Geomatics and Surveying Principles Quiz

Surveying Fieldwork

• Field notes are the only reliable and permanent record of work in the field.
• Incorrect or incomplete notes waste time, money, and effort in data gathering.
• Quality of field work directly reflects how field records are kept.
• Field notes are the official record of the survey.

Types of Field Notes

• Sketches
• Tabulations
• Explanatory notes
• Computations
• Combinations

Information Found in Fieldbooks

• Title or name of the project
• Time of day and date
• Weather conditions
• Names of group members and their designations
• List of equipment

Recording Observed Data

• Follow a consistent and simple writing style.
• Use a sharp pencil.
• Record data directly into the field book after measurement, not on scratch paper.
• Do not erase incorrect data; instead, draw a line through it and write the correct value above. If the entire page needs deletion, diagonal lines should be drawn from opposite corners with "VOID" prominently lettered
• Avoid crowding the data.
• Bring a straight edge and protractor to the field.
• Indicate north at the top of the page and include a meridian arrow in sketches.
• Keep tabulated values within columns and align decimal points and digits vertically.
• Notes should not appear more or less precise than the actual data.
• Document computations in the field notebook to allow later checks.
• Every field notebook page should be numbered.

Survey Party

• Chief of Party
• Assistant Chief of Party
• Instrument man
• Technician
• Data processor
• Recorder
• Head Tapeman
• Rear Tapeman
• Flagman
• Rodman
• Pacer
• Axeman or Lineman
• Aidman
• Utilitymen

Survey Hand Signals

• Arm and hand signals convey information, commands, directions, and warnings.
• Signals are used because verbal communication can be difficult due to distance, wind conditions, and noise.

Care and Handling of Instruments

• Know how to use the instrument.
• Always place instruments in stable locations.
• Properly store instruments in their containers.
• Do not use them in bad weather.
• Check instrument functionality before and after field work.
• If wet, dry instruments carefully and do not put them in storage immediately.
• Be mindful of the surroundings when transporting instruments.
• Avoid playing with instruments.
• Always ensure instruments are secure.

Geomatics

• The science of measuring, representing, analyzing, managing, retrieving, and displaying spatial information describing both Earth's physical features and built-in environment.

Geomatics Disciplines

• Surveying
• Geodesy
• Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry
• Cartography
• Geographic Information Systems
• Global Positioning Systems

Geomatics (Traditional Definitions)

• The art of making measurements of relative positions of natural and man-made features on earth's surface and representing this information graphically or numerically.

Geomatics (Modern Definitions)

• The art and science of determining angular and linear measurements to establish shape, extent, and relative positions of points, lines, and areas on or near the earth's surface or other extraterrestrial bodies, using applied mathematics and specialized equipment/techniques.

History of Surveying

• Early surveying practices in Egypt and Babylon.
• Importance of Eratosthenes's work in understanding the size of the earth.

Uses of Survey

• Boundary establishment
• National and state boundary fixing
• Charting coastlines and water bodies
• Precise location of reference points
• Earth's magnetism data collection

Types of Surveys

• Control Survey - establishing horizontal and vertical positions of arbitrary points.
• Property Survey - determining lot lines' length and direction, positioning on the ground.
• Topographic Survey - securing data for a topographic map, indicating terrain configuration and location of natural and human-made objects.
• Hydrographic Survey - surveying water bodies for navigation, water supply, or subaqueous construction.
• Mine Survey - utilizing land, geologic, and topographic surveying principles to control, locate, map underground and surface works related to mining operations.
• Route Survey - control, topographic, and construction surveys for locating and constructing transportation lines.
• Construction Survey - laying out, locating, and monitoring public and private engineering works.
• Photogrammetric Survey - using measurements from photographs to determine positions of photographed objects.

Definitions of Terms

• Level surface: a curved surface where every element is normal to a plumb line.
• Zenith: direction away from Earth's center and above the observer.
• Nadir: direction towards Earth's center.
• Horizontal plane: plane tangent to a level surface.
• Horizontal line: line tangent to a level surface.
• Horizontal angle: angle between two intersecting lines in a horizontal plane.
• Vertical line: line perpendicular to the horizontal plane.
• Vertical plane: plane containing a vertical line.
• Vertical angle: angle between two intersecting lines in a vertical plane.
• Zenith angle: angle between two lines in a vertical plane, one directed towards the zenith.
• Nadir angle: angle between two lines in a vertical plane, one directed towards the nadir.
• Horizontal distances: distances measured along a level line.
• Elevation: vertical distance above or below a datum.
• Contour: imaginary line of constant elevation.
• Difference in elevation: vertical distance between two points.
• Leveling: operation of measuring difference in elevation.
• Grade/Gradient: slope of a line or rate of ascent/descent.