CVL203:

Principles and Practice of Geomatics

Lecture 12: Traversing (Part II)

www.aum.edu.kw
Content

▪ Introduction
▪ Balancing Angles
▪ Computation of preliminary azimuths or bearings
▪ Departure and latitude
▪ Linear Misclosure and Relative Precision
▪ Linear Misclosure Adjustment

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Introduction
The usual steps followed in making elementary traverse computations are:

Adjusting angles or directions to fixed geometric conditions

Determining preliminary azimuths (or bearings) of the traverse lines

Calculating departures and latitudes and adjusting them for misclosure

Computing rectangular coordinates of the traverse stations

Calculating the lengths and azimuths (or bearings) of the traverse lines
after adjustment

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 Balancing Angles

Applying an average
correction to each angle The correction for each
where observing angle is found by dividing
conditions were the total angular misclosure
Angles of a closed traverse approximately the same at by the number of angles.
can be adjusted to the correct all stations.
geometric total by applying
one of two methods: Making larger corrections
to angles where poor
observing conditions were
present.

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 Balancing Angles
Applying an average correction to each angle
For the shown traverse, compute the adjusted angles.

1. Divide total angular misclosure by the number of

angles: 11/5 = 2.2”

2. Determine the cumulative error for each angle.

3. Round to the nearest 1’’

4. Determine the individual error for each angle

5. Adjust the angles

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Preliminary Azimuths/Bearings

After balancing the angles, the next step in traverse computation is

calculation of either preliminary azimuths or preliminary bearings.

This requires the direction of at least one course within the

traverse to be either known or assumed.

If a line of known direction exists within the traverse, computation

of preliminary azimuths (or bearings) proceeds as discussed in
Chapter 7 (Angle Measurement lecture)

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 Preliminary Azimuths/Bearings
Compute preliminary azimuths for the traverse courses of based
on a fixed azimuth of for line AW, 234°17’18’’, and a measured
angle to the right of 151°52’24’’ for WAE.
Step 1:
Compute the azimuth of line AB

Step 2:
Compute preliminary azimuths of remaining lines using the method discussed in
Chapter 7 (Angle Measurement)

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Departures and Latitudes

After balancing the angles and

calculating preliminary azimuths (or
bearings), traverse closure is checked by
computing the departure and latitude of
each line.

The departure of a course The latitude of a course is

is its orthographic its orthographic projection
projection on the east-west on the north-south axis of
axis of the survey the survey

Departure = L sinα Latitude = L cosα

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Departures and Latitudes

East departures and north latitudes: Plus (+)

West departures and south latitudes: Minus (-)

1. Azimuths used in computing departures and latitudes

range from 0 to 360°: the algebraic signs of sine and
cosine functions automatically produce the proper
algebraic signs of the departures and latitudes.

2. Using Bearings, the angles are always between 0 and

90°; hence their sines and cosines are invariably
positive. Proper algebraic signs of departures and latitudes must
therefore be assigned on the basis of the bearing angle directions:
▪ NE bearing has a plus departure and latitude
▪ SW bearing gets a minus departure and latitude

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Departures and Latitudes
Closure Conditions
1. Polygon Closed Traverse: 2. Link Closed Traverse:

▪ The algebraic sum of the departures of all ▪ The algebraic sum of departures should equal the total difference
courses in the traverse should equal zero. in departure (ΔX) between the starting and ending control points
▪ The algebraic sum of all latitudes of all ▪ The algebraic sum of latitudes should equal the total difference
courses in the traverse should equal zero. in Latitude (ΔY) between the starting and ending control points.

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Linear Misclosure and Relative Precision

▪ Because of errors in the observed traverse angles and distances, if one were to begin at point A
of a closed-polygon traverse, and progressively follow each course for its observed distance
along its preliminary bearing or azimuth, one would finally return not to point A, but to some
other nearby point A’.

▪ Point A’ would be removed from A in an east-west direction by the departure misclosure, and in
a north-south direction by the latitude misclosure.

▪ The distance between A and A’ is termed the linear misclosure of the traverse. It is calculated
from the following formula:

𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 = 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 2 + 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 2

▪ The relative precision of a traverse is expressed as:

𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒
𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

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Linear Misclosure and Relative Precision

Based on the preliminary azimuths lengths shown below, calculate the departures and
latitudes, linear misclosure, and relative precision of the traverse.

C
B

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Linear Misclosure and Relative Precision

Based on the preliminary azimuths lengths shown below, calculate the departures and
latitudes, linear misclosure, and relative precision of the traverse.

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Linear Misclosure Adjustment

▪ For any closed traverse, the linear misclosure must be adjusted (or distributed) throughout the
traverse to “close” or “balance” the figure. This is true even though the misclosure is
negligible in plotting the traverse at map scale.

▪ There are several elementary methods available for traverse adjustment, but the one most
commonly used is the compass rule (Bowditch method).

▪ The compass, or Bowditch, rule adjusts the departures and latitudes of traverse courses in
proportion to their lengths:

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Linear Misclosure Adjustment

Using the preliminary lengths, departures and latitudes, and linear misclosure, balance
the departures and latitudes using the compass rule.

Example:

(m Correction in Departure for AB:

)

Correction in Latitude for AB:

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Rectangular Coordinates

Rectangular X and Y coordinates of any

point give its position with respect to an
arbitrarily selected pair of mutually
perpendicular reference axes.

The X coordinate is the The Y coordinate is the

perpendicular distance, in perpendicular distance, in
feet or meters, from the feet or meters, from the
point to the Y axis point to the X axis.

XB = XA + Departure AB YB = YA + Latitude AB

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Rectangular Coordinates

(m (m
(m ) )
)

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End of Lecture 12: Traversing (Part II)

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