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A FIELD REPORT ON COMPASS SURVEYING A REPORT BY RABI SHRESTHA

Technical Report · August 2020

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 CHAPTER VII

A FIELD REPORT ON
COMPASS SURVEYING
A REPORT BY RABI SHRESTHA
-frozenrabi28@gmail.com

1
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................4

Compass surveying: ....................................................................................................................4

1.2 OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................4

1.3 SCOPE OF WORK: ..........................................................................................................4

1.4 TERMS USED IN COMPASS SURVEY ..........................................................................6

2. METHODS .............................................................................................................................8

2.1 Instrument used .................................................................................................................8

2.2Area of the project ..............................................................................................................8

2.3Specification used for project .............................................................................................8

2.4 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................9

2.4.1 Reconnaissance: .............................................................................................................9

2.4.2Marking of stations: .....................................................................................................9

2.4.3 Measurement of length: ..............................................................................................9

2.4.5 Measurement of Bearing: ............................................................................................9

2.4.6 Taking details: ............................................................................................................9

2.4.7 Recording: ..................................................................................................................9

2.4.8 Error adjustment: ...................................................................................................... 10

2.4.9 Plotting: .................................................................................................................... 10

3.Output, Analysis and Discussion ........................................................................................... 11

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List of Tables
Table 1: Comparison between Prismatic compass and surveyors compass
Table 2: Output data of Compass Survey

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1. INTRODUCTION

Compass surveying:
Compass surveying is the branch of surveying in which directions of survey lines are determined
by an instrument known as compass and their lengths by chaining or taping directly on the
surface of the earth.

Principle of compass survey:

The principle of compass surveying is traversing which involves a series of connected lines.
Compass survey is recommended when:-
 A large area to be surveyed.
 The area is crowded with many details.
 Triangulation is not possible.

1.2 OBJECTIVES
The major objective of compass survey is:

 To take the detail of an area to prepare planimetric map.

The sub-objectives includes:

 To learn about ranging.

 To locate ourself on the map.

 To determine the bearing of traverse leg.

1.3 SCOPE OF WORK:

The scope of this project is to prepare the planimetric map of small area with the help of compass
survey. The compass provided was surveyors with least count of 1° so the accuracy greater than
this is not under the scope our work.

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 Comparison of Surveyor compass and Prismatic compass

Basis Surveyor Compass Prismatic Compass

i) The graduated ring is attached

i) The Graduated ring is with the needle and doesn’t
Graduated attached to the box and rotate with line of sight.
Ring rotates along the line of sight.
ii) The graduation have 0° at S,
ii) The graduation have 0° at N 90° at W, 180° at N and 270°
and S and 90° at E and W at E.

i) The readings are taken i) The readings are taken with

directly by seeing through top the help of a prism provided at
Reading
of the box glass. the eye vane.
System
ii) Sighting and reading cannot ii) Sighting and reading can be
be done simultaneously. done simultaneously.

Tripod The instrument cannot be used The instrument can be held in hand
without tripod. also while making the observation.

Vanes The eye vane consists of small vane The eye vane consists of metal vane
with a small slit. with a large slit.

Table 1: comparison of surveyors and prismatic compass

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1.4 TERMS USED IN COMPASS SURVEY

 Meridian: The reference line with respect to which horizontal angle of survey lines are
measured.
 Bearing: Horizontal angle between the reference meridian and the survey line measured
in clockwise or anticlockwise direction.
 True meridian: The true meridian passing through a point on the earth surface is the line
in which a plane passing through the given point and the geographic (true) north and
south poles, intersects the surface of earth.
 True bearing: The horizontal angle measured clockwise between the true meridian and
the line is called true bearing of the line.
 Grid meridian: For survey of country, the true meridian passing through the central
place is sometimes taken as a reference meridian for the whole country. Such a meridian
is known as Grid meridian. This eliminates the effect of convergence of meridians.
 Grid bearing: The horizontal angle which a line makes with the grid (central) meridian
is grid bearing.
 Magnetic Meridian: The direction indicated by the freely suspended magnetic needle
unaffected by local attractive forces.
 Magnetic bearing: The horizontal angle which a line makes with the magnetic meridian
is magnetic bearing.
 Arbitrary meridian: sometime survey of a small area a convenient direction is assumed
as a meridian known as Arbitrary meridian.
 Arbitrary bearing: The horizontal angle which a line makes with the arbitrary meridian
is arbitrary bearing.
 Fore bearing: The bearing of line measured in forward direction.
 Back bearing: The bearing of line measured in backward direction.
 Whole circle bearing: The horizontal angle measured in clockwise direction from North
limb of meridian. It varies from 0˚ to 360˚.

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 Quadrantal bearing: The acute angle which line makes with meridian. It is measured in
clockwise or anti-clockwise direction from North or South.
 Local Attraction: In the presence of magnetic materials, the magnetic-needle deviates
from magnetic meridian and thus, provides wrong direction of line. This deviation arise
due to local sources so, it is called local attraction.

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2. METHODS

2.1 Instrument used

 Wooden pegs

 Ranging rod

 Surveyor’s compass

 Tape

2.2Area of the project

The project area is located at Lalitpur-22, Pharsidol. It covers area of Mass Nepal which includes
man-made features like houses, pounds, playing ground etc.

2.3Specification used for project

Angular unit: Degree

Linear unit: meter

No. of sets: 1

Distance: Double (two way)

Least count: 60’ (angle)

Least count: 2mm (distance)

Angular observation: Surveyors Compass

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2.4 METHODOLOGY
For compass surveying following methods were applied:

2.4.1 Reconnaissance:

During reconnaissance the intervisibility between two stations was checked. The station was kept
in fairly level ground. The station was kept minimum that is 5. Every station was kept such that
features or object on the ground are equally distributed.

2.4.2Marking of stations:
Five stations were marked with the help of wooden pegs. Rough sketch was prepared of
each stations, so that it would help while preparing map.

2.4.3 Measurement of length:

The distance between traverse legs were measured twice and mean of the length was
taken as actual length.

2.4.5 Measurement of Bearing:

The compass was firstly fitted over the tripod and was leveled. The fore bearing and back
bearing were measured with the help of surveyor compass. So, the result shown by the freely
suspended magnetic needle was dependent upon the initial position of the graduated circle.

2.4.6 Taking details:

For detailing of the features, ranging rod near the details was bisected by looking through
the sight vanes. Angular measurements in quadrantal bearings were observed and linear
measurement from station to the details was measured with the help of tape.

2.4.7 Recording:
Both angular and liner measurement were recorded in the field book.

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2.4.8 Error adjustment:

Adjustment of angle:
All back bearing of traverse legs were converted to fore bearing and mean of these
bearings were computed.

Adjustment of length:
The error on length was adjusted by graphical method.

2.4.9 Plotting:
In suitable scale the details of the features were plotted first on the tracing paper and then
on the permatrace in order to prepared planimetric map.

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3.Output, Analysis and Discussion
Station Fore-bearing Length (meter)

A-B 114˚ 57.99

B-C 158˚ 30.69

C-D 199˚ 51.7

D-E 311˚ 79.2

E-A 16˚ 52.02

Closing Error: 0.5 mm Table 2

The closing error was adjusted with graphical method and the adjusted traverse stations were
plotted on tracing paper. Finally, details were plotted and inked.

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 4. Conclusion:
Hence, with the help of compass and tape traverse stations were established, details of the
area were collected and finally map was prepared.

**Field books containing data of Compass Surveying are attached in annexes.

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