Theodolite

• Precision optical instrument

for measuring angles
between visible points in the
horizontal & vertical planes.
• Universal Instrument
• Uses
– Horizontal, vertical & deflection
angle
– Horizontal distance, vertical
heights & elevation difference
– Magnetic bearing
 Theodolite: types
• Based on construction
– Transit Theodolite
– Non-transit Theodolite
• Transit Theodolite: the telescope can be
revolved through a complete revolution about
its horizontal axis.
• Reversing the telescope & rotating the
instrument through 180o about the vertical
axis and measuring plate-left and plate-right
modes – centering & collimation errors can
be eliminated.
 Theodolite: types
• Based on construction
– Transit Theodolite
– Non-transit Theodolite:
• Telescope cannot be revolved through a
complete revolution in the vertical plane.
• Revolved to a certain extent in the
vertical plane to measure the angle of
elevation and depression.
 Theodolite: types
• Vernier Theodolite: fitted with Vernier scale
• Micrometer Theodolite: fitted with
micrometer.

• Based on precision of the measurement

– 20”
– 6”
– 1”
 Theodolite: Components
• Fixed base (with tribrach)
• Moveable upper part
• telescope
Theodolite: Principle of Operation
• Lines (or axes)
– Horizontal axis
– Vertical axis
– Line of collimation
• Circles
– Horizontal circle
– Vertical circle
Theodolite: Principle of Operation
• Temporary adjustments
– Setting up: fixing the theodolite
onto a tripod (with approximate
centering and levelling)
– Centering: brining the vertical
axis of theodolite immediately
over the station mark
– Levelling: levelling the base of
the instrument
– Focusing: adjust the eye piece
– Sighting: measuring the vertical and horizontal
angular orientation of sighting points
 Theodolite: Accuracy
• Least count: smallest measurement possible
by an instrument
– Main scale and Vernier scale
– Difference between the smallest division of the
main scale and smallest division of the Vernier
scale
– Main scale smallest division is 20’
– Number of divisions in Vernier scale is 60
• Equivalent number of divisions in main scale is 60-1
Digital Theodolite
Theodolite Measurement
 Measuring Horizontal Angle
• Repetition method
– Angle is measured number of
times (eg 3) with face left and
face right positions
– Suitable for measuring single
angle
 Measuring Horizontal Angle
• Reiteration method
– Suitable for measuring several angles from a station
– All the angles are measured successively and the horizon is closed
by measuring the angle between the last station and first station
(final reading should be same as initial reading)
• Both Face left and Face right positions
– If the error is small, equally distributed among all the observed
angles
– If it is large, readings should be cancelled and new sets taken
Measuring Horizontal Angle
 Measuring Vertical Angle
• Angle between the horizontal line and
inclined line of sight
Angle of Elevation
Angle of Depression
 Deflection Angle
• Alignment of roads, railways, the direction of
the line change due to topography of the
terrain.
• Angle of the change in direction is ‘deflection
angle’.
 Theodolite Traverse
• Methods
– Included Angle method
– Deflection Angle method
– Fast Angle method (or magnetic bearing
method)
• Traverse Direction
– Anti-clockwise direction – convenient to
measure horizontal angles
 Theodolite Traverse: Included
Angle method
• Telescope is oriented
along the north line &
Vernier is set at 0o
• Magnetic Bearing of
AB & AE are
measured
• Suitable for closed
traverse
• Arithmetic check
 Theodolite Traverse: Deflection
Angle method
• Suitable for open traverse
 Theodolite Traverse: Fast Angle
method
• Magnetic bearings & lengths of traverse legs
are measured
• Angles between the lines are not measured
• At the end of the traverse BB are calculated
Theodolite Traverse: Closing Error
• North-South component of
closing error – Latitude (L) θ
• East-West (Horizontal)
component of closing
error – Departure (D)
• In closed traverse (ideally)
ΣL = 0 & ΣD = 0
• Closing Error

Relative Closing Error = Closing Error/Perimeter of Traverse

Direction of Closing Error = θ
Permissible Angular Error = least count X
 Theodolite Traverse Plotting
• Theodolite traverse is plotted according to
Latitudes and Departures (not with interior
angles or bearings).
• Coordinates of the points
Theodolite: Latitude & Departure
• Latitude
– Towards North (+L)
– Towards South (-L)
• Departure
– towards East (+D)
– Towards West (-D)
Theodolite: Latitude & Departure
 Example
Line Length, m FB (Deg) BB (deg)
AB 7.6 29 209
BC 6.14 335 155
CD 8.24 269 8
DE 9.2 169 349
EA 6.2 110 290

Calculate the Latitude, Departure and

Closing Error
 Example
Line Length, m FB (Deg) BB (deg)
AB 7.6 29 209

Line Length (l), m RB (θ), Deg Latitude Departure

(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 29 7.6 x cos(29) 7.6 x sin(29)
 Example
Line Length, m FB (Deg) BB (deg)
BC 6.14 335 155

Line Length (l), m RB (θ), Deg Latitude Departure

(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 29 7.6 x cos(29) 7.6 x sin(29)
BC 6.14 360-335=25 6.14 x cos(25) -6.14 x sin(25)
 Example
Line Length, m FB (Deg) BB (deg)
CD 8.24 269 8

Line Length (l), m RB (θ), Deg Latitude Departure

(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 29 7.6 x cos(29) 7.6 x sin(29)
BC 6.14 360-335=25 6.14 x cos(25) -6.14 x sin(25)
CD 8.24 269-180=89 -8.24xcos(89) -8.24xsin(89)
 Example
Line Length, m FB (Deg) BB (deg)
DE 9.2 169 349

Line Length (l), m RB (θ), Deg Latitude Departure

(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 29 7.6 x cos(29) 7.6 x sin(29)
BC 6.14 360-335=25 6.14 x cos(25) -6.14 x sin(25)
CD 8.24 269-180=89 -8.24xcos(89) -8.24xsin(89)
DE 9.2 180-169=11 -9.2xcos(11) 9.2xsin(11)
 Example
Line Length, m FB (Deg) BB (deg)
EA 6.2 110 290

Line Length (L), m RB (θ), Deg Latitude Departure

(Lcosθ) (Lsinθ)
AB 7.6 29 7.6 x cos(29) 7.6 x sin(29)
BC 6.14 360-335=25 6.14 x cos(25) -6.14 x sin(25)
CD 8.24 269-180=89 -8.24xcos(89) -8.24xsin(89)
DE 9.2 180-169=11 -9.2xcos(11) 9.2xsin(11)
EA 6.2 180-110=70 -6.2xcos(70) 6.2xsin(70)
 Example
Line Length (l), m RB (θ), Deg Latitude (L) Departure (D)
(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 29 7.6 x cos(29) 7.6 x sin(29)
BC 6.14 360-335=25 6.14 x cos(25) -6.14 x sin(25)
CD 8.24 269-180=89 -8.24xcos(89) -8.24xsin(89)
DE 9.2 180-169=11 -9.2xcos(11) 9.2xsin(11)
EA 6.2 180-110=70 -6.2xcos(70) 6.2xsin(70)
ΣL ΣD

Closing Error
 Balancing of Traverse
• How closing error is distributed in
proportion to the lengths of the traverse
legs (traverse adjustment).
– Correction to latitude
– Correction to departure
• Methods:
– Bowditch’s Rule
– Transit Rule
– Third Rule
 Balancing of Traverse
• Bowditch’s Rule

– Correction to latitude of any side

– Correction to departure of any side

 Balancing of Traverse
• Transit Rule

– Correction to latitude of any side

– Correction to departure of any side

 Balancing of Traverse
• Third Rule
– Correction to Northing of any side

– Correction to Southing of any side

– Correction to Easting of any side

– Correction to Westing of any side

 Example
Uncorrcted Correction Corrected
Line l, m L D L D L D
(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 -5.69 -5.04 1.58 -4.11
BC 6.14 6.09 0.81
CD 8.24 -4.20 -7.09
DE 9.2 -0.04 -9.20
EA 6.2 -3.93 4.80
37.38 -7.77 -15.72

• Bowditch’s Rule
– Correction to latitude of AB

– =1.58
 Example
Uncorrcted Correction Corrected
Line l, m L D L D L D
(lcosθ) (lsinθ)
AB 7.6 -5.69 -5.04 1.58 -4.11
BC 6.14 6.09 0.81 1.28 7.36
CD 8.24 -4.20 -7.09 1.71 -2.49
DE 9.2 -0.04 -9.20 1.91 1.87
EA 6.2 -3.93 4.80 1.29 -2.64
37.38 -7.77 -15.72 +7.77 0.00

• Bowditch’s Rule
– Correction to latitude of AB

– =1.58
 Coordinates
• Consecutive coordinates:
– a station is designated by its departure and
latitude from its previous station as origin.

• Independent coordinates:
– The departure and latitude of a station with reference
to an origin are known as independent coordinates.
Theodolite: Missing Observations
• In closed traverse, if lengths and bearings of
all sides could not be measured:

• If missing measurements are not more than 2,

that can be estimated.
• Disadvantage: error correction is not possible
Theodolite: Missing Observations
• Calculate
– Length (l) of a traverse line (if departure & latitude
are known)
– Departure (D) of a traverse line (if length of
traverse (l) & bearing (θ) are known)
– Latitude (L) of a traverse line (if length of traverse
(l) & bearing (θ) are known)
– Bearing (θ) of a traverse line (if D & L are known)
 Permanent Adjustments
• Check the state of relationship between
different fundamental line (axes)

An instrument is said to be in
permanent adjustment if it
satisfies all the relations among
the fundamental lines
 Permanent Adjustments
• Permanent adjustment usually gets disturbed
due to usage
• State of relationship among the different
fundamental lines should be checked &
corrected (adjusted).
• Adjustment order:
– Adjustment of vertical cross hair
– Adjustment of plate level axes (horizontal circle)
– Adjustment of sight line
– Adjustment of axis of telescope
– Adjustment of vertical circle
 Adjustment of vertical cross hair
• Test:
– Instrument temporarily adjusted on a station
– Sight a well defined / clear point object (about 100 m
distance from the station)
– Get the point object bisected on the vertical cross hair
– Swing the telescope in vertical direction
– If the point appears to move continuously on the vertical
hair, the cross hair lies in a plane perpendicular to the
horizontal axis
 Adjustment of vertical cross hair
• Adjustment:
– If the point object appears to depart from the
vertical cross hair, twist the cross hair ring in the
telescope tube, until the object traverses the
entire length of the cross hair as the telescope is
swung in vertical direction.
 Adjustment of plate level axis
• Test:
– Clamp the lower plate
– Bubble tube is brought parallel to any two of the
foot screws & centered (by rotating upper part)
– Bubble tube is moved to 3rd foot screw &
centered (by rotating upper part)
– Repeat the above 2 steps until the bubble is
centered at both positions
 Adjustment of plate level axis
• Test:
– Clamp the upper plate, open the lower plate
main screw & rotate the whole instrument
through 180o.
– If the bubble is remain in the centre of the bubble
tube – plate level axes are in a plane
perpendicular to the vertical axis.
• Adjustment
– If the bubble gets displaced from centre
• Bring back halfway by adjusting the foot screws
parallel to it
• Other half by adjusting the capstan screws fitted with
the plate level bubble tube.
Errors in measurement of Angles
• Instrument Error
– Imperfect adjustment of fundamental axes
• Personal Error
– Temporary adjustment
• Error due to natural causes (very minimal)
– Large variation in temperature during the
survey operation causes unequal expansion
of the parts
 Elimination of Error
• Instrument Error (systematic error)
– Errors due to Imperfect adjustments can be
eliminated / reduced by reversal of the
horizontal and vertical plate (mean of two
values).
• Personal Error (random error)
– Cannot be eliminated
– Forms the large part of the resultant error
• Error due to natural causes
– Random
 Vertical plane – Example
The horizontal distance between two stations A
and B is 125 m.
The vertical angles from A and B to the top of a
tower at M are 6o and 8o above horizontal,
respectively. The vertical angles from A and B to
the base of the tower are 0.5o and 1.5o below
horizontal, respectively.
Stations A and B and the tower are in the same
vertical plane with A and B being on the same side
of M.
Show the stations (A and B) and the tower in a
schematic and mark the above given angles.
Calculate the height of the tower.
 Vertical plane – Example
The horizontal distance between two stations A and B
is 125 m.
The vertical angles from A and B to the top of a tower
at M are 6o and 8o above horizontal, respectively. The
vertical angles from A and B to the base of the tower
are 0.5o and 1.5o below horizontal, respectively.
Stations A and B and the tower are in the same
vertical plane with A and B being on the same side of
M. o
6 B
8o

1.5o
0.5o

125 m D M
Vertical plane – Example

6o B
A h1A

0.5o h2A

125 m D M
 Vertical plane – Example

SIMILARLY

8o
B h1B
A

1.5o
h2B

125 m D M
 Vertical plane – Example

SIMILARLY

+ =+
+=+
D = 230 m
h1A = 32.315 m
h2A = 5.98 m
Height of the tower = h1A+h2A=38.295 m