VISION 2K9

Espresso

A PAPER ON

COMPUTER APPLICATION IN
LAND SURVEYING
BY
MAHAJAN SUNNY.S SHINDE
SUJIT.D
S.E. CIVIL S.E. CIVIL

KOLHAPUR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY’S

 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, KOLHAPUR.

ABSTRACT

Surveying or land surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining

the terrestrial or three-dimensional space position of points and the distances and angles
between them.
Today as we can see that the basic need of surveying is increasing, all environmental,
commercial, agricultural, and residential purposes therefore there is a much work to do for
surveyors .
We in this paper have given two methodologies which are commonly used in practice
today.
Surveying can be done with computer applications in two methods:-

1. Survey with conventional equipments such as dumpy level and theodolite.

a) Excel
b) Autocad
c) Customization of Excel and Autocad

2. Survey with Non-conventional equipments such as total stations and smart stations.
a) Total station
b) Autocad land desktop
c) Autocad 3d
d) Smart stations
e) GPS
f) DGPS
g) GIS
INTRODUCTION

Basically we work with two methodologies stated above.

The traditional or conventional way of surveying and the modern way of surveying
has a paradigm difference.
As we all know the traditional way of surveying is a time consuming ,tedious ,and of
less accuracy. Also it uses more human efforts. There is a large amount of difficulties faced
by surveyors who actually works on site. As we know that the data collected from site is very
difficult to process and make a systematic resource for further works. In the convential way
the process data should be further analylised to prepare drawing, maps, countours etc. And
also the storage of the data or maps was of a great concern for the engineers.
But now with the evolution of modern techniques and trend survey has become a field
of interest for the surveyors. Now in the world of this technology surveys can be conducted
systematically by COMPUTER APPLICATIONS.
Computer application has a given a new direction in the field of surveying. It has
made work easy and quick. As it requires 20% time compared to conventional way, also
energy used by the human resource is very less. It is very accurate. As in modern world there
is a need to do fast and accurate work and it will never me accomplished without computers.
As there are many soft wares available in market we have a taken into consideration
the market leaders AUTODESK. It is a company which provides many soft wares in field of
civil engineering.
The basic is the AUTOCAD then comes the Autocad land desktop then the autocad
civil designs. And now Autocad civil 3D which is a combination of both.
COMPUTER APPLICATION IN LAND SURVEY

TWO WAYS TO TAKE HELP OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN SURVEYING:-

1. SURVEY WITH CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS

2. SURVEY WITH NON- CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS

1.SURVEY WITH CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Here first take reading from the field are taken then it is entered in the field book then
it is entered in the excel then at last in AutoCAD, drawing is done.

DUMPY LEVEL

THEODOLITE
 A) EXCEL

In computing, Microsoft Excel (full name Microsoft Office Excel) consists of a

proprietary spreadsheet-application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft
Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables and, except for
Excel 2008 for Mac OS X, a macro programming language called VBA (Visual Basic for
Applications). It is overwhelmingly the dominant spreadsheet application available for these
platforms and has been so since version 5 in 1993, and is bundled as part of Microsoft
Office.
This is a best platform for surveyors to enter there field readings in a systematic
manner.

B) AUTOCAD
 AutoCAD is a CAD (Computer Aided Design) software application for 2D and 3D
design and drafting, developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. Initially released in late 1982,
AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, and notably
the IBM PC. Most CAD software at the time ran on graphics terminals connected to
mainframe computers or mini-computers. Here in autocad we can prepare drawing with
the help of field readings in 2D or 3D. It is the market leader in computer aided
drafting.

C) CUSTOMIZATION

The main problem that most people have with importing Word and Excel documents
into AutoCAD is the limitation of the size of documents that Window’s can handle.
What many people do is spend time separating documents, or keep cutting and pasting
the document into AutoCAD and trying to put it all back together in a presentable fashion.
This is a very time consuming process, but perhaps more importantly, you do not have a link
between the source document and the imported document in AutoCAD.
Here with the help of customization we can easily transfer the data from excel to
AutoCAD.
2.SURVEY WITH NON- CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS
A) TOTAL STATION

A total station is an optical instrument used in modern surveying. It is a combination

of an electronic theodolite (transit), an electronic distance meter (EDM) and software
running on an external computer known as a data collector.

With a total station one may determine angles and distances from the instrument to
points to be surveyed.

With the aid of trigonometry and triangulation, the angles and distances may be
used to calculate the coordinates of actual positions (X, Y, and Z or northing, easting and
elevation) of surveyed points, or the position of the instrument from known points, in
absolute terms.
 The data may be downloaded from the theodolite to an external computer and
application software will generate a map of the surveyed area

B) AUTOCAD LAND DESKTOP

1.At first readings on the field with help of total station are taken then the total station
is connected to the computer then all the data in the total station is transferred to the computer
with help of data cable.
2. This data can be saved in the computer in various formats . Usually it is saved in
a .dxf format.
3. Then we save this .dxf format to .dwg format that is the AutoCAD format.
4. Then we open this .dwg file in AutoCAD land desktop, we will a get all the reading
points taken its X,Y,Z readings.
5. Then with the help of land desktop we can draw a grid and then interpolate the
points.
 6.And then we can also get a contour map in land desktop.
7.It also can give us cross-sections at any line drawn. The above figure can give a idea
about what is explained.
8. After this contour map we can also construct a road or a building on it so that we
can get exact quantity of cutting and filling.

C) AUTOCAD 3D

AutoCAD 3D is more advanced software in which we can do dual work of AutoCAD

land desktop and AutoCAD civil design at one place.

D) SMART STATION
 Smart Station position coordinates at the touch of a key With Smart Station you don’t
need to worry about control points, traverses and resections. Just set up wherever it’s
convenient, touch the GPS key and let the Smart Antenna do the rest. RTK determines the
position to centimeter accuracy within a few seconds at ranges up to 50 km from a reference
station. Real Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite navigation is a technique used in land survey
and in hydrographic survey based on the use of carrier phase measurements of the GPS,
GLONASS and/or Galileo signals where a single reference station provides the real-time
corrections of even to a centimetre level of accuracy.With Smart Station you’re ready to go
in the shortest possible time; fix the position with GPS and then survey with the total station.
GPS fully integrated into total station with the entire software in the total station, all
TPS and GPS operations are controlled via the TPS keyboard. All data are stored in the same
database on the same Compact Flash card.
All measurement, status and other information are displayed on the TPS screen. The
TPS plug-in battery also powers the GPS Smart Antenna and RTK communication device. All
components combine perfectly. Everything is integrated into one compact unit – no need for
cables, external battery, data logger etc.
Use as Smart Station, or as a total station and RTK rover With Smart Station’s
modular design, you can use the equipment in any way you like. Use Smart Station when there
are no control points available. Once Smart Station is accurately positioned, take off the Smart
Antenna, put it on a pole, and use it with the RX1250 Controller for as a fully fledged, ultra
light Smart Rover. You’re totally flexible with Smart Station.

E) GPS
 Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is changing the way we work and play.
You can use GPS technology when you are driving, flying, fishing, sailing, hiking, running,
biking, working, or exploring. With a GPS receiver, you have an amazing amount of
information at your fingertips. Here are just a few examples of how you can use GPS
technology.
Know precisely how far you have run and at what pace while tracking your path so
you can find your way home Pinpoint the perfect fishing spot on the water and easily relocate
it. Get the closest location of your favorite restaurant when you are out-of-town. Find the
nearest airport or identify the type of airspace in which you are flying
Some total stations also have a GPS interface which combines these two
technologies to make use of the advantages of both (GPS - line of sight not required between
measured points; Traditional Total Station - high precision measurement especially in the
vertical axis compared with GPS) and reduce the consequences of each technology's
disadvantages (GPS - poor accuracy in the vertical axis and lower accuracy without long
occupation periods; Total Station - requires line of sight observations and must be set up over
a known point or within line of sight of 2 or more known points).
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that sends
and receives radio signals. A GPS receiver acquires these signals and provides you with
information. Using GPS technology, you can determine location, velocity, and time, 24 hours
a day, in any weather conditions anywhere in the world—for free.
GPS, formally known as the NAVSTAR (Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging)
Global Positioning System, originally was developed for the military. Because of its popular
navigation capabilities and because you can access GPS technology using small, inexpensive
equipment, the government made the system available for civilian use. The USA owns GPS
technology and the Department of Defense maintains it.

F) DGPS :

GPS is the U.S. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). A network of 24

satellites continuously transmits high-frequency radio signals, containing time and distance
data that can be picked up by any GPS receiver, allowing the user to pinpoint their position
any where on Earth.
A Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) is a system designed to improve
the accuracy of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) by measuring infinitesimal
changes in variables to provide satellite positioning corrections. Two or more receivers
observe the same set of satellites, taking similar measurements that produce similar errors
when positioned closely together.
In all to overcome the demerits of GPS, DGPS is used.
G) GIS

GEOGRAPIC INFORMATION SYSTEM integrates hardware, software ,and data for

capturing managing analyzing and displaying all forms of geographically referenced
information.

GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many
ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and
charts.

A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a
way that is quickly understood and easily shared. GIS technology can be integrated into any
enterprise information system framework.

All the data processed in GIS is used for many works. Such as for governance (for
collection of land revenue, for water supply for municipal authorities etc.), environmental
surveys (such as for conservation of flora and fauna).

CONCLUSION :
Use of modern techniques has made human being more equipped to do more work in
less time. Modern equipments such as total station, micro station, integrated with satellites
using GPS and use of computer application has made surveying more precise. Computer
application has given a new direction in the field of survey.
 Due to computer application the transformation of data into many useful formats for
different needs is possible.

REFERENCES:-
1. www.Autodesk.com
2. Surveying Volume 2 By Mr. S.K.Duggal
3. www.wikipedia.com
4. www.lieca-geosystems.com
5.www.gisdevelopment.net

SPECIAL THANKS:-
Mr. Rohit Ghatage (ICON civil services, Kolhapur)