ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

At the end of this lecture, students

should;

• Know to define bearing

• Know to calculate bearing
• Know to eliminate local attraction
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Introduction
Surveying is concerned with the relative location of points on, above or
below the surface of the earth. It therefore becomes necessary to start from
known points on a line.

If the location of two points is known, a third point may be located by

measuring the distances from the already located points. The relative
position of the third point is at times also expressed in terms other than the
distance alone.

In such cases, direction may be used for the location of a point by any of
the following methods:
1. By measuring its distance from one of the given points & its
direction from the other point.
2. By measuring its distance & direction from any of the two
known points.
3. By measuring its direction from each of the two known points.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
The direction of the survey lines is measured with the help of an instrument
known as compass.

Compass, being light & portable, is most suited for reconnaissance and
exploratory survey. It is particularly advantageous when the survey lines
have to be short due to obstructions or irregularities of details.
Some of the applications and uses of compass survey are:-
1. To find out the magnetic bearing of a line.
2. To fill in details.
3. To find the direction during night marching.
4. Tracing streams.
5. Plotting irregular shore lines.
6. Reconnaissance survey.
7. Clearings in roads.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Definitions
1. Meridian
 It is the fixed direction with the bearing 0⁰ of survey line.
2. Bearing
 It is the horizontal angle between the reference meridian and the survey
line measured in clockwise or anticlockwise direction.
 The bearing of a line is obtained with the aid of whole circle bearing,
quadrantal bearing (reduced bearing) and grid bearing (in geodetic
survey).
3. True Meridian
 The true meridian passing through a point on
the earth surface is the line in which a plane
passing through the given point (say A) and the
north and south poles, intersects the surface of
the earth. It represents the true north-south
direction at the place (see Figure).
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
4. True Bearing
 The horizontal angle measured clockwise between the true meridian and
the line is called true bearing of the line.
5. Grid Meridian
 Grid meridian is the reference meridian for a country on a national survey
map.
 For survey of a country, the true
meridian of a central place is
regarded as the reference
meridian.
 All other meridians in the country
are assumed to be parallel to the
grid meridian.
6. Grid Bearing
 The horizontal angle which a line
makes with the grid meridian is
called grid bearing.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
7. Magnetic Meridian
 It is the direction indicated by a freely suspended and balanced magnetic
needle unaffected by local attractive forces. The location of the magnetic
poles is constantly changing, hence the direction of magnetic meridian is
employed as a line of reference on rough surveys.
8. Magnetic Bearing
 The horizontal angle which a line makes with the magnetic meridian is
called magnetic bearing. It varies with time.
9. Arbitrary Meridian
 It is any convenient direction, usually
from a survey station to some well-
defined permanent object. The first line
of survey at times is also taken as
arbitrary meridian.
10. Arbitrary Bearing
 The horizontal angle measured with
respect to the arbitrary meridian is called
arbitrary bearing.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Type of Compass
Principally, surveying compass may be classified as:-
1. Trough Compass
It consists of a long magnetic needle in a narrow rectangular box.
2. Tubular Compass
A tubular compass is an improved version of a trough compass. The
magnetic needle is contained in a tube, at one end of which an eye piece
and a diaphragm carrying a glass plate with vertical rulings is fitted.
3. Prismatic Compass
It consists of a circular box about 100mm in diameter. There is a broad
magnetic needle balanced on a hard steel pointed pivot.
4. Surveyor Compass
Surveyor compass acquires its name from its extensive use by surveyors.
But the prismatic compass has now replaced it as it is light, compact and
handy.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Prismatic Compass
An aluminium ring,
graduated to degrees is
attached to the needle.
A prism is provided on the
observer‘s side to read
the bearing.
The ring is graduated
from the south end of the
needle.
The observation are run clockwise round to 360° with
zero placed at south (see figure – plan view).

This is done to facilitate direct reading of the bearings.

The figures on the graduated ring are engraved inverted
as they are viewed through the prism.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Surveyor Compass

The graduated ring is

attached to the circular
box and not to the
magnetic needle.
The edge bar type
magnetic needle floats
freely over the pivot and
is not attached to the ring.
As the compass box is
turned, the letters N, E, S and W turn with it, but the needle
continues to point towards the north.
The 0° is placed at both north & south directions & 90° is
marked at east & west direction.
The east & west markings are interchanged from their
normal position (see figure – plan view).
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Designation of Bearings
There are two systems commonly used to express bearings and are as
follows:-
1. Whole Circle Bearing System (W.C.B System)
 In this system, the bearing of a line is always measured clockwise from the
north point of the reference meridian towards the line right round the circle,
e.g. 1, 2, etc. as shown in figure.

 The angle thus measured between the

reference meridian and the line is called the
whole circle bearing of the line. It will have
values between 0° and 360°.
 A prismatic compass and a theodolite observe
the W.C.B., which also considered as an
azimuth. The azimuth of a line is the angle
measured clockwise from the starting point,
usually north in plane survey.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
2. Quadrantal Bearing System (Q.B System)

 In this system, the bearing of a lines are

measured clockwise (, ) or anticlockwise (,
) from north or south, whichever is nearer to
the line as shown in figure.
 Quadrantal bearing of:-
OA : N  E OB : S  E
OC : S  W OD : N  W

Example:

1. Convert the following whole circle bearings to quadrantal bearings.

(i) 5620' (ii) 17005' (iii) 21830' (iv) 27250'

2. Convert the following quadrantal bearings to whole circle bearings.

(i) N1000'E (ii) S3014'E (iii) S0210'W (iv) N1820'W
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Reduced Bearing (R.B)

When the whole circle bearing of a line exceeds 90°, it must be reduced to
the corresponding angle less than 90°.
This angle is known as Reduced Bearing.

Case W.C.B between R.B Quadrant

1. 0 – 90° W.C.B NE

2. 90° – 180° 180° - W.C.B SE

3. 180° – 270° W.C.B -180° SW

4. 270° – 360° 360° - W.C.B NW

 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Fore Bearing and Back Bearing

1. Fore Bearing (F.B)
 The bearing of a line in the direction of progress of the survey is called the
fore or forward bearing.
2. Back Bearing (B.B)
 The bearing of a line in the opposite direction of progress of the survey is
known as back or reverse bearing.

 The bearing of a line is indicated

in the order in which the line is
lettered. Thus the bearing from A
to B is the fore bearing  of the
line AB, whereas the bearing of
line AB in the direction B to A is
its back bearing  (see Figure).
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Relationship between F.B and B.B

1. W.C.B system
 If the fore bearing of a line is known then,
Back Bearing = Fore bearing  180°
 plus sign is used if the fore bearing is less than 180°, and minus sign
if it is more than 180°.

2. Q.B system

 The fore and back bearings are numerically equal but are in opposite
direction, i.e N is replaced by S or vice versa and E is replaced by W or
vice versa. For example, if the fore bearing of a line is N30°E, its back
bearing will be S30°W.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Computation of Correct Bearing

The Average Bearing Method

 In this method, we assume that the Fore Bearing (F.B) or Back Bearing
(B.B) on one line are correct.
 Example:-
Calculate Fore Bearing which had been made at Station 1, 2 and 3.

Station F.B B.B F.B.A

1 339° 00‘ 157° 00‘ 338° 00‘
2 182° 00‘ 360° 00‘ ?
3 339° 30‘ 160° 30‘ ?
(F.B.A – Fore Bearing Average)
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Solution :-
 Station 1
339° 00‘
- 157° 00‘
182° 00‘

 Assume that F.B is correct.

B.B must + 2 = 159° 00‘ so that the difference will be 180° 00‘.

 B.B Average = 157° 00‘ + 159° 00‘‘ = 316° 00‘ = 158° 00‘
2 2

 If B.B = 158° 00‘, hence F.B = 180° 00‘ + 158° 00‘ = 338° 00‘

 TRY TO DO FOR STATION 2 AND STATION 3 !!!

 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Local Attraction
The magnetic needle does not point to the magnetic north, when it is
under the influence of the external attractive forces.
In the presence of magnetic materials such as iron pipes, steel
structures, iron lamps, posts, rails, cables, chain, arrows, mineral
deposits in the ground, etc., the needle is deflected from its normal
position which represent local attraction.

Elimination of Local Attraction

Two principal had to be considered during eliminate the influence of
local attraction which are:-
1. The same correction should be considered on each line which the
bearing of each line should be taken.
2. The differences between Fore Bearing and Back Bearing after the
correction of local attraction influence must be 180° (see Table A -D).
 Table 1

Line Bearing Difference Local Last Bearing

Attraction
Correction
A–B 60° 30‘ – 6° 15‘ 54° 15‘
169° 45‘
B–A 230° 15‘ + 4° 00‘ 234° 15‘
B–C 338° 00‘ + 4° 00‘ 342° 00‘
176° 00‘
C–B 162° 00‘ 0° 00‘ 162° 00‘
C–D 184° 15‘ 0° 00‘ 184° 15‘
180° 00‘
D–C 4° 15‘ 0° 00‘ 4° 15‘
D–E 219° 00‘ 0° 00‘ 219° 00‘
174° 30‘
E–D 44° 30‘ – 5° 30‘ 39° 00‘
E–A 316° 15‘ – 5° 30‘ 310° 45‘
179° 15‘
A–E 137° 00‘ – 6° 15‘ 130° 45‘
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Attention
If in traverse, the fore bearing and back bearing correction must be
180°, the process can be made with the strating of average bearing
and the line which the correction is very close with 180°.
Sometimes the correction that had been made will not give exactly
180° which has an error. The correction of this error are either put
positive or negative value. This call as a declination.
If the difference between Fore Bearing and Back Bearing is more
than 180°, the correction is positive value and vice versa.

Let say e is declination and n is no. of line:-

1 2 3 Correction for line no. 1, 2, 3, etc.

e, e, e
n n n
 Table 2

Table B: One line which has difference of 180°

 Table 3

Table C: Two lines which has difference of 180°

 Table 4

Table D: No lines which has difference of 180°

 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Drawing Compass Traverse

It can be made with two method which are:-

1. Draw with Bowditch Method

 The error during draw the traverse of compass can be occured. In this
case, the error that can be accept is around 1 / 400 (see Figure – use
Bowditch Method).

 Calculation:-
Total traverse distance (T.T.D) = 1000 + 1500 + 1000 + 2000 = 5500 m
Difference = close difference = 12 = 1
T.T.D 5500 458
 So, the difference which is 12.0 m is allowed because the value is less
than 1 / 400.
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Figure : use Bowditch Method

 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

2. Draw with Coordinate Method

 Steps (see Table E):-

1. Change W.C.B to Q.B.

2. Calculate latitute and departure.

 Latitude = L cos  = Length x cos of Q.B
 Departure = L sin  = Length x sin of Q.B

3. Calculate total latitute and departure.

4. Make a correction
 Correction x Length of each line
Total distance
 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

2. Draw with Coordinate Method – continued…

Example (see Table E):-

E.g. :- for line AB = L kos  = 254 x kos S72°E = - 78.5
Remarks:- for QB  if N & E = +ve ; if S & W = -ve

Latitude correction:- Total U = + 435.9

S = - 438.5
Difference - 2.6
Correction + 2.6

E.g. :- for line AB = +2.6 x 254 = +0.3m

2202
 Table 5

Total distance = 2202 m Table E: Coordinate Calculation

 ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Equipment

Local Attraction The Cause of Error Set up

Advantages & Disadvantages Compass

Advantages Disadvantages
• small, light and cheap. • less accuracy.
• less time to set up compass. • local attraction at any place.
• free from bearing declination on
each line (before & after).
ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
Exercise in class:-
ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT
ANGLE AND BEARING MEASUREMENT

Exercise in class:- Answer