The Concept of Traversing as an Element of Surveying - Research Paper Example

Traverse Assessment Student Name: Institutional Affiliation Date Due: 1. Introduction The concept of traversing is a very important element of surveying. The concept is mainly used in establishing control networks. Transverse networks are realized by putting survey stations along a path or line of travel. Transverse networks have several advantages. Some of these are; less organization and reconnaissance is required, can be used in accommodating different types of terrains, requires just a few observations to be taken an the various stations, not subject to free of strength concerns, scale errors never add up.There is also a possibility of reducing Azimuth swing errors. Generally speaking, traverse method is more efficient when compared to triangulateration ( a combination of triangulation and the method of trilateration). Through this paper, we offer a concise account of the methods, outcomes and discussions of a traversing practical. The practical entailed the use of intermediate points that are provided in the specified table, carrying out a traverse to Station 18 with the aim of establishing the point, in addition to the other intermediate points, in three dimensions to third order stipulations, for instance 1:10,000. Through this report, we shall evaluate our outcomes through the observation of the redundant observations. The report will also entail the reading of all the observations made on the faces of Total Station. All traverses began at PSM 1882 and needed picking up of Station 4 as a section of the traverse. The traverse will then be needed to close back to the initial or starting point. Starting Points Point Easting Northing Reduced Level (m) Groups PSM 1882 259 202.013 5926 443.231 271.828 1,3,5,7,9,11 PCP 411 259 292.484 5926 433.944 272.777 2,4,6,8,10,12 Station 4 259 139.546 5926 450.370 270.127 All groups Intermediate points Table Group 2 Bush Gym Services 2. Materials and Methods Materials that were used in the traversing practical were as follows: Theodolite (Total Station ) Tape Protractor Paper Pencil Computer Scientific calculator Method The technique applied in this practical is Theodolite traversing. This involves the use of an electronic and optical instrument called as Total Station is the measurement of distances and angles from the instrument to a given point (Kavanagh & Glenn Bird,1996). Advantages and Disadvantages of Traversing Technique One of the notable advantages of traversing technique is derived from the fact that, in traverses, the points are placed at fixed positions that are accessible and can be utilized later. This is in contrast to the triangulation technique, in which points are points are normally placed on elevated points such as on hills that tend to be distant, remote and off the track. Triangular technique, on the other hand has the advantage of enabling points to be placed over a specified area in real time while traverse method is restricted to a single line. Amongst the noteworthy disadvantages of traversing technique in contrast to triangulation is the fact that, traversing offers a larger probability of making gross errors during the field measurements and in computation. This, therefore, calls for extreme care to be observed during the traverse fieldwork and during the calculation to avert the incidences of such blunders. The following are some of the traversing stages that should be reflected on to realize precise results: Reconnaissance , lay-out, station marks as well as signals, angular observation, linear measurement and computation 3. Results a. The coordinates and reduced levels of all points should be calculated. i. A table similar to the one attached is probably the easiest way to go about it. ii. Diagrams are also extremely helpful b. A completed ‘to scale’ plan of your traverse containing the following information: i. Bearings (whole circle) of each of the legs of your traverse. (use a protractor to ensure your angles are accurate, CAD can be used) ii. Distances (quoted to the appropriate level of accuracy) iii. North Point iv. Title block containing 1. Booker 2. Observer 3. Staffman 4. Weather and temperature 5. Date 6. Plan title 7. Scale v. Plan should take up a full page with clear legible labeling. c. A calculation of the error (both angular and linear). i. The magnitude of each error should be calculated. ii. The coordinates and the bearings should be adjusted in the appropriate manner to reflect the angular and linear error incurred from your practical. iii. Traverse needs to conform to Third Order Specifications, angular error allowed is 10√N where N = number of station setups and the answer is in seconds. i.e. 9 station setups will give an allowable angular error of 30 sec. 4. Discussion The results indicate that traversing is a better method of obtaining linear and angular measurements. The level of accuracy achieved however, suggested that Theodolite traversing suffers from serious errors. The main problem that we faced infield are related to the need for constant adjustments in order to help eliminate errors of measurements. Time was also no sufficient. In the process of fieldwork and computation, a lot of time was spent thereby making this activity very strenuous. The main compromise to accuracy in this exercise was errors due to measurement and computation. Through the practical, we were able to identify the three main sources of errors in traversing. These included errors that were associated to the instruments, errors that are due to personality and those that are natural. Instrument errors that arose in the course of the practical included errors that were because of level line of sight being out of adjustments, plate levels and instrument eccentricity. Errors that were observed because of personality comprised of errors that were related to the observer’s tendency to measure long on each measurement because of his posture when taping. This led to different observers making various personal systematic errors of a negligible degree on every observation. Natural errors on the other hand included blunders that came about as a result of natural environmental conditions for instance, temperature, gravity, atmospheric refraction and pressure, wind and humidity. The following recommendations were later observed in order to ensure accuracy of the results. The gross errors were minimized by taking extreme care at all times throughout the process. For instance, in order to minimize errors associated with measurements and observations, the mean of an even number of observations was taken into account. Elimination of the instrumental errors was carried out through the application of the proper procedures such as direct and reverse observation of angles balancing of both backsights and resights, and through repetition of measurements. Purging of natural errors was carried out through the determination of analogous corrections from recognized errors with the natural error in question. Instrumental errors that could not be purged were minimized through the maintenance of a routine program of adjusting and checking the materials. Personal errors were, on the other hand , purged through the observation of the recommended procedures and also through common sense. In conclusion, I can say that the practical results do fall within specifications. Read More