DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-DASMARINAS

College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology

Depart of Engineering
Civil and Sanitary Engineering Program

CEET 223: FUNDAMENTALS OF SURVEYING 2

2nd SEM SY 2022-2023
Professor: Engr. Dolphy F Fadriquela

●MODULE 2: TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY

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Gospel Devotion

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
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Pray without ceasing.
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In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Prayer

Unceasing, incessant prayer is essential to the vitality of your relationship to the Lord and
your ability to function in the world.

What does it mean to pray without ceasing?

▪To "pray without ceasing means recurring prayer, not nonstop talking.
▪Prayer is to be a way of life—you are to be continually in an attitude of prayer.
▪ It is living in continual God-consciousness.
Prayer attitude
Clearly we give thanks for all God’s provisions. We also recognize bad things do not come
from God, but with God, we do not have to be controlled by those bad events; we go
through them. We give thanks for that freedom to not be overwhelmed by our grief, fear or
anger.
Thus, life becomes a continually ascending prayer: all life's thoughts, deeds, and
circumstances become an opportunity to commune with your Heavenly Father. 
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TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY

This Module contains the following Topics:

Introduction to Topographic survey
Methods representing relief
Types of contour
Locating contour lines
Map scales
Topographic map symbols
Asynchronous activity
References
Ending Prayer

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY

A topographic survey are used for determining the shape of the ground, and the location
and elevation of natural and artificial objects. The features shown in a topographic map are
natural objects as hills, mountains, rivers, lakes, and relief of the ground surface and
artificial features as roads, buildings, ports, towns, railways and bridges.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

On completion of the module, the student should be able to:

Recall facts, concepts of Topographic survey and its application to various types of
construction projects
Discuss its application in a particular construction project
Relate the different methods of representing the topography of the land.
Analyze topographic data and compute map scales.
Plot topographic survey data and prepare simple contour map.
Execute topographic survey activity and perform related calculations

Uses of Topographic Surveys:

Engineers need a topographical survey to see the elevation of the land’s surface and
to determine if there is a need to bring in or remove dirt in order to adjust the grade of
the property.
 

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Architects might use the survey to create a 3D plot of their design for a construction
project.  This plot can be presented to decision makers for approval prior to
groundbreaking.
 
If a building site is limited by significant topographical challenges, such as a steep
grade, existing man-made structures or other problematic conditions, a topographical
survey should be used before construction begins to ensure the proposed design will
work in these conditions.
 
Governmental agencies also make use of topographical surveys when making and
enforcing construction and zoning regulations, evaluating existing infrastructure and
needed revisions, and when considering environmental projects.
 
Topographical surveys are also used to make maps used in industries such as
geology, petroleum, and forestry.
.

Types of Terrain

LESSON 2: METHODS OF REPRESENTING RELIEF

The important methods of representing relief features are spot heights, form lines, shading,
layer-colouring, relief model, and contour lines.

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1.Spot heights

A spot height is an exact point on a map with an elevation recorded beside it that represents
its height above a given datum. At various points on the map, heights are marked singly at
discrete points which have been carefully computed relative to a chosen datum. Spot
heights provide definite and precise information regarding elevation. Their defect is that
being distributed over the map it gives little or no visual impression of the general pattern of
the relief.

2. Form lines

A line drawn on a map to depict surface configuration in a generalized manner and usually

without indicating elevations. Form lines are drawn when not enough vertical control is
available or when the surface is too irregular. They are only used to show the shapes of the
terrain rather than relief.

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3. Layer coloring

Involves coloring the area between selected contours in different colors. When it is used in

combination with spot heights, and sometimes landform shading, layer contouring can tell
you a good deal aout the shape of the land. Layer tinting uses different colors (or shades) to
represent different heights.

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4. Relief model
A relief model is a 3-dimensional map. Relief models can make maps come alive. A relief
model is a sculptural, three-dimensional representation of a landscape section. It is a very
graphic way to depict mountains. Models serve schools, communities, exhibitions,
museums, travel agencies, visitor centers, publicly accessible buildings and the military as a
realistic copy of the earth's surface.

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 5.

Contour lines
The most widely used method of representing hills, mountains, depressions, and ground
surface undulations on a two-dimensional sheet of paper is by contour lines.
 Elevation contours are imaginary lines connecting points having the same elevation on the
surface of the land above or below a reference surface, which is usually mean sea level.
Contours make it possible to show the height and shape of mountains, the depths of the
ocean bottom, and the steepness of slopes. 

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Contour lines indicate the steepness of terrain. Contour lines connect points that
share the same elevation: Where they’re close together (they never intersect),
elevation is changing rapidly in short distance and the terrain is steep. Where contour
lines are wide apart, elevation is changing slowly, indicating a gentle slope.

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Contour lines also indicate the shape of the terrain. Roughly concentric circles are
probably showing you a peak, and areas between peaks are passes. Studying a topo
map of a familiar area is a great way to learn how to match terrain features with the
contour lines on a map

LESSON 3: TYPES OF CONTOURS

1.Index contour

Index contours are bold or thicker lines that appear at every fifth contour line. If the numbers
associated with specific contour lines are increasing, the elevation of the terrain is also
increasing. If the numbers associated with the contour lines are decreasing, there is a decrease
in elevation

2. Intermediate contour

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The contour lines falling between the index contour lines are called intermediate contour
lines. These lines are finer and do not have their elevations given. There are normally
four intermediate contour lines between index contour lines.

3. Supplementary contour

The contour lines are placed between regular contour lines to visualize small but important
forms that regular contour lines are unable to show. On topographic maps, typical forms are
hillcrests, depressions, saddles, terraces, banks, and levees.

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4. Depression contour

A closed contour, inside of which the ground or geologic structure is at a lower elevation than
that outside, and distinguished on a map from other contour lines by hachures marked on the
downslope or downdip side.  

Characteristics of contour lines

Contours show distinct characteristic features of the terrain as follows:

a. All points on a contour line are of the same elevation.

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b. Every contour closes in itself

c. A contour which closes within the limits of the map indicates either a summit or a
depression.

d. Contours on the ground cannot cross one another except where overhanging cliff or wall
is represented on a map.

e. Equally spaced contour lines indicate uniform slope

f. Contours are spaced evenly on a uniform slope.

g. Irregular contours signify rough and rugged terrain.

h. The horizontal distance between adjacent contours indicates the steepness of the slope
of the ground.

i. Contours cross curbs and a crowned sloping street in a typical-U shaped curves.

j. As a contour approaches a stream, the contour turns upstream until it intersects the shore
line. In then crosses the stream at right angles to the center of the bed, and turns back
along the opposite bank of the stream

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LESSON 4: LOCATING CONTOUR LINES
The location and plotting of contour lines is one of the major steps involved in the
construction of a topographic map. Interpolation of the contours is the process of spacing
the contours proportionately between the plotted ground points established by indirect methods.
The methods of interpolation are based on the assumption that

1.By estimation
Contour lines may be located between points of known elevation by estimation. This method
is suitable on small-scale maps where the ground formm is not too irregular. The first step is
to make a careful study of the positions of the contour points and to try to visualize the
changes in slope of the terrain.

2. By analytical method
In this method it is assumed that the slope between two adjacent established points is
uniform. After the position and elevation of the two reference points along a line are
determined, the positions of the points on the contours are located by computing their
horizontal distances from either reference points. The disadvantage of this method is that it
becomes laborious especially when many interpolations are to be made.

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Example:
The map distance between two benchmarks A and B is 15cm and their elevations above
sea level 850.50 m and 939.50 m respectively. Assuming uniformity of slope between A and
B, calculate the map distance from A where each of the following contours, 860m, 880m,
900m, and 920m, will cross the line between the two benchmarks.
Determining the slope from contour line:
A portion of a contour map where the contour interval is 20m, the scaled horizontal distance
between points A & B is 426. 36m and the elevation of A & B are 390m & 300m
respectively. Determine the average slope between A & B in percent, degrees, gradient,
grads, & mils.

LESSON 5: MAP SCALES AND MAP SYMBOLS

MAP SCALES
Map scale refers to the relationship (or ratio) between distance on a map and the
corresponding distance on the ground. For example, on a 1:100000 scale map, 1cm on
the map equals 1km on the ground.

There are three ways to show the scale of a map:

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a) Scales may be expressed as an equivalence or by words and figures such as 1inch =
1 mile, 1cm = 1 km, 5cm =250m. These are expressions of equivalence scale.

b) Scale ratio or representative fraction. The topographic map prepared by most

mapping agencies to so-called natural scales which are expressed as ratios such as
1:500, 1:10000 or as a fraction as 1/4000.

c)Graphic scales, also known as bar scales, as indicated by the name, show

the scale graphically. Bar scale showing graphically the ratio of map units to ground
units.

What are the types of map scale?

1. Types of Map Scales

Size of Scale Representative Fraction (RF)

Large Scale 1:25,000 or larger

Medium Scale 1:1,000,000 to 1:25,00

1:1,000,000 or smaller
Small Scale

Examples:
1.Determine the scale of a sketch wherein one centimeter represents 100 meters
on the ground.
Map distance 1 cm
Scale ratio = Gound distance = 100 m x 100 cm = 1/10,00 0r 1:10, 000

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 2. The distance between two points on the ground is 4 km. If the distance of the
same two points on the map is 8 cm, determine the scale of the map.

MD 8 cm 8 1
Scale ratio = GD = 4 km x 1000 m x 100 cm = 400,000 = 50,000

3. On a map, with a scale of 1cm = 3,000m, the measured lenth of a power

transmission line is 5.25 cm. What is the equivalent ground length of the line?
Answer: 15, 750 m
4. If the equivalence scale of a map is 5cm = 10 km, what is the scale ratio?
5. On a map with scale of 1cm = 250 m, the measured length of an irrigation canal
is 0.20m, Determine the equivalent ground length of the canal in kilometers.

COLORS USED IN MAPS:

1.Black represents man-made objects or cultural features like roads, bridges, borders, etc.
2. Blue is used for water or hydrographic features such as reservoirs, rivers, lakes, etc.
3. Green is used as a surface cover overlay for wooded areas and other form of vegetations.
4. Brown is used to show relief or height features, and the configuration of the ground surface
such as those portrayed by contours.
5. Red is used to emphasize roads.
6. Pink is used to portray built-up areas.
7. Gray is used sometimes in place of brown.

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MAP SYMBOLS
Symbols for Bodies of Water

Symbols for vegetation

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Symbols for roads

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Asynchronous activity (Homework)

Instructions:

Show your solutions.

Encircle/box your final answer.
Duration is 6 days
All homework submitted beyond the deadline is considered zero.
You may submit to this email: dlsud.dolphyfadriquela@gmail.com

Problems:
1. What is the scale ratio which is suitable to replace the equivalence scale of 5cm =
500m?

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 2. Given the five different topographic maps of the City of Dasmarinas. If the scales
indicated in the maps are: 1:10000, 1:5000, 1:650000, 1:25000 and 1:40000. What
map has the largest scale?
3. The measured distance on the ground between two points is 7.85 km. If the
corresponding distance between the same two points on the map is 14.70 cm , what
is the scale of the map?
4. On a map of scale 1:75,000 the map distance measured between points A and B is
10 cm. If a sketch of the same area on which the drawn distance between the same
two points measures 12.5cm, compute the scale of the sketch.
5. On a map with a scale of 1cm = 4 km the measured length of an irrigation canal is
10.50 cm what is the equivalent ground length of the canal?
6. A rectangular parcel of land measures 12 cm and 21cm on a map drawn to scale of
1 cm = 30 m, what is the area in hectares?
7. What scale ratios are suitable to replace the following equivalence scales: 1cm =
250m, 1mm = 15m, 4cm = 1.6km, and 3mm = 90m.
8. On a map with a scale with a scale of scale with a scale of 1 cm = 150 m, the
measured length of concrete fence is 0.25m. Determine the actual length in km.
9. On a map of scale 1:25,000, the map distance measured between points X & Y is
32.750cm. Determine the scale of a sketch of the same area in which the frawn
distance between the same two points measures 10.916cm
10. Compute the approximate area in square meters of a rectangular shaped tract of
land whose sides measures 29.50mm by 67.25m on a map drawn to a scale of
1:20,000.
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11. On a map of scale 1cm = 60m with a contour interval of 1.50m, two adjacent contour
lines are 1.37cm apart. What is the slope of the ground in percent?
12. On a map of the City of Dasmarinas drawn to a scale of 1:12,000 the map distance
from city hall to the town market is 38cm, in another map drawn to a scale of
1:15,000, the distance from the city hall to the nearest department store is 34cm.
which of the two places is farthest from the city hall.
13. On a map of whose scale is 1/5,000, how far apart would a 0.50m contours be on a
uniform slope of 5%?

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References:

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 1. Elementary Surveying 3rd Edition by Junny Pilapil La Putt
2. Higher Surveying 2nd Edition by Junny Pilapil La Putt
3. Surveying by Bannister A and Raymond S ·
4. Surveying by Punmia B C ·
5. Engineering Survey” by Schofield W ·
6. Plane and Geodetic Surveying” by Clark D.

Let us Pray…

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