Topic 6: Angle measurement:

Intersection and resection

Traversing with total stations
The main advantage of using a total station for traversing is that angles and
distances are measured simultaneously at each station. The obvious advantage of
this is that it reduces the time taken to complete the survey.
Also: as total stations can carry out coordinate calculations, they can also compute
the traverse as shown below.
The procedure for completing this is as follows:
The total station is set up at point A and a back sight is taken to point B
The coordinates of A and B are entered into the instrument and the horizontal circle
is orientated to display the whole circle bearing from station A to backsight B.
Following this the total station is rotated through angle A
1
and station 1 is sighted
on the traverse. The instrument will now display the whole circle bearing along line
A1.
The horizontal distance D1 is measured and the coordinates of station 1 are
calculated by the total station.
The total station is moved and set up at 1, point A is sighted as a backsight and the
horizontal circle is orientated along this direction.
By rotating though angle A
2
to sight station 2, and by measuring the distance D2,
the coordinates of station 2 are obtained.
This process is repeated.
To end the traverse, measurements are taken from the last traverse station to a
closing point C (whose coordinates are known)
Once this is done the total station will display any misclosures
It is also possible to measure 3-D traverses with a total station. In this case the
heights of the first control point A and those of the closing point C are entered into
the total station together with each instrument and reflector height as individual
measurements are taken.
Some traverse programs allow the user to fix the positions of additional points
along the traverse called side shots. To coordinate these, the side shot point is
sighted in between the back sight and the next station as shown below.
Another feature found on some total stations is radial traversing.
This is simply an extension of the coordinate measuring program and is carried out
by setting up the total station at an existing control station and orientating onto
another.
Further points are then coordinated by measuring distance to them and using polar
to rectangular conversions to compute their coordinates. Although this offers the
ability to coordinate a series of control points much more quickly than by
conventional traversing.
The drawback of radial traversing is that it is only possible to check the results
obtained by measuring the distances between the points surveyed.
As this can involve as much work as ordinary traversing, the need for checking
cancels the advantage of a single station set up.
The missing line measurement
The missing line measurement (MLM) software option installed in many total
stations allows a user, from a single instrument position, to determine the horizontal
distance and height difference between a start point and a series of sub
sequentially selected points. As shown in the diagram below.
Points 1 and 2 are sighted and the distances and circle readings to them are
recorded at the instrument station. The MLM program then computes the
horizontal distance D12 and height difference h12 between these two points.
If the distance and circle reading to a third point are included in the sequence, the
total station can display D13 and h13 (radial MLM) or it can display D23 and
h23. Any number of points can be calculated in the sequence.
Total stations are very sophisticated instruments and can provide several
advantages while conducting control surveys. However, it does have some
disadvantages too.
E.g. consider a traverse to be a recognised survey procedure for obtaining the
coordinates of control points and can be checked with a total station by closing onto
a known point. By using radial traversing a total station could produce the same
ser of coordinates for a series of control points much quicker than traditional
traversing, as the observations can be taken from a single instrument position.
While this does save time it can be open to a number of mistakes occurring.
Therefore all measurements must be checked and great care taken.
Intersection and resection
Intersection
This is a method of locating a control point without occupying it. On construction
sites, predominate marks around the site, such as tall buildings and other clearly
defined features may be used as control points during construction. It is obviously
not possible to set up an instrument at these but it is possible to obtain their
coordinates by using intersection.
Since they are usually in elevated positions they can be seen when the lines of
sight to other control points at ground level become obscured as construction
proceeds.
A and B are points in a control network with known coordinates (E
A
, N
A
) and (E
B
,
N
B
). To coordinate unknown point P which lies at the intersection of the lines from
A and B, a total station or theodolite is set up at A and B and the horizontal angles
and are observed. The coordinates of P can be calculated by a number of
different methods.
Intersection by solution of triangle
In triangle ABP, the length and bearing of the base line AB are obtained from their
coordinates and are given rectangular polar conversions as
These distances and bearings are used to calculate the coordinates of P along AP
using polar rectangular conversion as:
Intersection using the observed angles
If one takes a clockwise lettering sequence, the coordinates of P can be obtained
directly from
A disadvantage of this method compared with solving the triangle is that there is no
check on the calculations.
Intersection from two baselines
When solving intersections using the previous formulae, it is not possible to check
the fieldwork because a unique solution is obtained for the position of point P. the
method that should be used to detect errors in the observed angels and hence
errors in the coordinates of P is to observe the intersection from the least two
baselines and to determine the coordinates of the intersected point by solving two
or more separate triangles.
Example
The coordinates of three control points S, A and L are:
mE mN
S 1309.652 1170.503
A 1395.454 1078.806
L 1268.855 1028.419
You are also given the angles ASB, BAS, LAB and BLA
Using the data provided, the layout of the stations and the observed angles given
above.
For triangle SAB, the clockwise sequence SAB is equivalent to ABP in the last
example.
The coordinates for B are estimated by
Since the two sets of results for E
B
and N
B
differ by 0.015m and 0.009m
respectively no gross error has occurred in the observations and the final
coordinates are mean values from the two sets, hence
E
B
= 1180.154m and N
B
= 1145.947m
Resection
This is a method of locating a new control point by taking observations from it to
other known control points on a network. Two types of resection can be carried out,
angular resection where horizontal angles are measured and distance resection in
which horizontal distances are measured. Both types are useful for coordinating
temporary control points on site which are called free station points.
Angular resections
These are used to coordinate a point by taking observations from it to existing
control points an advantage of this method is that a resection can be done
without occupying any of the control points to which the observations are taken.
A good example of this occurs on high-rise buildings when ground control is no
longer available or cannot be transferred through the upper floors. In this case,
intersected points can be fixed around the site prior to construction and used later
as control for resections as the building is constructed.
A point can be coordinated in an angular resection by observing angles from it to at
least three existing control points in a three-point resection as shown below.
In this, horizontal angles and subtended at the resection point P by control
points A, B and C are observed.
If the triangles ABC are lettered clockwise, the coordinates of P are given by
Example
At a resection point P, the following horizontal angles were observed to three
control points, L,M,N.
The coordinates of L, M and N are known:
Distance resections
These are carried out on site using total stations. As seen in the FIG below the
total station is ser up at an unknown point P and the horizontal distances D
PA
and
D
PB
to two existing control points A and B are measured together with the horizontal
angle subtended by the control points.
Unlike an angular resection, it must be possible to occupy the control points in this
case and place reflectors at A and B.
To determine the coordinates of the total station at P, the distance and bearing
along AB are first calculated from their coordinates using rectangular polar
conversions.
Following this step, all three angles in the triangle ABP are calculated using the
distances and the cosine rule. These can be checked by ensuring they sum to
180 and by comparing the measured value of with its calculated value.
It is no possible to compute the whole-circle bearings along AP and BP and these
are used with the measured distances, to calculate the coordinates of P as an
intersection by solution of triangle.
To check fieldwork calculations, a second resection can be observed and
calculated using different control points.
On site it is normal practice to include a third station and a resection is carried out
with this and control point A or B.
Free stationing
The majority of total stations have an applications program installed for performing
distance resections called free stationing
Using this program all the operator has to do when using these to enter
the coordinates of the two control points and measure the distance
between them the total station will then calculate and display the
coordinates of the instrument position.
Control networks
Extending control into networks
As an alternative to traversing, the positions of control points for a construction
project can be fixed using a network.
A triangulation network consists of a series of single or overlapping triangles as
shown below.
By carrying out a traverse of a site we establish control points around the perimeter
from which it will be possible to carry out mapping or setting out surveys. However
it is usually necessary to create a network of points within the site to speed up
these processes, e.g. Munich Airport: