Bautista, Reina Mae A.

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Engr. Brylle Ephraiem Navarro

“Differential Levelling”
We are all aware that elevations differ from one place to another, one may have higher
elevation, and the other one yields lower elevation. We know that correct measurement of
elevations is very vital in the field of engineering. These elevations are necessary for setting up
stakes, footings, curbs, slabs, etc. In fact, in every project, the elevations must be defined first.
Therefore, one way of determining the elevations is through differential leveling.1 From the word
itself, it is a process that involves obtaining the difference in elevation between two or more
points.2 Elevations are taken from a point with known elevation using a leveling instrument and a
rod, then, to the point of unknown elevation. Computing for the unknown elevations would use
basic math operations specifically addition and subtraction.2
In executing differential leveling, the first thing to do is to set up the instruments. The level
should be properly fixed on the top of the tripod. The tripod should be placed in a balanced position
and its height should be on eye level. To fix the legs of the tripod, they could be pressed down on
the ground to ensure that it is properly set up.3 After establishing the tripod, it is important to level
out the level, so it is not tilted upward or downward. This is done through leveling knobs, adjusting
them until the bubble in the spirit vial is centered. There is a focus knob that could be also used to
adjust the focus if the objects being sighted get blurry. Tapping gently the instrument can also be
done to make sure that everything is stable.4 Another instrument that we will use is the rod. To set
this up, another person would hold this on the other side and help the rod to position straightly. To
know if it is in a straight position, the person holding the rod would move forward and backward
the rod. The person sighting the rod would gather varied measurements and only the lowest
measurements matter.
After setting up the instrument, we can now start the process of differential leveling. First,
get the backsight reading on benchmark 1 or the point with the known elevation. It will be followed
by establishing a turning point and getting the foresight reading. After this, the instrument would
be moved and set up again on another point and get the backsight reading on the turning point.
Again, we would establish another turning point and get the foresight reading. Then, the instrument
would be moved and set up again. The process continues until a foresight reading is obtained from
the last station.2
In doing the process of differential leveling, turning points and side shots are utilized. The
purpose of having a turning point is to read the measurements on the points that are beyond the
range of the instrument.2 There are times that the points are not visible from the setup, so
establishing turning points is needed.4 On the other hand, side shots involve getting the foresight
and not the backsight which means there are no changes in the height of the instrument that can be

Reina Mae A. Bautista

recorded. It could be considered as special points or control points that are used as a reference or
guide to ensure if the work is done properly.5
After gathering data, we will now calculate the adjusted value of the elevations in different
stations. To start the computation, we need the value of the known elevation from the first point.
From this, we can calculate the height of the instrument by adding the backsight reading to the
value of the elevation. From this value, the foresight reading would be subtracted which will give
the value of elevation for the next station. This process would be repeated up until the last station.
When all the heights of the instrument and elevations are known, it is important to find the error
since this is needed to compute the adjusted value of elevation in each station. There are two ways
of calculating it. The first method is by finding the summation of backsight reading and foresight
reading. After finding the summations, the summation of foresight reading is subtracted to the
summation of the backsight reading which gives the value of the error. Another way is by
subtracting the final elevation of the benchmark to the initial elevation of the benchmark.5
In computing the adjusted value of elevation. We need to divide the value of error by the
number of stations. The value we will get would be added or subtracted from the computed
elevation before. It will be subtracted when the final elevation is higher than the initial elevation
and it will be added if the final elevation is lower than the initial elevation. It is important to
remember that the error cumulates every station. This means that if we have an error of 0.05 in the
first elevation, in the next station, we will have an error equal to 0.010, 0.15 for the next, and so
on. To check if the computed elevations are already adjusted, we just need to remember that the
adjusted value in the final elevation should be the same as the known elevation we have at the start
of the calculation.5
Elevations need to be accurately defined in every project. Elevations are used to know the
necessary process to be accomplished first before starting the project or what design is possible
for this kind of elevation. To find the elevations from different points, we can use the method of
differential leveling which incorporates the use of a level and a rod. It is important that we properly
set the instruments, read the backsight and foresight readings, and calculate the elevations since
the data that would be gathered will be used as the basis of the project to be established. Differential
leveling may be simple, but it should be taken seriously and with carefulness since any mistakes
in the industry of engineering are forbidden.

Reina Mae A. Bautista

References:
[1] Vijayaraja. (2013, December 19). Differential Leveling – Surveying | BuildCivil.
https://buildcivil.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/differential-leveling-surveying/
[2] Agricultural Engineering. (2021, November 11). Differential Leveling .
https://www.progressivegardening.com/agricultural-engineering-2/differential-
leveling.html
[3] Civil Engineering. (n.d.). Dumpy Level Survey–What, Where, How, Parts . Retrieved
November 22, 2021, from https://civiltoday.com/surveying/12-dumpy-level
[4] Tamimi, R. (2020, September 08). How to run a Level Loop using a Differential Level
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1sdsHZKUlQ
[5] Tamimi, R. (2020, September 14). Survey Leveling Calculations and Adjustment [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JojEL96AE4

Reina Mae A. Bautista