GEE 141- Fundamentals of Surveying

LEVELLING • Height of Instrument, H.I.- elevation of the line

Levelling is an operation in surveying of sight.
performed to determine the difference in levels of • Back Sight, B.S.- the first reading taken on the
two points. By this operation, the height of a point staff/rod. It is usually made to some form of a
from a datum, known as elevation, is determined. benchmark (B.M.), or to the points whose
elevations have already been determined.
Datum • Fore Sight, F.S.- the last reading from an
A datum is a reference surface of constant instrument position on to a staff held at a point.
potential, called as a level surface of the earth’s • Turning Point, TP- point where both fore sight
gravity field, for measuring the elevations of the and back sight are made on a staff/rod at that
points. One of such surfaces is the mean sea level point
surface and is considered as a standard datum. Also
an arbitrary surface may be adopted as a datum.
Two Peg Test
Direct Differential Levelling
Differential levelling is the most accurate This test is conducted for checking and
simple direct method of determinig the correcting the error in the line of sight between two
points.
difference of level between two points using an
instrument known as level with a levelling
staff/rod. A level establishes a horizontal line of
sight and the difference in the level of the line
of sight and the point over which the levelling
staff is held, is measured throught the levelling
staff.

Terminologies:
• Station- is the point where the levelling
staff/rod is held.