Question 1 of 45Geomatics fundamentals · Recall
In differential levelling, the height of instrument (HI) is:
Practice · 45 questions
Geomatics fundamentals
Instruments, field procedures and the data that comes off them: levels, total stations, differential levelling, traverse field work, notes and data reduction.
What this subject area expects
- Reduce differential and trigonometric levelling notes
- Apply instrument checks — two-peg test, collimation, plate-bubble adjustment
- Read and keep field notes that another surveyor can follow
- Choose an appropriate procedure for a required accuracy
Topics covered here
Differential levelling · Field notes and page check · Trigonometric levelling · Profile and cross-section levelling · Two-peg test and collimation · Instrument adjustment and errors · Total station operation · Angle observation · Stadia and tacheometry · Data reduction workflow · Accuracy and procedure choice · GNSS and conventional workflow
Other subject areas
All 7- MathematicsThe algebra, geometry and trigonometry that every other domain assumes — right triangles, the law of sines and cosines, coordinate geometry, areas and volumes.
- Basic sciencesPhysics and applied science a surveyor meets in the field: light and EDM, temperature and tension effects on a tape, statics, hydrology basics and units.
- Plane surveyingThe computational heart of the exam: traverse computation and adjustment, area, curves both horizontal and vertical, earthwork, and construction staking.
- Geodesy & GNSSDatums, coordinate systems and satellite positioning: the ellipsoid and the geoid, NAD 83 and NAVD 88 and their modernized successors, State Plane, and how GNSS observations are made and processed.
- Boundary conceptsGeneric, nationally applicable boundary principles — the PLSS as described in the BLM Manual of Surveying Instructions, the hierarchy of calls, retracement, riparian concepts and record research. No state-specific statutes.
- Measurement analysisError theory as an exam actually tests it: systematic versus random error, standard deviation, propagation through sums and products, weights, and closure tolerances.