Course Notes/Materials in CE 201

Fundamentals of Surveying

Lesson Title: Traverse Computations – Traverse Adjustment

Traverse adjustment is the procedure of computing the linear error of closure and
applying corrections to the individual latitudes and departures for the purpose of
providing a mathematically closed figure. It is necessary that the traverse is
geometrically consistent before coordinates or areas are determined, or prior to
determining the location of lines from the traverse stations.

Compass Rule – also known as Bowditch Rule

This is based on the assumption that all lengths were measured with equal care
and all angles taken with approximately the same precision. It is also assumed that the
errors in the measurement are accidental and that the total error in any side of the
traverse is directly proportional to the total length of the traverse.
The compass rule maybe stated as follows:
1. The correction to be applied to the latitude of any course is equal to
the total closure in latitude multiplied by the ratio of the length of the
course to the total length or perimeter of the traverse;

𝑑
𝑐 𝐶
𝐷
𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒
𝐶 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 ∑ 𝑁𝐿 ∑ 𝑆𝐿

2. The correction to be applied to the departure of any course is equal to

the total closure in departure multiplied by the ratio of the length of the
course to the total length or perimeter of the traverse
𝑑
𝑐 𝐶
𝐷
𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒
𝐶 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝐸𝐷 𝑊𝐷

Where : 𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒

𝐷 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒
Adjusted lengths and Directions.

After the latitudes and departures of the courses of a closed traverse have been
adjusted, the bearings or azimuths of the courses should also be adjusted to correspond
to the adjusted latitude and departures.

𝐿 𝐿𝑎𝑡 𝐷𝑒𝑝 and tan 𝛼

Where: 𝐿 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒
𝐿𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒
𝐷𝑒𝑝 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒
𝛼 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒

2. COMPUTATI ON OF ERROR OF CLOSURE

Given: Notes for a close traverse using a transit-tape survey.
Required: Latitude and departure of each course, linear error of closure (LEC), bearing of the
side of error, precision of the measurements
Present observed data and results of computations in tabular form.

Distance Latitude Departure

Bearing
           Course (d) Angles 𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑑 cos 𝛼 𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑑 sin 𝛼
(in meters) deg min sec deg rad +N -S +E -W
0
AB 495.85 N O5 30' E 5 30 0.00 5.500 0.096 493.567 47.525
BC 850.62 N 460 02' E 46 2 0 46.033 0.803 590.534 612.228
CD 855.45 S 670 38' E 67 38 0 67.633 1.180 -325.526 791.092
DE 1,020.87 S 120 25 E 12 25 0 12.417 0.217 -996.992 219.507
0
EF 1,117.26 S 83 44' W 83 44 0 83.733 1.461 -121.956 -1110.58
FA 660.08 N 550 09' W 55 9 0 55.150 0.963 377.189 -541.70
Sums 5,000.13 1,461.291 -1,444.474 1,670.353 -1,652.279
𝐷 𝑑 𝑁𝐿 𝑆𝐿 𝐸𝐷 𝑊𝐷

𝐶 𝑁𝐿 𝑆𝐿 16.817 m 𝐶 𝐸𝐷 𝑊𝐷 18.074
𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 Closure:
𝐿𝐸𝐶 𝐶 𝐶 0.931 1.2𝑜5 24.687566

𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟

.
tan θ =
.
= 1.0747201

𝜃 0.821397159 47.063 deg

0
𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 S 47 05' W

𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 : . 1
𝑅𝑃 .
=
202.536
1 1
𝑅𝑃
202.54 200
A. CORRECTIONS FOR LATITUDE AND DEPARTURES

𝑐 𝑐
𝐾 𝐾
𝐷 𝐷

𝑐 𝑑 𝐾) 𝑐 𝑑 𝐾 )

16.817 18.074
Kl = = 0.00336 Kd = = 0.00361
5,000.130 5000.130
Latitude Departure

Course d Kl 𝑐 𝑑 𝐾) d Kd 𝑐 𝑑 𝐾 )
AB 495.85 0.00336 1.67 495.85 0.00361 1.79
BC 850.62 0.00336 2.86 850.62 0.00361 3.07
CD 855.45 0.00336 2.88 855.45 0.00361 3.09
DE 1,020.87 0.00336 3.43 1,020.87 0.00361 3.69
EF 1,117.26 0.00336 3.76 1,117.26 0.00361 4.04
FA 660.08 0.00336 2.22 660.08 0.00361 2.39
𝐶 𝑁𝐿 𝑆𝐿 16.82 m 𝐶 𝐸𝐷 𝑊𝐷 18.07 m
B. ADJUSTED LATI TUDE AND DEPARTURES

Dist ance Latitude Departure Correction Adjusted Adjusted

Course (d) Latitude Depart ure Latitude Departure
( in met ers ) +N -S +E -W +N -S +E -W
AB 495.85 493.57 47.53 -1.67 -1.79 491.90 45.73
BC 850.62 590.53 612.23 -2.86 -3.07 587.67 609.15
CD 855.45 -325.53 791.09 -2.88 -3.09 -328.40 788.00
DE 1020.87 -996.99 219.51 -3.43 -3.69 -1000.43 215.82
EF 1117.26 -121.96 -1110.58 -3.76 -4.04 -125.71 -1114.62
FA 660.08 377.19 -541.70 -2.22 -2.39 374.97 -544.08
Sums 5000.13 1461.29 -1444.47 1670.35 -1652.28 1454.54 -1454.54 1658.70 -1658.70

C. ADJUSTMENTS OF LENGTHS AND BEARINGS

𝐴𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝐴𝑑𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒,

𝐷𝑒𝑝
𝐿 𝐿𝑎𝑡 𝐷𝑒𝑝 tan 𝛼
𝐿𝑎𝑡

Adjusted Adjusted Adjusted Bearing

Course Length of Course Bearing angle Deg Min
AB 494.02 5.312 N 5 19 E
BC 846.42 46.028 N 46 2 E
CD 853.69 67.376 S 67 23 E
DE 1,023.44 12.174 S 12 10 E
EF 1,121.69 83.565 S 83 34 W
FA 660.78 55.426 N 55 26 W

Reference:

Elementary Surveying by Juny Pilapil La Putt