally a magnetic needle points towards magnetic north and as such remains
parallel to itself at all stations of the compass survey. However, if there are magnetite in
the ground, wires carrying electric current, steel structures, iron pipes near a station,
they deflect the needle, and the needle no longer points to the true magnetic north.

- Normally the back (whole circle)bearing and fore (whole circle) bearing of a line should
differ by 180°. If they do not, it may be due to observational error or local attraction.

- If observational and instrumental errors are eliminated, the local attraction can be
computed.
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS:
1. At a time a survey was run , the magnetic declination was 6o50’E. The magnetic bearings of several
lines observed at the time were as follows:
AB = N26o20’W BC = S4o40’E
CD = N2o15’E DE = S58o00’E
EF = N88o30’W
These lines are to be retraced using a compass when the declination is 0o30’W. What bearing should be
set off on the compass?
2. The observed compass bearing of a line in 1981 was S 37o30’E and the magnetic
declination of the place then was known to be 3o10’W. it has also discovered that during
the observation local attraction of the please at that moment of 5oE existed,. Find the
azimuth of the line.
3. The bearing of a line from A to B was measured as S16o30’W. it was found that there
was a local attraction at both A and B and therefore a forward and a backward bearing
were taken between A and a point C at which there was no local attraction. If the
bearing of AC was S30o10’E and that of CA was N28o20’W, what is the corrected
bearing of AB?
4. In a particular year, the magnetic declination was 1o10’E and the magnetic bearing of
the line DE was N16o30’W. if the secular variation per year is 3’E., determine the
magnetic bearing of the line DE 5 years later?
5. Following are the data regarding a closed compass traverse PQRS taken in clockwise
direction.
(i) Fore bearing and back bearing at station P are 55° and 135° respectively.
(ii) Fore bearing and back bearing of line RS =211° and 31° respectively.
(iii) Internal angles LQ =100°, LR =105°.
(iv) Local attraction at station R =2°W
(v) All the observations were free from all the errors except local attraction

From the above data calculate

(i) local attractions at stations P and S
(ii) corrected bearings of all the lines