MEASUREMENT OF

VERTICAL DISTANCES
 LEVELING

THE PROCESS OF DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

MEASURING VERTICAL DISTANCE TO DETERMINE THE
ELEVATION OF POINTS OR THEIR DIFFERENCES IN
ELEVATION.

IT IS A VITAL AND IMPORTANT ASPECT OF SURVEYING SINCE

LEVELING OPERATIONS ARE UNDERTAKEN TO PROVIDE
NECESSARY DATA FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION, AND THE PRODUCTION OF TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS.
THE SUITABILITY OF A SITE FOR DEVELOPMENT CAN BE BETTER
DETERMINED USING THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM LEVELING
OPERATIONS.
 LEVEL HORIZONTAL
LEVEL LINE
SURFACE SURFACE

IT IS A CURVED LINE IT IS A PLANE THAT

IN A LEVEL SURFACE IS TANGENT TO A
IT IS A CURVED
ALL POINTS OF LEVEL SURFACE AT
SURFACE WHICH IS
WHICH ARE A PARTICULAR
AT ANY POINT
NORMAL TO THE POINT. THE
PERPENDICULAR TO
DIRECTION OF HORIZONTAL
THE DIRECTION OF
GRAVITY AND SURFACE IS ALSO
GRAVITY OR THE
EQUIDISTANT FROM PERPENDICULAR TO
PLUMB LINE
THE CENTER OF THE THE PLUMB LINE AT
EARTH. THE SAME POINT
 HORIZONTAL MEAN SEA
VERTICAL LINE
LINE LEVEL

A STRAIGHT LINE IN
A HORIZONTAL
IT IS A LINE IT IS AN IMAGINARY
PLANE WHICH IS
PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE OF THE
TANGENT TO THE
DIRECTION OF SEA WHICH IS
LEVEL LINE AT ONE
GRAVITY. IT IS MIDWAY BETWEEN
POINT. SINCE THE
EXEMPLIFIED BY HIGH AND LOW
EARTH’S RADIUS IS
THE DIRECTION TIDES. IT IS TAKEN
COMPARATIVELY
TAKEN BY THE AS A REFERENCE
LARGE, WE CAN
STRING SURFACE TO WHICH
ASSUME THAT
SUPPORTING A MOST GROUND
LEVEL LINE AND
PLUMB BOB PASSING ELEVATIONS ARE
HORIZONTAL LINE
THROUGH A POINT REFERED.
ARE THE SAME FOR
SHORT DISTANCES.
 DIFFERENCE IN
DATUM ELEVATION ELEVATION

IT IS THE VERTICAL
DISTANCE OF ANY
POINT FROM THE
IT IS ANY MEAN SEA LEVEL OR
CONVENIENT LEVEL ANY SELECTED
SURFACE DATUM. POINTS ON
COINCIDENT OR THE EARTH’S IT IS THE VERTICAL
PARALLEL WITH SURFACE CAN DISTANCE BETWEEN
THE MEAN SEA EITHER HAVE THE TWO LEVEL
LEVEL TO WHICH POSITIVE OR SURFACE IN WHICH
ELEVATIONS OF A NEGATIVE POINTS LIE.
PARTICULAR AREA ELEVATIONS,
ARE REFERRED. DEPENDING IF IT IS
ABOVE OR BELOW
THE MEAN SEA
LEVEL
LEVELING METHODS
 DIRECT OR SPIRIT LEVELING

THIS IS THE COMMONLY EMPLOYED METHOD OF DETERMING THE

ELEVATION OF POINTS SOME DISTANCE APART BY A SERIES OF SET-
UPS OF LEVELING INSTRUMENT ALONG A SELECTED ROUTE.
DIFFERNTIAL LEVELING, DOUBLE-RODDED LEVELING AND THREE-
WIRE LEVELING ARE FORMS OF THIS TYPE. BEING THE MOST
PRECISE METHOD, THIS IS USED FOR SURVEYS WITH HIGH
ACCURACY
 RECIPROCAL LEVELING

IT IS THE PROCESS OF ACCURATELY DETERMINING THE

DIFFERENCE IN ELEVATION BETWEEN TO INTERVISIBLE POINTS
LOCATED AT A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE APART AND BETWEEN
WHICH POINTS LEVELING COULD NOT BE PERFORMED IN USUAL
MANNER. THIS METHOD IS COMMONLY EMPLOYED WHEN
LEVELING ACROSS WIDE RIVERS, A DEEP RAVINE, OR ACROSS
CANYONS AND GULLIES
 PROFILE LEVELING

IT IS USED TO DETERMINE DIFFENCES IN ELEVATIONS BETWEEN

POINTS AT DESIGNATED SHORT MEASURED INTERVALS ALONG AN
ESTABLISHED LINE TO PROVIDE DATA FROM WHICH A VERTICAL
SURFACE OF THE GROUND CAN BE PLOTTED.
 TRIGONOMETRIC LEVELING

IT IS EMPLOYED IN DETERMINING BY TRIGONOMETRIC

COMPUTATIONS THE DIFFERENCE IN ELEVATION BETWEEN TWO
POINTS FROM MEASUREMENTS OF ITS HORIZONTAL OR SLOPE
DISTANCE AND THE VERTICAL ANGLE BETWEEN THEM. IT ONLY
PROVIDES A VERY ROUGH DETERMINATION OF DIFFERENCES IN
ELEVATIONS
 STADIA LEVELING

IT COMBINES FEATURES OF DIRECT LEVELING WITH THOSE OF

TRIGONOMETRIC LEVELING. THIS METHOD IS IN FACT A FORM OF
TRIGONOMETRIC LEVELING. IT CAN PROVIDE REASONABLE
ACCURACY FOR PRELIMINARY SURVEYS, MAPPING AND ROUGH
LEVELING WHERE QUICK MEASUREMENTS ARE NEEDED.
 BAROMETRIC LEVELING

INVOLVES THE DETERMINATION OF DIFFERENCES IN ELEVATION

BETWEEN POINTS BY MEASURING THE VARIATION IN ATMOSPHERIC
PRESSURE AT EACH POINT BY MEANS OF BAROMETER.
 CROSS-SECTION LEVELING

IN HIGHWAY OR RAILROAD CONSTRUCTIONS, IT IS OFTEN

NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A REPRESENTATION OF THE GROUND
SURFACE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CENTERLINE. SHORT PROFILES
AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LINE OF WORK ARE USUALLY PLOTTED
AT REGULAR INTERVALS.
 BORROW-PIT LEVELING

METHOD OF DETERMINING THE RELATIVE ELEVATIONS OF POINTS

IN BORROW-PIT EXCAVATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CALCULATING
VOLUMES OF EARTWORKS.
TYPES OF LEVELS
 IT HAS A LONG TELESCOPE
WHICH IS RIGIDLY
ATTACHED TO A LEVEL
BAR. THE TELESCOPE
WHICH CAN BE ROTATED
THROUGH 360 DEGREES,
FIXES THE DIRECTION OF
THE LINE OF SIGHT.
ATTACHED TO A LEVEL BAR
IS A LEVEL VIAL WHICH
ALWAYS REMAINS IN SAME
DUMPY LEVEL VERTICAL PLANE AS THE
TELESCOPE. A LEVELING
HEAD SUPPORTS THE
TELESCOPE AND PERMITS
THE BUBBLE IN THE TUBE
IT IS THE MOST WIDELY USED DIRECT TO BE CENTERED BY
LEVELING INSTRUMENT MEANS OF LEVELING
SCREWS.
 THE ONLY DISTINCT
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
TWO INSTRUMENTS IS IN
THE MANNER BY WHICH
THEIR TELESCOPES ARE
ATTACHED TO THE
SUPPORTING LEVEL BAR.
THE WYE LEVEL HAS A
DETACHABLE TELESCOPE
WHICH RESTS IN SUPPORTS
CALLED WYES. IT CAN BE
WYE LEVEL REMOVED FROM Y-SHAPED
SUPPORTS AND TURNED
END FOR END DURING
ADJUSTMENTS BY
RELEASING THE TWO
IT IS VERY IDENTICAL TO A DUMPY CLAMPING COLLARS
LEVEL WHICH FIT ACROSS THE
TOPS OF THE Y.
 ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS
AND BUILDERS USE IT IN
SETTING THE CONCRETE
FORMS, BATTER BOARDS,
AND IN ESTABLISHING
GRADES FOR
EARTHWORKS. IT IS OFTEN
CALLED A CONSTRUCTION
LEVEL. THE LEVEL VIAL IS
BUILDER’S LEVEL NOT AS SENTITIVE AS IN
OTHER LEVELS AND
TELESCOPE HAS A MUCH
LESSER MAGNIFYING
USED PRIMARILY IN THE DIFFERENT POWER.
PHASES OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
WHERE HIGH DEGREE OF PRECISION
IS NOT A PRIMARY REQUISITE.
 THIS TYPE OF LEVEL HAS
BECOME A POPULAR FOR
CONVENTIONAL LEVELING
WORK BECAUSE OF THE
EASE AND SPEED OF THEIR
OPERATION. IT DOES NOT
USE A LEVEL VIAL AND ITS
ABILITY TO LEVEL ITSELF
AUTOMATIC LEVEL DEPENDS UPON THE
ACTION OF A COMPLEX
PENDULUM-AND-PRISM
DEVICE

SELF-LEVELING FEATURES ARE

INCORPORATED
 A BULL’S EYE LEVEL IS
EMPLOYED FOR ITS QUICK
AND APPROXIMATE
LEVELING. THE TILTING
KNOB IS USED TO ROTATE
THE TELESCOPE INTO A
CORRECT HORIZONTAL
POSITION. TILTING LEVELS
ARE COMMONLY
EMPLOYED FOR VERY
PRECISE LEVELING
TILTING LEVEL OPERATIONS AND IN OTHER
GENERAL LEVELING WORK.
IT IS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH
A HORIZONTAL CIRCLE
THIS INSTRUMENT CAN BE TILTED OR WHICH MAKES IS SUITABLE
ROTATED ABOUT ITS HORIZONTAL FOR LAY-OUT AND
AXIS. CONSTRUCTION SURVEYS.
 MOST OF ITS METAL PARTS
ARE MADE OF INVAR TO
REDUCE THE EFFECT OF
TEMPERATURE. GEODETIC
LEVELS ARE EMPLOYED IN
FIRST-ORDER LEVELING
WORK WHERE EXTREME
PRECISION IS AN
IMPORTANT
REQUIREMENTS. THE
GEODETIC LEVEL INSTRUMENTS IS EQUIPPED
WITH STADIA HAIRS IN
ADDITION NTO THE
STANDARD VERTICAL AND
HORIZONTAL CROSS HAIRS
BASICALLY ANOTHER TYPE OF TILTING TO MAKE IT SUITABLE FOR
LEVEL THREE-WIRE LEVELING.
 THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT
IT CAN ALSO BE USED FOR
LEVELING WORKS. IT CAN
PROVIDE RESULTS WHICH
ARE FAIRLY PRECISE
ALTHOUGH NOT AS GOOD
AS THOSE OBTAINED WITH
CONVENTIONAL LEVELS.
TRANSIT AS A LEVEL THIS IS BECAUSE THE
TRANSIT HAS A
RELATIVELY SHORTER
TELESCOPE AND LEVEL
THE ENGINEER’S TRANSIT HAS ALWAYS VIAL.
BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE
“UNIVERSAL SURVEYING
INSTRUMENT” BECAUSE OF ITS
VARIETY OF USES.

LASER LEVEL
A NEW INNOVATION INTRODUCED TO
SURVEYING OPERATIONS IS THE USE
OF LASERS.
A LASER SYSTEM IS A
SEPARATE UNIT EQUIPPED
WITH A PORTABLE POWER
SUPPLY AND A HELIUM-
NEON LASER OR GAS
LASER. THEY ARE USUALLY
MOUNTED OR ATTACHED
TO A CONVENTIONAL
SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS
SUCH AS LEVELS, TRANSIT
AND THEODOLITES. LASER
LIGHT IS A LOW-POWERED
BEAM OF RED LIGHT
WHICH IS SUITABLE FOR
PROJECTING A LINEOF
SIGHT SINCE IT IS
COHERENT AND HIGHLY
COLLIMATED.

HAND LEVEL
HAND-HELD INSTRUMENT USED ON
SURVEYS INVOLVING SHORT
DISTANCES AND WHERE A LOW ORDER
OF ACCURACY IS SUFFICIENT.
IT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE
USEFUL IN
RECONNAISSANCE
SURVEYS, IN CROSS-
SECTIONING TO OBTAIN
ADDITIONAL ROD
READINGS ON SLOPING
GROUND, AND IN TAPING TO
DETERMINE IF THE TAPE IS
HELD HORIZONTALLY
DURING MEASUREMENT.
THIS INSTRUMENT ALSO
PROVIDES A QUICK WAY OF
DETERMINING HOW HIGH
OR LOW THE ENGINEER’S
LEVEL SHOULD BE SET-UP
IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO
READ A LEVELING ROD
HELD A CERTAIN DISTANCE
AWAY.
LEVELING INSTRUMENTS
 LEVELING RODS SELF-READING ROD

THIS IS THE MOST COMMONLY

USED TYPE OF LEVELING ROD. IT CAN
BE READ DIRECTLY BY THE
INSTRUMENTMAN THROUGH THE
TELESCOPE BY NOTING THE APPARENT
INSTERSECTION OF THE HORIZONTAL
IS A GRADUATED ROD WHICH HAIR ON THE ROD.
IS USED FOR MEASURING
THE VERTICAL DISTANCE
BETWEEN THE LINE OF
SIGHT THROUGH A
LEVELING INSTRUMENT AND TARGET ROD
THE POINT WHOSE
ELEVATION IS EITHER THIS TYPE OF ROD HAS A SLIDING
REQUIRED OR KNOWN. TARGET WHICH IS SET AND READ BY A
RODMAN AS THE POSITION SELECTED
BY THE INSTRUMENTMAN
 LEVELING RODS NAMED AFTER CITIES OR
RODS NAMED
STATES INCLUDES PHILADELPHIA, DETROIT,
AFTER CITIES OR
CHICAGO, FLORIDA, BOSTON, NEW YORK, TROY
STATES
AND SAN FRANCISCO ROD.

THIS IS AN IMPROVISED TYPE OF ROD USED IN

LEVELING. THE GRADUATIONS ARE EITHER
ROD RIBBONS
MARK ON CANVASS OR METAL STRIPS WHICH
ARE ATTACHED TO A LONG PIECE OF LUMBER

IT IS A FORM OF ROD RIBBON WHICH USES A

PRECISE ROD GRADUATED INVAR STRIP PERMANENTLY
FASTENDED TO 4-M WOODEN OR STEEL FRAME

SIMILAR TO A PRECISE ROD EXCEPT THAT A

GEODETIC ROD NILVAR METAL STRIP IS USED INSTEAD OF
INVAR.

IT IS USED ADVANTAGEOUSLY WHEN NUMEROUS

TAPE ROD ELEVATIONS ARE TO BE DETERMINED FROM A
SINGLE SET-UP OF THE LEVELING INSTRUMENT.
 TELESCOPE
THE TELESCOPE OF A SURVEYING INSTRUMENT IS A METAL TUBE
CONTAINING A SYSTEM OF LENSES WHICH ARE USED TO FIC THE DIRECTION
OF THE LINE OF SIGHT AND IN MAGNIFYING APPARENT SIZE OF OBJECT IN ITS
FIELD OF VIEW
 PARTS OF THE TELESCOPE

OBJECTIVE LENS EYEPIECE CROSS HAIRS

IT I A FORM OF
IT IS A COMPOUND MICROSCOPE
LENS COMPOSED OF CONTAINING CONSISTS OF PAIR
CROWN AND FLINT EITHER TWO OR OF LINES WHICH
GLASS MOUNTED IN FOUR LENSE AND IS ARE
THE OBJECTIVE USED TO ENLARGE PERPENDICULAR TO
END OF THE ALTOGETHER THE EACH OTHER AND
TELESCOPE AND IMAGE AND THE ARE USED TO
HAS ITS OPTICAL CROSS HAIRS. IT DEFINE THE
AXIS CONCENTRIC ALLOWS THE INSTRUMENTS LINE
WITH THE TUBE INSTRUMENTMAN OF SIGHT.
AXIS. TO ENTER TO SIGHT AND READ
ACCURATELY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION