UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Week 6: Area Computation

I. Introduction
The common reason why area computation is needed is for planning and design construction
purposes. An example of this are laying out of subdivisions, the construction of dams, highways,
bridges and, etc. Area computation also has with connection with transfer land titles from one
owner to the other owner.

Land areas may be calculated by several different methods: It can be by graphical method in
which the traverse is plotted in a scale on a sheet of graph paper can be used for roughly
estimated area. Triangle method in which the traverse is divided into triangles and the area of
triangles are computed separately. Other methods are by Double Meridian Distance (DMD)
method and Double Parallel Distance (DPD) which are discussed in this section.

II. Objective
After completion of this course the student should be able to:
a.) Compute the area of a closed traverse using DMD and DPD method.

III. Area by Double Meridian Distance Method

A. Double Meridian Distance

The meridian distance of a line is defined as the shortest distance from the midpoint of the
line to the reference meridian. The double meridian distance of a line is the meridian
distance multiplied by two. The use of Double Meridian Distance DMD is to determine the
area of a closed traverse.

Three Rules for computing DMD for each course of traverse:

Rule 1: The DMD of the first course is equal to the departure of the
course.

Rule 2: The DMD of any course is equal to the DMD of the

preceeding course, plus the departure of the preceesing course ,
plus the departure of the course itself.

Rule 3: The DMD of the last course is numericaly equal to the

departure of the course , but with the oposite sign

To determine the double area, the DMD of the line course is multiplied by the corresponding adjusted
latitude of the course, or

SURVEYING v.1.0 BY JUDY B. TORDILLA, RCE

UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Double Area= DMD (Adjusted Latitude)

The double area in turn recorded in (+) plus and (-) minus column which corresponded to North Double
Area (NDA) or South Double Areas (SDA). The traverse Area is then equal to algebraic sum of both
double areas:

Area= ½ (ƩNDA +ƩSDA)

Example: 1.1
Determine the area using the DMD method with the given tabulation below:

Line Adj. Latitude Adj. Departure

(+) N (-) S (+) E (-) W
AB 480.56 47.52
BC 584.23 608.42
CD 319.14 776.78
DE 997.35 218.22
EF 125.32 1,110.22
FA 377.02 540.72
SUM +1441.81 -1441.81 +1650.94 -1650.94

Solution:
Computation of DMD’s: Refer rules for Computing DMD

DMDab= 47.52
DMDbc = 47.52 + 47.52 + 608.42 = 703.46
DMDcd = 703.46 + 608.42 + 776.78 = 2088.66
DMDde = 2088.66 + 776.78 + 218.22 = 3083.66
DMDef = 3083.66 + 218.22 -1110.22 = 2191.66
DMDfa = 2191.66 -1,110.22 -540.72 = +540.72

Computation of Double Areas: DMD (Adjusted Latitude)

DAab = 47.52 x 480.56 = 22,836.211

DAbc = 703.46 x 584.23 = 410,982.436
DAcd = 2088.66 x -319.14 = -666,574.952
DAde = 3083.66 x -997.35 = -3,075,488.301
DAef = 2191.66 x -125.32 = -274,658.832
DAfa = 540.72 x 377.02 = 203,862.254
ƩDA= -3,379,041.184
Therefore:
2 x Area = -3,378,841.184
Area= |−𝟏, 𝟔𝟖𝟗, 𝟓𝟐𝟎. 𝟓𝟗𝟐| sq.m

SURVEYING v.1.0 BY JUDY B. TORDILLA, RCE

UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Tabulated Solution
LINE DMD DOUBLE AREAS
+NDA -SDA
AB 47.52 +22,836.211
BC 703.46 +410,982.436
CD 2088.66 -666,574.952
DE 3083.66 -3,075,488.301
EF 2191.66 -274,458.254
FA 540.72 203,862.438
SUM +637,679.085 -4,016,521.507

IV. Area by Double Parallel Distance Method

Instead of using departures, successive of course of latitudes are used. Parallel distance can
also be computed in a similar manner to meridian distances. The parallel distance of a line
is defined as the distance from the midpoint of the line reference parallel or the east west
line. Similarly, the double parallel distance of a line is equal to twice its parallel distance.

Three Rules for computing DPD for each course of traverse:

Rule 1: The DPD of the first course is equal to the latitude of the
course.

Rule 2: The DPD of any course is equal to the DPD of the preceeding
course, plus the latitude of the preceesing course , plus the latitude
of the course itself.

Rule 3: The DPD's of the last course is numericaly equal to the latitude
of the course , but with the oposite sign

Double areas can be determined by multiplying the DPD of each course by the corresponding adjusted
departure of the course, or

Double Area= DPD (Adjusted Departure)

The double area in turn recorded in (+) plus and (-) minus column which corresponded to East Double
Area (EDA) or West Double Areas (WDA), respectively. The traverse Area is then equal to algebraic sum
of both double areas:

SURVEYING v.1.0 BY JUDY B. TORDILLA, RCE

UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Area= ½ (ƩEDA +ƩWDA)

Example: 2

1. Using the data in Example number 1, determine the area using the closed traverse DPD
method.

Line Adj. Latitude Adj. Departure

(+) N (-) S (+) E (-) W
AB 480.56 47.52
BC 584.23 608.42
CD 319.14 776.78
DE 997.35 218.22
EF 125.32 1,110.22
FA 377.02 540.72
SUM +1441.81 -1441.81 +1650.94 -1650.94

Solution:
Computation of DPD’s: Refer rules for Computing DPD

DPDab= 480.56
DPDbc = 480.56 + 480.56 + 584.23 = 1545.35
DPDcd = 1545.35 + 584.23 – 319.14= 1810.44
DPDde = 1810.44 – 319.14 -997.35 = 493.95
DPDef = 493.95 -997.35-125.32 = -628.72
DPDfa = -628.72 -125.32 + 377.02 = -377.02

Computation of Double Areas: DPD (Adjusted Departure)

DAab = 480.56x 47.52 = 22,836.211

DAbc = 1545.35 x 608.42 = 940,221.847
DAcd = 1810.44x 776.78 = 1,406,313.583
DAde = 493.95 x 218.22 = 107,789.77
DAef = -628.72 x -1,110.22= 698,017.518
DAfa = -377.02 x -540.72 = 203,862.254
ƩDA=3,379,041.184
Therefore:
2 x Area = 3,379,041.184
Area= 1,689,520.592 sq.m
LINE DPD DOUBLE AREAS
+EDA -WDA
AB 480.56 +22,836.211

SURVEYING v.1.0 BY JUDY B. TORDILLA, RCE

UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

BC 1545.35 +940,221.847
CD 1810.44 +1,406,313.583
DE 493.95 +107,789.77
EF -628.72 +698,017.518
FA -377.02 +203,862.254
SUM +3,379,041.184
V. Laboratory
Refer to laboratory manual

VI. Exercises

1. For the given set of data of adjusted latitudes and departure shown below. determine the area
of each traverse. (in sq.m and ha.) using Double Meridian distance method (DMD) and Double
Parallel Distance (DPD).
a.)

Line Adj. Latitude Adj. Departure

(+) N (-) S (+) E (-) W
AB 715.20 1200.53
BC 414.25 401.78
CD 1735.58 419.88
DE 200.70 1606.43
EF 617.69 456.66
FG 849.81 212.69
GA 233.57 667.97
SUM +2383.40m -2383.40m +2482.97m -2482.97m

b.)

Course Adj. Latitude Adj. Departure

(+) N (-) S (+) E (-) W
1-2 281.28 281.06
2-3 168.75 449.32
3-4 337.56 281.22
4-5 112.50 450.66
5-6 450.03 225.08
6-1 450.06 335.86
SUM +900.09mm -900.09m +1011.60m -1011.60m

I. Quiz

Please be ready with the quiz 2

SURVEYING v.1.0 BY JUDY B. TORDILLA, RCE

UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

SURVEYING v.1.0 BY JUDY B. TORDILLA, RCE