Surveying for engineers
John Uren and Bill Price
,Surveying for engineers
John Uren
School of Civil Engineering
University of Leeds
Bill Price
Formerly of the School of the Environment
University of Brighton
5th edition
,© John Uren and Bill Price 1978, 1985, 1994, 2006 and 2010
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90
Saffron House, 6–10Kirby Street, London Ec1 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified
as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
First edition 1978
Second edition 1985
Third edition 1994
Fourth edition 2006
This edition 2010
Published by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–0–230–22157–4
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
CPI Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne
, Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Engineering surveying 2
1.2 Survey institutions and organisations 19
Chapter 2 Levelling 27
2.1 Heights, datums and bench marks 28
2.2 Levelling equipment 32
2.3 Field procedure for levelling 45
2.4 Calculating reduced levels 48
2.5 Precision of levelling 52
2.6 Sources of error in levelling 53
2.7 Other levelling methods 57
Chapter 3 Angle measurement 65
3.1 Definition of horizontal and vertical angles 66
3.2 Accuracy of angle measurement 68
3.3 Electronic theodolites 69
3.4 Optical theodolites 77
3.5 Measuring and setting out angles 79
3.6 Sources of error when measuring and setting out angles 91
Chapter 4 Distance measurement: taping 102
4.1 Measurements and methods 103
4.2 Equipment and fieldwork for taping 105
4.3 Systematic errors in taping 109
4.4 Precision and applications of taping 116
4.5 Steel taping worked examples 117
Chapter 5 Total stations 124
5.1 Integrated total stations 125
5.2 Electromagnetic distance measurement 127
5.3 Instrumentation 142
5.4 Electronic data recording and processing 154
John Uren and Bill Price
,Surveying for engineers
John Uren
School of Civil Engineering
University of Leeds
Bill Price
Formerly of the School of the Environment
University of Brighton
5th edition
,© John Uren and Bill Price 1978, 1985, 1994, 2006 and 2010
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90
Saffron House, 6–10Kirby Street, London Ec1 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified
as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
First edition 1978
Second edition 1985
Third edition 1994
Fourth edition 2006
This edition 2010
Published by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–0–230–22157–4
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
CPI Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne
, Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgements ix
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Engineering surveying 2
1.2 Survey institutions and organisations 19
Chapter 2 Levelling 27
2.1 Heights, datums and bench marks 28
2.2 Levelling equipment 32
2.3 Field procedure for levelling 45
2.4 Calculating reduced levels 48
2.5 Precision of levelling 52
2.6 Sources of error in levelling 53
2.7 Other levelling methods 57
Chapter 3 Angle measurement 65
3.1 Definition of horizontal and vertical angles 66
3.2 Accuracy of angle measurement 68
3.3 Electronic theodolites 69
3.4 Optical theodolites 77
3.5 Measuring and setting out angles 79
3.6 Sources of error when measuring and setting out angles 91
Chapter 4 Distance measurement: taping 102
4.1 Measurements and methods 103
4.2 Equipment and fieldwork for taping 105
4.3 Systematic errors in taping 109
4.4 Precision and applications of taping 116
4.5 Steel taping worked examples 117
Chapter 5 Total stations 124
5.1 Integrated total stations 125
5.2 Electromagnetic distance measurement 127
5.3 Instrumentation 142
5.4 Electronic data recording and processing 154
