FACULTY OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND GEOMATIC
ENGINEERING

Subject Code BFC 20703

Practical Name Horizontal Control (Traverse)
Course Code 2 BFF
Practical Date 17/11/2011
Section 1
Group 6
Group Leader Eric Cheah Keng Yang
1.Chin Hui Hui
2.Kueh Yi Shi
Group Members 3.Lee Chee Aun
4.Wong Chee Fei
5.
Lecturer Name/ Instructor/ Tutor En. Anuar Mohd. Salleh
Marks Introduction / 5%
Objective / 5%
Theory / 10%
Instrument / 5%
Procedure / 5%
Data/ Table / 10%
Data analysis / 20%
Discussion / 15%
Presentation/ Plotting / 10%
Conclusion/Recommendation / 10%
Reference / 5%
Total mark / 100%
Comments Accepted Seal
1.0 INTRODUCTION

Traversing is a type of control survey and is practised in all forms of legal, mapping
and engineering surveys. Basically, traverse is a series of established stations tied together by
angle and distance. The angles or bearings are measured using theodolites, or total stations,
whereas the distances can be measured using steel tapes or electronic distance measurement
instruments (EDMs). The distances are horizontal lengths and the bearings are either true,
magnetic, assumed or grid. Traverses can be open, as in route surveys, or closed, as closed
geometrical figure. The use of horizontal control is very fundamental and has become one of
the most common methods in civil engineering work.

In general, traverses are of two classes. One of the first class is an open traverse. It
originates either at a point of known horizontal position with respect to a horizontal datum or
at an assumed horizontal position and ends at an unknown horizontal position. A traverse of
second class is a closed traverse, which can be portrayed in any one of the following ways; (1)
it starts at an assumed horizontal position and ends at that same point; (2) it originates at a
known horizontal position with respect to horizontal datum and terminates at that same point;
(3) it starts at a known horizontal position and terminates at another knows horizontal position.

2.0 OBJECTIVE

1. To expose students in field work procedures of establishing horizontal control network.

2. To determine the area of the closed traverse and plot out the map.

3.0 THEORY

The theory of traverse includes identifying the process of traversing. In survey, traverse is
defined as the field operation of measuring the lengths and directions of a series of straight
lines connecting a series of points on the earth. Each of these straight lines is called a traverse
line, and each point is called a traverse station. Traverse stations are usually marked with
wooden peg, stake, nail or iron pipe.
 Traverse lines are measured using total station. Traversing needs to start from
reference datum where coordinate, bearing and distance are known. At each traverse station, a
horizontal angle is measured and used to determine the bearing of the next traverse lines.
These measurements are used to compute the relative horizontal position of each unknown
traverse station. The main purpose of traverse are for instance, property surveys to locate and
establish boundaries, supplementary horizontal control for topographic mapping surveys and
location and construction layout surveys for highways, railways, and other private or public
works.

4.0 INSTRUMENT

Equipment Unit
Total Station 1
Prisms 2
Wooden pegs 4
Nails 4
Tripod 3
Prismatic compass 1
Compass stand 1
Hammer 1

5.0 PROCEDURE

I. Fieldwork Procedures

1. Planning and Reconnaissance: Suitable traverses stations were located over the area of
the field. Four traverse stations were planted and it was ensured that no obstacles could
have obstructed the survey work.
2. Pegging traverse station: The line of sight of each control point and its susceptibility to
disturbance were considered since the points will remain for the duration of the entire lab
practicals.
3. The traverse survey began by setting up the total station at a control station and two other
prisms at adjacent stations.

Figure 1: Traverse stations layout

4. Before beginning, the prismatic compass was set at station 2 and a prism was set at
station 1. After the instruments were centered, leveled and adjusted, bearing from station
2 to 1 was taken using the compass. The prismatic compass was then removed from the
point.
5. Afterwards, the total station was set up at station 2 and prisms were set up at station 1 and
3. The instruments were centered and leveled.
6. The bearing obtained before this was entered into the total station when pointing at
station 1. This is considered as the face left reading from station 2 to 1(backsight). The
bearing and horizontal distance were recorded.
7. The total station was then turned to face station 3(foresight). Face left reading was
recorded, both bearing and horizontal distance.
8. The instrument was then transited from face left to face right by rotating the observing
head 180° vertically. The bearing and distances were then taken again from station 2 to
1(backsight) and station 2 to 3(foresight).
9. The mean bearing of foresight station was calculated. Record the data observed in the
data book.
10. The instruments were moved to the next station (station 3) with respect or correspond to
the previous mean bearing.
11. The entire process was repeated in a clockwise manner until station 1.

II. Results and Calculations

12. Corrections were applied for the traverse line adjustments.

13. The adjusted results of coordinates of control stations, traverse misclosure and traverse
area were calculated.

6.0 DATA TABULATION

Turn to the next page.

7.0 DATA ANALYSIS

Bearing from line 1-2 : 190° 11’ 10”

True bearing from line 1-2 : 190° 10’ 00”

Bearing misclosure : 1’ 10”

In second class traverse, it is stated that the bearing misclosure cannot exceed 2’ 30”. In this
case, the bearing misclosure is 1’ 10”, therefore this traverse field work is acceptable.

1' 10"
Correction : = 17.5” per station
4

After adjusting all the bearing values, the calculations for latitude, departure, two times
latitude and departure and two times latitude x departure and two time departure x latitude
were made. From the table, corrections for latitude and departure were also done by using
Bowditch Rule.

𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 143.680𝑚 ; Total distances of the bearing lines

𝐸𝐿 = −0.002 ; Total positive and negative latitudes

𝐸𝐷 = 0.005 ; Total positive and negative departures

𝐸𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 = √(𝐸𝐿 )2 + (𝐸𝐷 )2

= √(−0.002)2 + (0.005)2

= 5.385 × 10−3

𝐸𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒
𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟

5.385 × 10−3
=
143.680

= 3.748 × 10−5
 1
=
3.748 × 10−5

= 1 ∶ 26681.523 ; This ratio is acceptable as it is > 1: 4000

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 1 = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 (2 × 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡 × 𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡) = 2463.322

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 2 = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 (2 × 𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡 × 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡) = −2463.321

|𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 1| + |𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 2|
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 = = 2463.3215
2

2𝐴 = 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 = 2463.3215

𝐴 = 1231.661𝑚2

7.1 TRAVERSE MAP

Using the computer aided software, Trimmap to design and plot out the traverse map, the
result of the field work is as shown (map included behind).
8.0 DISCUSSION

1. In traversing works, errors are common and bearing misclosure is a factor that can never
be avoided. The misclosure is always there when a traverse survey is completed, only a
matter of difference in magnitude. Thus, adjustments and corrections are required in
order to close the traverse.
2. The latitude and departure are the north/south rectangular component of a line and the
east/west rectangular component of a line.

3. The actual accuracy of a survey as suggested by the precision ratio of a closed traverse
can be misleading. In the case of a closed-loop traverse, untreated systematic errors will
have been largely balanced during the computation of latitudes and departures. Therefore,
for high precision to reflect favorably on accuracy, control of field practice and technique
is essential.
4. Latitudes and departures can be used for the computation of coordinates or the
computation of the area enclosed by the traverse. In addition, the coordinates can then be
utilized to establish control for additional survey layout. Before any further use can be
made of these latitudes and departures, however, they must be adjusted so that their errors
are suitably distributed, and the algebraic sums of the latitudes and departures are each
zero. If done properly, these adjustments will ensure that the final position of each
traverse station, as given by the coordinates, is optimal with respect the true station
location.
5. Once the latitudes and departures have been adjusted, the original polar coordinates will
no longer be valid. In most cases, the adjustment required for the polar coordinates is too
 small to warrant consideration. But if data are to be used for layout purposes, the
corrected distances and directions should be used.
6. Apart from determining area of traverse from latitudes and departures, other methods of
computing the area are through rectangular coordinates and also finding the area through
its map. When a map of a required area is available, the area can be obtained within the
limits of the accuracy of the map, by dividing the map figure into geometrical shapes and
computing the area of these figures from the dimensions scaled from the map. This
method is best limited to figures that are bounded by approximately straight lines.
7. The precautions ought to be taken when performing this survey includes avoiding
parallax error and error in setting up instruments. Besides that, ensure the cross-hair of
the stadia overlaps with the cross-hair of the prism before measuring the bearing and
distance. Also, several readings should be taken instead of just one definite observation
because this will reduce the error in the bearing misclosure.

9.0 CONCLUSION

Through this field work, the students have managed to grasp the basics in performing a
traverse survey and also improved in utilizing surveying instruments plus computing
calculations. Moreover, the area of the closed traverse was computed and converted to units in
hectares. A = 0.2463321 ha.

10.0 REFERENCE

…Barry F. Kavanagh, 2006. Surveying: Principles and Applications 7th ed. USA. Prentice
Hall. pp 160-201.

…Francis H. Moffitt, John D. Bossler, 1998. Surveying 10th ed. USA. Addison Wesley
Longman, Inc. pp 241-297.

…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traverse_(surveying)

…http://engineeringtraining.tpub.com/14069/css/14069_463.htm