What is adjustment computations?

A process of estimating errors in the measured values and

computing the improved (more precise) values so that they
are consistent with the geometric condition of the quantity
being measured (ex. length, elev diff, etc)
SO …… WHAT IS GEOMATICS?
SO …… WHAT IS GEOMATICS?
COLLECTION spatial data

PROCESSING spatial data

DELIVERY OF
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
FOR DECISION-MAKING
Those are instruments and methods for
the measurement, collection and
management of Earth’s spatial data in
surveying science and geomatics

Measured or observed data

always contain errors and they must be
processed before be utilized for
surveying and mapping purposes
 Adjustment Computations – Study
of Errors in Measurements
 Measurement is a process of getting the value for an
unknown quantity
 The quantity could be length, angle, coordinates,
weight, pulse rate, etc.
 The value for the quantity could be acquired or
estimated from the scale of an instrument
 The process may involves activities or actions that
are performed by the operator to bring the instrument
into contact with the quantity
 The outcome from this process is the value recorded
by the instrument
 The value is known as measured value or observed
value or surveyed value (or data)
 No measurement is ever exact (eg. repeated
measurement)
 Repeated measurement of the same quantity using
the same instrument under the same condition resulted
different values.
 The difference between the measured value and its
true value is called “error” in the measurement.
 Sources of errors are (i) Instrumental, (ii) Natural and
(iii) Personal.
 All measurements are not free from errors
 We need to (i) analyse the magnitude of the error, (ii)
determine if the error can be tolerated, and (iii) adjust
the error so that its conform to the geometric condition
required, resulting better results.
Application of survey data
 Input in GIS for output of map products

 Quality of the product depends on quality of input or survey data

 Quality expressed in terms of errors in the measured data or

observations

error = X - T
Where X = observed value
T = true value
error = gross + systematic + random
Survey observations
…… a way or process of determining the value of an unknown quantity

Errors
….are the differences between observed or measured or derived values and
standard or true values of the quantity of interest

Survey observations contain errors that can be categorized as

- gross error
- systematic error or bias
- random error

Gross and systematic errors can be removed from the observations

Random errors cannot be eliminated but can be controlled

Random errors
- due top human and instruments imperfection
- small magnitude and can be positive or negative
- dealt based on law of probability or statistics

Error effects
- repeated observations of same quantity, same condition give different values
- small difference between repeated observations indicates small error and the
observation is precise
- precision and accuracy are two different things. Explain.
Accurate or Precise shots?
Detection the presence of random errors
- comparison between observations and certain conditions that fit to the
geometry of the measurements
- Examples:
> total elevation difference in a closed loop is zero
> total internal angles of a triangle is 180 deg
> total angles around the horizon at a point is 360 deg
> total latitude and departure of a closed traverse is zero

- the conditions involve more than one observation, i.e. redundant

observations
- redundant observations are observations that exceed the minimum
number needed to determine the unknown. Give examples.
- redundant observations allow the detection of random error and adjustment
be made to get a final or most probable value for the unknown.
- What is the difference between adjustment and correction of observations?
Redundant observations
Example: Observation of three angles of a plane triangle (say A, B and C)
Number of redundant observation is ONE

If only angles A and B were observed, the angle C could be computed as

C = 180 – A – B. Hence, C is unnecessary. If C is observed, it is a redundant.

Advantage of value C from observation:

• Enable to assess error and to decide whether to accept or reject the
observation
• To make possible adjustment to the observed values in order to derive
higher precision values or Most Probable Values (MPV) for the unknown
quantity.