CA 3144

Lecture 1: Introduction to
Engineering Surveying
* Contents given today are not for examination

Dr. CK Wong

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 Engineering Surveying
CA 3144

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Dr. CK Wong (Course Leader)
Email: wongck@cityu.edu.hk
Tel: 3442-6508

2/23
Assessment and Course requirements
50% Examination (2hrs: 4 questions)
close book; divided in parts (with written/calculation questions), show all procedures in
calculations, correct SI units and proper numbers of decimal places

30% Lab reports (7.5% x 4 Group submission

reports)
introduction, objectives, procedures, equipments, raw data, calculations, results, and
discussions (contents should closely relate to the lab practice)

20% Mid-term test

open book, leveling, linear distance measurement, triangulation

Details of the course requirements have been

uploaded in writing lab reports
3/23
 Introduction
No one can work in the fields of civil engineering,
architecture or construction without involving
engineering surveying for land measurement.
It is a science subject of measuring slope,
horizontal and vertical distances (i.e. height) between
objects, and of measuring angles, and of
determining the directions of angles (bearings),
and of determining location coordinates by mixed
angle and linear distance measurements. (=ILOs)
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 This is called Staff that is like a ruler
This equipment is called Level that is standing vertically with graduation for
a telescope enabling you to see very taking readings
far away object (> 1km)

This is called line of sight that is an

imaginary line from the cross hair of
the telescope hitting on the target staff https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=land+surveyor&rlz=1C1AVNC_enHK594HK600
&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=4n4FVMOtG5PX8gWEiYHwDA&ved=0CAcQ_AU
for readings oAg&biw=1030&bih=1008
 Use of Engineering Surveying
Surveying is not only required in conventional
engineering construction projects but also
increasingly in project quantity control. (how much work done)
payment depending on the actual length of a railway track being constructed or making claims for
extra length
Three main purposes of surveying: (=ILOs)
Drawing maps, plans, sections, etc. e.g. corners of a
building structure
To determine the co-ordinates of feature points
Setting out boundaries of new engineering works
or construction (= draw lines on ground)
Calculations of land areas and earthwork volumes.
requiring contour lines providing height information! 6/23
https://www.google.com.hk/search?rlz=1C1AVNC_enHK594HK600&biw=1030&bih=1008&tbm=i
sch&sa=1&q=earthwork&oq=earthwork&gs_l=img.3..0l10.161901.164678.0.164965.9.7.0.2.2.0.2
17.502.6j0j1.7.0....0...1c.1.52.img..0.9.506.OwkIBMMwz5Q
 Professional Land Surveyor

Professional Land Surveyors should have:

knowledge of methods in surveying measurement
legal principles related to land use
mathematical & computational theories
geodetic & other earth-related sciences to the analyses,
design, and execution of surveying / mapping
(Computation is the main ILOs and teaching items in the course CA3144)

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 Classifications of Surveying

Geodetic Surveying (very accurate)

Curved surface of the Earth is considered
A line joining two points is a curve
Plane Surveying (within our Engineering framework)
Flat horizontal surface assumed
Curvature is ignored in general
Area of less than 250 km2 is considered to
be a plane.
We are in engineering making simple assumptions to let calculation works become easier.
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 Examples on maps and
Applications in Civil Engineering
Determination of Design a highway or railway line Marine survey (under water)
boundary (alignment)
Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau,
Cadastral Survey HKSAR
School Improvement Program
ALL360 P449

http://ezinearticles.com/?Cada
stral-Survey&id=2323116

City University of Hong Kong

Chichester Harbour Conservancy

http://www.conservancy.co.uk/water/navigati
on.htm

www.cityu.edu.hk/.../ photoours/aerialview.jpg
9/23
Updates by drawing new academic and student hall buildings on existing maps!
 Examples coordinates of points
Engineering survey is defined as activities involved in planning and
execution design, construction, maintenance and operation of
civil and other engineering projects such as railways, dams,
tunnels, sewage works, etc.

BUILDINGS- Framing plan of a building where intersection points are likely

the column positions that should be the pile (foundation) locations in the 10/23
site. Location coordinates must be calculated in design stage.
 Reasons for Engineering Surveying
Design stage extract information in existing scaled maps for design
calculations (includes all existing objects, such as ground
surface elevations, nearby roads, railroads, water lines, gas
lines, electric lines and sewers, and adjacent building)
Pre-construction checks the setting out & other control with approval
drawing Site boundary and building corners

During construction measures quantity of work completed (thus the contractor is

paid for this quantity)
Monitoring work accuracy
As finished measures the final coordinates (or to rebuild) to verify the
construction works are as-built
Make sure everything is constructed as designed

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 Units of Measurement
The Systme Internationale, (SI) of measurement
Recommended SI
Quantity unit Other units may be used
Length metre (m) centimetre (cm) 1 m = 100 cm
millimetre (mm), 1 m = 1000 mm
Area square metre (m2 ) hectare (ha) 1 ha = 10000 m2
Angle degree () revolution (rev) 1 rev = 360
minute () 1 = 60
second () 1 = 60
Volume cubic metre (m3 )
Mass kilo-gram (kg) gram (g) 1 kg = 1000 g
milli-gram (mg) 1 g = 1000 mg
Capacity litre (L) milli-litre (ml) 1 L = 1000 ml

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 Basic Surveying Methods
will be covered in the course

For detailing (=drawing details to produce a map),

Offsets / rectangular co-ordinates (x,y)
Polar co-ordinates (r,)
Intersection (Fix an unknown point = position fixing)
Intersecting arcs / triangulation
For height measurement,
Levelling using Level and Staff (vertical ruler)
For control (ensure measurement results accurate and usable),
Base line, triangulation, trilateration, traversing, GPS
mainly angle mainly side length close loop control of
measurement measurement any shape
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 Surveying Equipment

Steel / plastic tape

Total Station
Level & Staff
GPS receiver

Target
reflector

Hand-held 14/23
bubble
 Distance Measurements
Total station

level & i.e. vertical angle

staff

steel tape / electronic distance measuring (EDM)

You should always think which are the best equipment to be
applied to accomplish specific measurement tasks!
Imagine: your working site is very far away from your
equipment office! Eliminate redundancy!
Usual student complaints in our lab classes: Hot, dark, sight blocking, sun light reflection, 15/23
dirty to mark on ground (Remember: we cannot choose our site condition in our work!!)
Talking about measurements, we have to concern both

Accuracy and Precision

True value Ability to reproduce the measurement results

Precision is the degree of agreement between several measures of a quantity

precise but not accurate

if they are closely grouped together but different
from the true value by a significant amount.
accurate but not precise
if they are well distributed about the true value
but dispersed significantly form one another.
precise and accurate improving reliability
if they are closely grouped around the expected
value (or the distribution mean).
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 can always be detected and eliminated if
Mistakes following all measurement instructions!

No measurement in surveying is perfect every

measurement contains errors (how large is it?)
Mistakes due to carelessness should be avoided by
checking
Examples
miscounting a value of 86 as 68 while reading out, listening, booking due to background noise
misinterpretation such as sighting to wrong target (other groups)
Verification
1. Repeating the measurements 86, 87, 85, 68, 88, 86, .
2. Checked from plotting to show data or
geometric/trigonometric analysis of related measurements
*all measurement should be immediately checked 17/23
 always exist but can be minimized to an
Errors acceptable level
= allowable error/misclosure
Sources of error
1. Instrumental (telling us and replacement)
2. Human and Random (physical abilities and concentration of the surveyor)
3. Natural (weather and ground conditions)

Systematic errors
Imperfection in the manufacturing of equipment, they are
cumulative (tapes may be elongated!)
Corrected by standardization equipment, by applying appropriate
corrections to the actual measurements
EDM measuring techniques are subject to a number of systemic effects whose
sources and characteristics must be determined and alleviated.
In levelling, the staff may not be held vertical or change in dimension due to thermal
expansion.
18/23
Tape measurement can have smaller error than EDM for short distances !
 Polar & Retangular Co-ordinates
Positions of control points are fixed by reference to co-ordinates systems.
Polar system relationships between bearing and azimuths Rectangular (Cartesian) coordinates system
N
360
+y
0
Bearing
N 4I N
W 1 E B
20
Azimuth
I
A 10 N 60E
40.0m
270 Azimuth 90 -x A +x
W E
Bearing - 20 - 10 10 20 30 40
- 10
C
S SE - 20
W 3
2 -y
180
S
x coordinates, Ix = AB sin 60
1. NE quadrant: bearing = azimuth = 40.0 sin 60
2. SE quadrant: bearing = 180 - azimuth = +34.6m
3. SW quadrant: bearing = azimuth - 180 y coordinates, Iy = AB cos 60
4. NW quadrant: bearing = 360 - azimuth = 40.0 cos 60
= +20.0m
I (34.6, 20.0)
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 Quadrants
N
1st Quadrant :
E = +; N = +
IV I
2nd Quadrant :
E = +; N = - 270 90

3rd Quadrant :
III II
E = -; N = -

4th Quadrant : 180

E = -; N = +
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 Bearing Calculation
i.e. horizontal angle can be with direction

N = North direction
N
Sta. A & Sta. B = stations A & B
Sta . B AB = Bearing AB,
AB = WCB AB
Distance AB (WCB = Whole circle bearing)

Sta. A

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 Grid System in Hong Kong
HK 1980 Grid
True Origin
located at the
Hong Kong
Observatory,
Tsim Sha Tsui

Grid co-ordinates:
836694.05 m E
819069.80 m N

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False origin: south-west corner
of the grid system
*In engineering surveying, measurement must be started from known point and ended at known
point

Horizontal Datum in Hong Kong

The benchmark network is the height reference of Hong Kong and
defined by the Hong Kong Principal Datum. By connecting to these
horizontal and vertical control networks, any survey can be tied
together with respect to a unique reference system.
Triangulation stations situated on hilltops
Traverse points as installed along roadsides
Benchmark on bedrock
constitute the geodetic control point system.

The Hong Kong Minor

Triangulation Network
(SMO, HKSAR)

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