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Surveying Instrument and Their Uses

What are surveying instruments and how do you use them? Surveying instruments are used to assist in measuring land, including vertical distance, horizontal distance, and volume of excavated material.

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Introduction to surveying instruments

Instruments is an often-used word in surveying, but it can mean different things to different people. For example, some people refer to field books as instruments. Technically, a field book is more like what we call instrumentation – that is, all of your survey equipment put together in one place for future reference. Other people refer to handheld computers as surveying instruments, but they might be thinking about something else altogether. A handheld computer is not an instrument per se, but it can be useful when doing certain kinds of calculations and running certain kinds of computations.

Ease of use

When using surveying instruments, ease of use is of utmost importance. There are literally hundreds of surveying instruments on the market today from GPS devices to inclinometers to levels and more. If you’re not using your surveying instruments frequently, it’s important that they are easy to read or have features that make them easier to use in certain circumstances. For example, handheld GPS units can be bulky and difficult to use if there’s no signal but models with built-in antennas solve that problem; likewise, some inclinometers may be easy to carry while others might be too large or heavy for field work but some manufacturers have put their products through rigorous tests to ensure they perform well whether or not they’re being carried into battle. No matter how high-tech or accurate a surveying instrument is, it’s useless if it’s too hard to use. The most common problem with instruments is that there are just too many steps involved. If you want something that you can use on your own, it needs to be straightforward and easy. Although we don’t recommend going too simple—make sure you know what all of your buttons do!

Surveyors’ preferences on using surveying instruments

A surveyor’s preferences for using surveying instruments depends on several factors such as distance, accuracy, terrain, and time. A surveyor would choose to use different surveying instruments accordingly. Surveyors have different preferences on using surveying instruments. For example, some surveyors prefer to use a range finder while others favor using global positioning system. Different surveyors prefer to use different types of surveying instruments because they are more familiar with them. Some of them may have worked or even been trained on how to use these instruments; therefore, they are comfortable with such tools.

Surveying Instruments And Their Uses

A great deal of surveying equipment comes in many different shapes, sizes, weights, and prices. Each is made for different purposes or for people with different types of jobs. Some of the basic surveying instruments and their uses in surveying are explained below:

Total Stations
Dumpy Level
Auto Level
Theodolite
Plumb Bobs
GPS (Global Positioning Systems)
Chainsets
Tapes
Calipers
LVDTs (Linear Variable Differential Transformers)

Total Stations

The total station is one of the most versatile surveying instruments on the market today. A total station does everything that a transit does but it also has some extra features that make it better for precision construction projects. Total stations come in all price ranges but generally run $2,000-$5,000 depending on brand name and features.

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Dumpy Level

When you’re first starting out, it can be hard to tell whether or not your levels are accurate. Using what’s called a dumpy level, you can make sure your levels are precise by comparing them to another instrument. A dumpy level is like an inclinometer that measures both vertical and horizontal angles; you simply set it up next to another instrument (like an engineer’s transit) in order to ensure that they match.

Auto Level

This type of instrument is used to determine whether a slope is level, uphill or downhill. Often referred to as a surveyor’s level, an auto level typically comes in either a single-axis design that shows only one direction of tilt (an inclinometer) or in a dual-axis model that can be used to identify two planes at once. Some models can even measure three planes, with all three readings being taken simultaneously.

Theodolite

A surveying instrument (also known as a surveyor’s transit) is used to measure angles in both horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites can measure horizontal angles in whole or half degrees, vertical angles in whole minutes, or angles of slope between two surfaces. They are often used to take elevation readings.

Plumb Bobs

The plumb bob is probably one of your first surveying instruments you learned about in school. That’s because it is so basic—it relies on gravity to find true vertical measurements, and is used to check elevations against it. Check out our video for more information on how they are used.

GPS units (global positioning systems)

People most commonly think of GPS devices when they hear about surveying instruments. These are devices that can track your position in two dimensions (latitude and longitude) as well as your altitude if you’re at least 20,000 feet above sea level. They work by using satellites to triangulate where you are based on how long it takes for signals from those satellites to reach your device.

Chainsets

The chainset consists of cranks, chainrings, and pedals. They’re all connected to each other by means of square taper or ISIS spline bottom bracket. Chainsets are available in 130-millimeter (road), 135-millimeter (hybrid/touring), 150-millimeter (mountain bike) as well as in 170-millimeter/175-millimeter cyclocross specific sizes.

Tapes

Tape measures are used to survey land. Traditionally, these have been made of cloth but now they can be constructed from other materials, such as steel or fiberglass. No matter what material you choose, make sure your tape measure is at least 25 feet long with metric measurements on one side and imperial measurements on the other. Be sure that it has clear divisions between feet, inches, centimeters, etc., too.

Calipers

The ruler of your drafting or machining world, calipers allow you to take measurements for just about anything. Calipers are made in different styles with different functions. A few varieties include outside micrometers, inside micrometers, depth gauges and optical comparators. Calipers can be used alone or alongside other surveying instruments such as levels. To measure something smaller than your caliper’s measuring range, use an auxiliary scale that is sold separately from your basic measuring tool.

LVDTs (linear variable differential transformers)

LVDTs are used in dynamic measurement applications. For example, they’re found in dams where movement within a dam is monitored by LVDTs to detect any deformation. They can also be used for large-scale constructions such as railway lines where movements between sections of track are continuously monitored by an LVDT system. All of these applications use an electronic circuit which transforms strain measurements into voltage signals proportional to displacement.

Summary

A surveyor’s top tool is his/her surveying instrument, which is used to make marks on a piece of paper or electronic device. Surveyors use different types of instruments for different tasks: for example, some take aerial photographs, some are hand-held devices that can be used in tight spaces, etc. But regardless of their size or shape, surveying instruments all do one thing well: they record data from nature and present it as a map.

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