CEP5 – FUNDAMENTALS

OF SURVEYING
Course Material

Prepared by:
Engr. Renz John D. Atienza
Faculty, College of Engineering
University of Batangas Main Campus
Module 1
Introduction to
SURVEYING
Surveying
• One of the oldest arts practiced by man is surveying. From the earliest times, it
has always been necessary to mark boundaries and divide tracts of land. Through
the centuries, the uses of surveying have expanded such that today it is difficult to
undertake any type of engineering construction that does not involve some type
of surveying. Planning and design are based on the results of surveys, and
construction is controlled by surveying.
• In the training of a technical student, the study of surveying is an important part
even though he may never actually use it later in practice. It is one course which
trains students to visualize and think logically, to plan, to work carefully and
accurately, and to arrange the product of these efforts in a neat and orderly
manner for record or presentation. A surveying course will provide the student a
worthwhile general experience and also develop desirable traits and habits
because the nature of the subject with its related field measurements is such that
it will develop habits of accuracy, industry, and reliability.
• In addition, the student will learn a great deal about the relative importance of
measurements. He is trained to decide on how accurate and precise
measurements should be made, and acquire essential habits of checking
numerical calculations, measurements, and observations. All these attributes are
expected to add to the stature and technical competence of a future professional.
Definition of Surveying
• All surveying operations have the same basic
characteristics – that of delineating a portion of the
earth’s surface or subsurface or of establishing the
position or boundaries of some object upon it. A host
of definitions have been made by different authors.
• To sum up, it is believed that surveying is the art and
science of determining angular and linear
measurements to establish the form, extent, and
relative position of points, lines, and areas on or near
the surface of the earth or on other extraterrestrial
bodies through applied mathematics and the use of
specialized equipment and techniques.
Plane and Geodetic Surveying

• Plane Surveying – the type of surveying in

which the earth is considered to be a flat
surface, and where distances and areas
involved are of limited extent that the exact
shape of the earth is disregarded.
• Geodetic Surveying – these are surveys of wide
extent which take into account the spheroidal
shape of the earth.
Types of Surveys
• Cadastral Surveys
• City Surveys
• Construction Surveys
• Forestry Surveys
• Hydrographic Surveys
• Industrial Surveys
• Mine Surveys
• Photogrammetric Surveys
• Route Surveys
• Topographic Surveys
Surveying Measurements

• A measurement is the process of determining the

extent, size or dimensions of a particular quantity in
comparison to a given standard.
• In surveying, measurements are usually concentrated
on angles, elevations, times, lines, areas, and volumes.
Making measurements and the subsequent
computations utilizing them are basic and essential
tasks of a surveyor. The measurements obtained in a
particular survey are then evaluated and adjusted to
obtain the desired results.
• Any surveying measurement is always subject to the
imperfections of the instrument used and the different
errors inherent in the process of obtaining the
measurement.
• The first thing a student of surveying must learn about
measurement is that no exact or true measurement
quantity is ever possible and the true value of measured
quantity is never known. Measurements are never exact
and they will always be imperfect no matter how
carefully made.
Types of Measurements
• Direct Measurements – A direct measurement is a
comparison of the measured quantity with a
standard measuring unit or units employed for
measuring quantity of that kind.
• Indirect Measurements – When it is not possible to
apply a measuring instrument directly to a quantity
to be measured, an indirect measurement is made.
In this type of measurement, the observed value is
determined by its relationship to some other
unknown values.
Significant Figures
• 1 significant figure
100 9 0.001
400 8000 0.000005
• 2 significant figures
24 0.020 0.0024
0.24 0.000065 3.6
• 3 significant figures
365 3.65 0.000249
12.3 10.1 0.0120
• 4 significant figures
7654 0.8742 0.0006712
32.25 15.00 364.0
• 5 significant figures
12345 100.00 40.000
0.86740 46.609 155.28
Surveying Field Notes
• Surveying field notes constitute the only reliable
and permanent record of actual work done in
the field.

Types of Notes
1. Sketches
2. Tabulations
3. Explanatory Notes
4. Computations
5. Combinations of the Above
Information found in Field Notes

• Title of the Field Work or Name of the Project

• Time of Day and Date
• Weather Conditions
• Names of Group Members and Their Designations
• List of Equipment

If all the above listed information are known, mistakes

committed in the field and which are not discovered until the
field work is completed could be determined easier. Often, the
mistake can be traced to weather conditions or equipment
which are out of adjustment, and a correction can easily be
made without having to redo the whole field work or some
portion of it.
 The Field Survey Party
• Chief of a Party • Rear Tapeman
• Assistant Chief of Party • Flagman
• Instrumentman • Rodman
• Technician • Pacer
• Computer • Axeman/Lineman
• Recorder • Aidman
• Head Tapeman • Utilitymen
Errors
• An error is defined as the difference between the true
value and the measured value of a quantity. It is a deviation
of an observation or a calculation from the true value and
is often beyond the control of the one performing the
operation.
Mistakes
• Mistakes are inaccuracies in measurements which occur
because some aspect of a surveying operation is performed
by the surveyor with carelessness, inattention, poor
judgment, and improper execution.

The effects of errors can be minimized, but they cannot be

entirely eliminated, whereas mistakes can be detected and
removed from recorded measurements.
Types of Errors
• Systematic Errors – This type of error is one which
will always have the same sign and magnitude as
long as conditions remain constant and unchanged.
• Accidental Errors – These errors are purely
accidental in character. The occurrence of such
errors are matters of chance as they likely to be
positive or negative, and may tend in part to
compensate or average out according to laws of
probability.
Sources of Errors
• Instrumental Errors – These errors are due to imperfections in
the instruments used, either from faults in their construction or
from improper adjustments between the different parts prior
to their use.
• Natural Errors – These errors are caused by variations in the
phenomena of nature such as changes in magnetic declination,
temperature, humidity, wind, refraction, gravity, and curvature
of the earth.
• Personal Errors – These are errors arise principally from
limitations of the senses of sight, touch and hearing of the
human observer which are likely to be erroneous or inaccurate.
Accuracy and Precision
• Accuracy refers to how close measurements are to
the true value, while precision refers to how close
measurements to each other.
Most Probable Value
• From the theory of probability, a basic assumption is
that the most probable value (mpv) of a group of
repeated measurements made under similar
conditions is the arithmetic mean or the average.
Most probable value refers to a quantity which, based
on available data, has more chances of being correct
than has any other.
Problem 1. A surveying instructor sent out six groups of students to measure a
distance between two points marked on the ground. The students came up
with the following six different values: 250.25, 250.15, 249.90, 251.04, 250.50,
and 251.22 meters. Assuming these values are equally reliable and that
variations result from accidental errors, determine the most probable value of
the distance measured.
Problem 2. The angles about a point Q have the following observed values
130°15’20”, 142°37’30”, and 87°07’40”. Determine the most probable value of
each angle.
Problem 3. The observed interior angles of a triangle are A = 35°14’37”,
B = 96°30’09”, and C = 48°15’05”. Determine the discrepancy for the given
observation and the most probable value of each angle.
Problem 4. Measurement of three horizontal angles about a point P are:
APB = 12°31’50”, BPC = 37°29’20”, and CPD = 47°36’30”. If the measurement of the single angle
APD is 97°37’00”, determine the most probable values of the angles.