Using Penmap With a Total Station for the First Time

The purpose of this manual is to guide the user through a step by step set of
instructions on the basics of using a Total Station with Penmap. By the end
of this exercise you should be familiar with the following concepts

• Selecting Penmap Instrument Settings

• Entering Coordinates for known points
• Setting Up a Total Station on a known point
• Collecting Data With a Total Station

And finally as a more advanced topic we will cover

• Doing a Resection (or Free Station)

A Total station measures angles and distances from its current position to a
prism. So to make any use of a total station you need to have several points
of known coordinates to put the instrument on. (You can put the instrument
on an unknown point by doing a resection but we will get to that later)

Undo Buttons for Standard

Erase Node
Total Station
Configuration
Graphic Point

Graphic Polyline

Graphic Curve

Graphic Permanent Station

Method Snap

Method Free Node

Method Total Station

 Method Resection

Method Enter Data

Redraw

Pan

Zoom In Times 2

Zoom Out Times 2

Zoom Window

Instrument Setup

Layers Selector

For this exercise we are going to invent a set of coordinates and enter known
points or stations in those coordinates.

Entering Stations

1. Start Penmap and Start an new site (File New)

2. Select Graphic - Permanent Station ( A Permanent station is a Station

point with a text name attached.)

3. Select Method - Enter Data ( A dialog should now appear to allow you to
enter the station coordinates)

4. Enter Coordinates by touching the pen or the mouse to the Northing

Easting and Level fields. This will bring a keypad on the screen to enter
the numbers. Enter the following coordinates
5. Press OK when the data is entered. A dialog will now appear for you to
enter the station name. Enter the name STATION 1 and press OK.

When OK is pressed the Site appears on the screen with the station in the
middle.
The Enter Data Method dialog is still on the screen because it is expecting
you to enter more station positions, and the Graphics item is still a permanent
station.

We now have a station to put our instrument on but we still need to record
the instruments orientation. Is 0 degrees North or South or any direction?
We do now know so we must record the orientation by looking at another
Permanent Station. So Lets enter another Station

7. Enter the Following Coordinates into the Enter Data Dialog and press OK.

8. Enter the name STATION 2 for the Permanent Station name.

Now you should have two stations visible on the screen, one 50 meters north
of the other.

This is all of the data needed to set up an instrument on a known point.

Setting Up the Instrument
1. Place the Total Station on a tripod over a marked point.

2. Go to the Instrument Setup (MISC - INSTRUMENT SETUP)

3. Select the type of instrument from the instrument selection list.

4. Plug the instrument into COM1. If COM2 is necessary then switch to

COM2.

We are going to place the instrument on Station 1 and we are going to orient
ourselves on Station 2.

5. Touch the SNAP button. This will cause the dialog to disappear. This is
because Penmap wants you to select a point on the screen. Touch the Pen
or Mouse to the Station on the centre of the screen. This will place the
coordinates of Station 1 as the Theodolite position coordinates.

You can also use the Table button to select the coordinate. This will bring up
a dialog to select the Stations by name.

Now we need to do a backsight to the other station to get the orientation.

Unfortunately we do not have a real point 50 meters north of the theodolite
position. So pick any point on the ground at least 10 meters from the
theodolite and mark it.
6. On the bottom right of the dialog is the Add Obs button. This is where the
user can enter observations to other points on the survey. Press the Add
Obs button. This will bring up the instrument observation data dialog.

7. Now press the SNAP button and select the STATION 2 by touching the
station with the pen or mouse.

8. Once Station 2’s coordinates are in then Point the instrument at the point
that you marked on the ground.

9. Press the Angle button, and the instrument data section of the dialog
should now have the angular readings of the instrument. If you do not see
the angles then please check the communications settings on your
instrument and compare those with the Penmap instrument settings.

10. Press the OK button and then the OK button on the Instrument setup
dialog.

The instrument is now set up and ready to collect data. We have done a trick
in this way of setting up an instrument, effectively we have said that our
instrument is on 1000,1000 and we have recorded the orientation to a point
50 meters north. But we did not have a point exactly 50 meters north so we
used a point in the right direction, so we only measured an angle without a
distance. Usually you will have two real points on the ground one to setup on
and one for orientation.

Collecting Total Station Data

1. Select Graphics - Point

2. Select Method - Total Station

The Total Station Collection Dialog should now be on the screen.

The Total Station Dialog is an expandable dialog. Try pressing the Expand
button. This will change the dialog to the following:

The expanded dialog has many functions and options which are not used
continuously while collecting data, so the dialog can be reduced so that a
minimum of screen space can be used.

3. Place the prism on a point of interest and point the instrument at the
prism.

4. Press the Accept button. This will fire the instrument and a data point will
appear on the screen.

If a point does not appear please check the following.

• Is the point underneath the Total Station Trigger Dialog?
• Most instruments make a noise or give a signal that they are collecting a
distance.
5. Try placing the prism on other points and repeat.

6. Pick a linear feature like a fence or a curb. Place Prism on the feature.

7. Select Graphics - Polyline

8. Press the Accept Button

9. Move prism to the next point on the feature and press Accept.

When you want to end the linear feature either press the END graphics button
on the status bar at the bottom of the screen or select another graphics item
from the graphics menu. Selecting Polyline again will end the current line and
start a new one.

10. Practice Collecting Linear and Point features until you have a
recognisable survey on the penmap screen.

If the data points collected go outside of the data extents box on the screen
redo the data extents by pressing MISC - DATA EXTENTS - ADJUST TO
MIN MAX VALUES. This will extend the data extents.

11. Save your data. FILE – SAVE because you will need it for the next
section.

Advanced Topic: Doing a Resection (Free Station)

Previously we have set up the instrument on a known position and used

another known position to calculate the instruments orientation. Now we are
going to do a resection which is when we do not know the instruments
position and we are going to calculate its position by taking a series of
measurements to known points.

Essentially we are calculating the instrument position by measuring other

points.

1. Setup your instrument a few meters away from the position it was
previously. In the above examples it was set on 1000,1000. So move it
away from that position but not far enough that the positions that you
measured earlier are not visible.

2. Select Graphics – Permanent Station

3. Select Method – Resection. This should bring the Resection dialog onto
the screen.
The resection dialog looks more complicated than it actually is. From this
dialog we can measure to other positions on the survey. There are several
different methods of calculating a resection, to start off with place the
calculation type onto Tienstra. The key buttom is the Add Obs button which
allows the measurements to be collected.

4. Press the Add Obs button, this should bring the Reference Observation
Dialog onto the screen.

5. Press the SNAP button and then select a position on the screen that you
surveyed earlier. It does not have to be a permanent station but can be any
line or point that you can see from the instruments position. The coordinate
of that position will now be displayed in the reference position box.
6. Place the prism onto the position that you just snapped to and point the
instrument at the prism.

7. Press the Dist button to fire the instrument.

8. Press the OK button once steps 5 – 7 have been completed.

You have just added your first observation to the resection and the resection
dialog should be back on the screen with your first data being at the top of the
dialog. To do a resection you need to have at least 3 sets of measurements
to known points. There are some techniques that can do a resection with
only 2 measurements and there are instruments with magnetic compasses
which can do it in one, but for a standard instrument we need three.

9. Press the Add Obs button and repeat steps 4 – 8 two more times. Make
sure that all three positions are different. You may not use the same position
twice.

When you have collected the observations to three positions and all three are
in the resection dialog box you should see a position calculated in the Free
Station box, the Northing, Easting, and Level should now have numbers in
them. This is the calculated position of your instrument. You should also see
the instrument positon plotted graphically on the screen. You can have more
than three resection observations which will increase your accuracy and
prevent errors but three is enough.

10. Press the Close button in the resection dialog. You will now be sked for a
station name because you selected Graphics – Permanent Station before
doing the resection.

11. Enter the Station Name of Station 3 and press OK

You will now see a Permanent Station on your instrument position. Your
instrument is now setup on that position and ready to collect data.

12. Select Graphics – Polyline

13. Select Method – Total Station

14. Now collect data along a polyline to prove that the instrument has been
setup correctly. Try resurveying several positions that you did earlier and see
what errors you get.