TACHEOMETRIC SURVEYING

V Vinayaka Ram
Tacheometry / Tachometry / Telemetry

Horizontal distances and (relative) vertical

elevations are determined from subtended
intervals and vertical angles observed with
an instrument

Uses of Tachometric Surveying

Preparation of topographic maps
Survey work in difficult terrain where
direct methods of measurements are
inconvenient
Reconnaissance survey for highways and
railways
Establishment of secondary control points
 Tacheometer
Transit theodolite fitted with stadia diaphragm
and an Anallactic lens
 Tacheometer
Anallactic lens: Additional convex lens is provided between
the eye piece and the object glass at a fixed distance from the
object glass. The purpose of providing anallactic lens is to
make additive constant (f+d) exactly zero
STADIA ROD PATTERNS
 TACHEOMETRY / TACHOMETRY

INSTRUMENT TYPES

Simple External Focusing Telescope

(Stadia Theodolite)

External Focusing Anallactic

Telescope (Porros Telescope)
Tacheometer or Tachometer
Additive Constant ZERO

Internal Focusing Telescope More

Popular A Small Additive Constant
is present
 SYSTEMS OF TACHEOMETRIC
MEASUREMENTS
Stadia Systems
Fixed Hair Method or Stadia Method
Movable Hair Method or Subtense Method

Tangential System (Out of the Syllabus)

Measurement by Special Instruments

(Out of the Syllabus Fundamentals will be covered
for a few special Instruments)
 STADIA SYSTEM - FIXED HAIR
METHOD
Stadia wires fixed or at constant distance apart

Readings corresponding to all the three wires are

taken

Staff Intercept Distance from the top wire to the

bottom wire will depend on the distance of the
staff from the instrument

When the staff Intercept is more than the length of

the staff, only half of the intercept is read

For inclined sights, readings shall be taken by

keeping the staff vertical or normal to the line of
sight
 STADIA SYSTEM - SUBTENSE
METHOD
Stadia Interval is Variable

Distance between the two targets is

kept fixed while the distance between
the stadia hairs (Stadia Interval) is
Variable

As in the Fixed Hair system, Inclined

sights may also be taken
 NON - STADIA SYSTEMS
Telescopes without stadia diaphragm are used
Tangential method:
Readings at two different points on a staff are
taken against the horizontal cross hair and
corresponding vertical angles are noted
Subtense bar method:
a bar of fixed length, called a subtense bar is placed in
horizontal position. The angle subtended by two target
points, corresponding to a fixed distance on the
subtense bar, at the instrument station is measured. The
horizontal distance between the subtense bar and the
instrument is computed from the known distance
between the targets and the measured horizontal angle
PRINCIPLE OF TACHEOMETRY
 FIXED-HAIR METHOD OR STADIA
METHOD
Most popular method

Telescope of the theodolite is equipped with two

additional cross hairs, one above and the other
below the main horizontal hair at equal distance

These additional cross hairs are known as stadia

hairs

The Telescope used for this process is called

Tacheometer or Tachometer or Telemeter
 F

Images of readings at A and B of the staff will appear along the

stadia hairs at a and b respectively

Let the staff interval be s

Similar triangle between the object and image will form with vertex
at the focus of the objective lens (F)

Let the horizontal distance of the staff from F be d.

 Then, from the similar Triangles
ABF and a' b' F

Since a' b' = ab = i

The ratio (f/i) (Stadia Interval or Instrument constant) is a

constant for a particular instrument and is denoted by K
Therefore d = K.s
The horizontal distance (D) between the center of the
instrument and the station point (Q) at which the staff is held
is
d+f+c
If C is substituted for (f + c) as shown in the figure,
then the horizontal distance D from the center of
the instrument to the staff is given by the equation

D = K.s + C

The distance C is called the stadia constant. The

above Equation is known as the stadia equation for
a line of sight perpendicular to the staff intercept
 DETERMINATION OF TACHEOMETRIC
CONSTANTS
Step 1 : Set up the Tacheometer at any station say P on a
flat ground

Step 2 : Select another point say Q about 200 m away.

Measure the distance between P and Q accurately with a
precise tape. Then, drive pegs at a uniform interval, say 50
m, along PQ. Mark the peg points as 1, 2, 3 and last peg -4
at station Q

Step 3 : Keep the staff on the peg-1, and obtain the staff
intercept say s1

Step 4 : Likewise, obtain the staff intercepts say s2, when

the staff is kept at the peg-2
 DETERMINATION OF TACHEOMETRIC
CONSTANTS
Step 5 : Form the simultaneous equations, using Equation
D1 = K. s 1 + C --------------(i)
and D 2 = K. s 2+ C -------------(ii)
Solving Equations (i) and (ii), determine the values of K and
C say K1 and C1 .

Step 6 : Form another set of observations to the pegs 3 & 4,

Simultaneous equations can be obtained from the staff
intercepts s3 and s4 at the peg-3 and point Q respectively.
Solving those equations, determine the values of K and C
again say K2 and C2.

Step 7 : The average of the values obtained in steps (5) and

(6), provide the tacheometric constants K and C of the
instrument
Distance and Elevation for Staff Vertical :
Inclined Sight
 Therefore
Elevation of Staff Station =
Elevation of Instrument Station + h + V - r
Distance and Elevation for Staff Vertical :
Inclined Sight (Angle of Depression)

Find the elevation and distance

DISTANCE AND ELEVATION FORMULAE FOR STAFF NORMAL
Now, the Horizontal Distance between P and Q is given by
LINE OF SIGHT AT AN ANGLE OF DEPRESSION()
LINE OF SIGHT AT AN ANGLE OF DEPRESSION()
 ANALLACTIC LENS (UN ALTERABLE)

Additional convex lens placed between

diaphragm and the objective at a fixed
distance from the objective Anallactic
Lens

The function of the Anallactic lens is to

reduce the stadia constant to zero
 ANALLACTIC LENS (Un alterable)
When tacheometer is fitted with
Anallactic lens, the distance measured
between instrument station and staff
position (for line of sight
perpendicular to the staff intercept)
becomes directly proportional to the
staff intercept

Anallactic lens is typically provided in

external focusing type telescopes only
(Now Internal focusing telescopes are also
coming with these though rare)
 In the distance formula D = ks + C, staff Intercept is
proportional to (D-C) which is the distance between
the staff and the exterior focus of the objective

This is because the vertex of the measuring triangle

(Anallactic point) falls at the exterior principal focus
of the objective and not at the vertical axis of the
instrument
 Additional convex lens placed between
diaphragm and the objective at a fixed distance
from the objective Anallactic Lens
 THEORY OF ANALLACTIC LENS
(Derivation: Out of Syllabus, concept is in the syllabus)
D = ks =
100 s
ANALLACTIC LENS INCLINED SIGHT
ANALLACTIC LENS INCLINED SIGHT
 TUTORIAL 29.09.2016

1. A tacheometer was set up at station A and

the readings on a vertically held staff at B
were 2.255, 2.605 and 2.955. The line of sight
being at an inclination of +80 24; another
observation on the vertically held staff at
B.M. gave the readings 1.640, 1.920 and
2.200, the inclination of the line of sight being
+10 6. Calculate the horizontal distance
between A and B and the elevation of B if the
RL of BM is 418.685m. The constants of the
instruments were 100 and 0.3.
 TUTORIAL 29.09.2016
2. The elevation of a point P is to be determined by observations
from two adjacent stations of a tacheometric survey. The staff
was held vertically upon the point and the instrument is fitted
within an anallactic lens, the constant of the instrument being
100. Compute the elevation of the point P from the following
data taking both the observations as equally trustworthy. Also
calculate the distance of A and B from P
Elevati
Instrum Vertic Staff
Height Staff on of
ent al Readin
of Axis Point Statio
Station Angle gs
n
1.230
77.750
A 1.42 P +20 24 2.055
m
2.880
0.785
B 1.40 P -30 36 1.800 97.135
2.815
 TUTORIAL 29.09.2016
3. Following observations were taken from two traverse stations by means
of a Tacheometer fitted with an anallactic lens. The constant of the
instruments is 100.

Height
Instrum Staff Vertic Staff
of Beari
ent Poin al Readin
Instrum ng
Station t Angle gs
ent
2260 0.765
+100
A 1.38 C 30 1.595
12
2.425
840 0.820
-120
B of station
Coordinates 1.42
A are 212.3ND 186.8W45 1.840
30
Coordinates of Station B are 102.8N 96.4W 2.860
Compute the length and gradient of the line CD, if B is 6.50m higher than A
THE END