Altimetry and the importance of its use

Introduction

The leveling has contributed in a very important way to the development of civilization,
since the constructions of roads, water conduits or canals, the great works of architecture,
among others, both from the modern era and from antiquity are a palpable proof of this,
surprising discovery. Leveling is applied to any of the altimetry procedures by which point
elevations or the elevation difference between various points are determined. This is an
important procedure for

elaboration of maps or plans. Altimetry is the part of the topography that studies the
elevation differences of points on the earth's surface through a process called leveling in
which instruments such as level and sight are used.

What is alti metry?

This is responsible for measuring the differences in level or elevation between the different
points on the ground, which represent the vertical distances measured from a horizontal
reference plane. The determination of the vertical heights or distances can also be made
from the measurements of the slopes or degree of inclination of the terrain and the inclined
distance between each two points. As a result, the vertical scheme is obtained.

Altimetry studies the correspondence between pressure and altitude in order to determine
the latter as a function of the former. The study of it, however complicated it may seem, is
completely necessary in the field of air navigation, where constant knowledge of the
altitude of both the plane and the accidents on the ground is required.

Also called hypsometry is the branch of topography that studies the set of methods and
procedures to determine and represent the height or elevation of each point with respect to a
reference plane. (With altimetry it is possible to represent the terrain relief, contour planes,
profiles, etc. If the earth's curvature is neglected, the elevation difference between two
points on the earth's surface corresponds to the distance between the two horizontal planes
of the points. The elevation of each point is its vertical distance above or below the
reference plane. The most commonly used reference plane is mean sea level, but often the
elevations refer to a reference plane that does not it is related to sea level.
Alti metry target

Its purpose is to determine the differences in heights between points on the ground or
differences in level. The heights of the points are taken on various comparison planes, the
most common of which is sea level. The heights of the points on these comparison planes
are called heights or elevations, or heights, and sometimes levels. In soundings for
bathymetry studies, heights below sea level or negative are used.

The altimeter does not measure altitudes, but differences in level between points. In order
for it to give us the altitude value, it is necessary to calibrate it before starting our work. To
do this, a place of known altitude is located, the cover of the leather case of the altimeter is
lifted and the knurled part (or screw) is turned in order to make the indicator needle
coincide with the value of the graduation and the altitude of the place. If after leaving it for
a few minutes without movement there is no variation in its reading, the case can be closed
again and from then on the altimeter readings will correspond to the altitudes.

The main objective of the leveling is to refer a series of points to the same comparison
plane to be able to deduce the unevenness between the observed points. It is said that two or
more points are level when they are at the same elevation or elevation with respect to the
same reference plane, otherwise it is said that there is a difference in level between them.

Important elements in alti metry

The elevation of a point near the earth's surface is its vertical distance above or below an
assumed level surface or curved surface, where the plumb line is normal to each of its area
elements. The level surface (real or imaginary) used as a reference is called Datum.

Mean Sea Level (MSL):

Average height of the sea surface according to all the stages of the tide in a period of 19
years. It is determined by readings generally taken at hourly intervals. In the United States,
26 stations distributed along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf
of Mexico were used.
Collimation Line:

It is an imaginary line that goes from the center of the telescope eyepiece, passes through
the intersection of the reticule threads and reaches the main point of the objective, the
apparatus being corrected.

Height, Elevation or Elevation:

Vertical distance measured from a reference plane or level, to a given point or plane.

Vertical angle:

It is the angle between two lines that intersect in a vertical plane. In topography, one of
these lines is assumed horizontally.

Mean sea level (MSL):

Average height of the surface of the sea Average of the surface of the sea according to all
the stages of the tide in a period of 19 years.
Conclution

These concepts acquired, surely, will be important for the assimilation and approval of the
knowledge in the career as well as they will be of vital importance in the development of
any project, advice or future activity of working life that is presented to us in the future. (In
the surveys it is also clear that it is not the application of a certain system that gives lower
results or greater precision, but rather the combination or complementation of all the
systems or procedures that have been made available during the practice. in the field, which
gives the greatest satisfaction in terms of error reduction, speed, efficiency and results are
referred to in office work. Geometric leveling, among all types of leveling, is the one that
can be obtained with a high degree of accuracy , because it does not depend on readings on
graduated circles, as in the case of trigonometric leveling. Being horizontal visuals, they are
minimally influenced by the inclination of the sight and very little affected by the refraction
of the atmospheric, whose ignorance and variability is the main cause of error in
trigonometric leveling. Due to the low percentage of error, simplicity and speed that
geometric leveling presents, this is the most performed in topography and geodesy to
determine the elevation differences of a terrain and thus be able to comply with the
proposed project. whose ignorance and variability is the major cause of error in
trigonometric leveling. Due to the low percentage of error, simplicity and speed that
geometric leveling presents, this is the most performed in topography and geodesy to
determine the elevation differences of a terrain and thus be able to comply with the
proposed project. whose ignorance and variability is the major cause of error in
trigonometric leveling. Due to the low percentage of error, simplicity and speed that
geometric leveling presents, this is the most performed in topography and geodesy to
determine the elevation differences of a terrain and thus be able to comply with the
proposed project.