TRAVERSING AND

TRAVERSE
COMPUTATIONS
 TYPES OF TRAVERSES
with respect to the measurement of angles

INTERIOR DEFLECTION ANGLE TO THE AZIMUTH

ANGLE ANGLE RIGHT TRAVERSE
TRAVERSE TRAVERSE TRAVERSE
One of the quickest,
Usually angles are Frequently used for Commonly used on most satisfactory
commonly measured in location survey of roads, city, tunnel, mine methods; angles are
a CW direction pipelines, canals, etc. surveys. taken CW from N or S.
LATITUDE &
DEPARTURE
LATITUDE (A.K.A. NORTHING / SOUTHING)
The north/south rectangular component of a line, and to
differentiate direction, north is considered plus, and
south is considered minus.

DEPARTURE (A.K.A. EASTING / WESTING)

The east/west rectangular component of a line, and to
differentiate direction, east is considered plus, and west
is considered minus.
TRAVERSE
COMPUTATIONS
There are other computations and
adjustments required for a closed
traverse. Some of these include:
determining the latitudes and
departures, calculating the total
error of closure, balancing the
survey, determining the adjusted
position of each traverse station,
computing the area, and dividing a
surveyed tract into smaller parts.
ERROR OF
CLOSURE Where:
LEC = linear error of closure
CL = closure in latitude or the algebraic sum of N & S latitudes
There is no such thing as a CD = closure in departure or the algebraic sum of E & W departures
mathematically perfect survey. Minor theta = bearing angle of the side of error
errors in distances and angles will always
present even in observations using high-
precision instruments and methods. Thus,
adjustments have to be made.

The Linear Error of Closure (LEC) is

usually a short line of unknown length
and direction connecting the initial and
final stations of the traverse. This
quantity reflects the algebraic sum of all
accumulated errors of angle and distance
measurements.
Where:
RP = relative precision
LEC = linear error of closure
D = total length or perimeter of the traverse
EXAMPLE
PROBLEM
 TRAVERSE ADJUSTMENT
The procedure of computing the LEC and applying corrections to the individual
latitudes and departures for the purpose of providing a mathematically closed figure.
COMPASS RULE
Also known as the Bowditch Rule.
Assumes angles and distances are measured
with equal accuracy so error is applied to each.
ADVANTAGE
Simple; theoretically soundl repeatable;
compatible with contemporary measurement
methods.
DISADVANTAGE
Treats random errors systematically
where:
cl = correction to be applied to the latitude of
any course
cd = correction to be applied to the departure of
any course
CL = total closure in latitude or the algebraic
sum of N and S latitudes
CD = total closure in the departure or the
algebraic sum of E and W departures
d = length of any course
D = total length or perimeter of the traverse
where:
L' = adjusted length of the course
Lat' = adjusted latitude of the course
Dep' = adjusted departure of the course
alpha = adjusted horizontal angle between the
reference meridian and a course
EXAMPLE
PROBLEM
TRANSIT RULE
Assumes angles are measured more
accurately than distances; distances
receive greater adjustment.
ADVANTAGE
Simple; repeatable; compatible with
older transit-tape surveys.
DISADVANTAGE
Treats random errors systematically;
not compatible with contemporary
measurement methods.
where:
cl = correction to be applied to the latitude of
any course
cd = correction to be applied to the departure of
any course
CL = total closure in latitude or the algebraic
sum of N and S latitudes
CD = total closure in the departure or the
algebraic sum of E and W departures
ΣNL = summation of north latitudes
ΣSL = summation of south latitudes
ΣED = summation of east departures
ΣWD = summation of west departudes
EXAMPLE
PROBLEM
CENTRAL MINDANAO UNIVERSITY
College of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering

AREA
COMPUTATION
Topic 10 of CE 31
1st Semester, SY 2021-2022
DMD METHOD
The meridian distance (MD) of a line is defined as the
shortest distance from the midpoint of the line to the
reference meridian. MDs east of the reference meridian
are considered positive, while MDs on the west are
negative. The double MD (DMD) of the line is equal to
twice its meridian distance.

RULES
RULE 1: The DMD of the first course is equal to the departure
of the course.
RULE 2: The DMD of any other course is equal to the DMD of
the preceding course, plus the departure of the preceding
course, plus the departure of the course itself.
RULE 3: The DMD of the last course is numerically equal to
the departure of that course, but with the opposite sign.
EXAMPLE PROBLEM
DPD METHOD
By using the latitudes of the successive courses instead
of the departures, parallel distances (PD) can also be
computed in a manner similar to meridian distances. The
PD of the line is defined as the distance from the
midpoint of the line to the reference parallel or the E-W
line. Similarly, the double PD (DPD) of the line is equal to
twice its parallel distance.

RULES
RULE 1: The DPD of the first course is equal to the latitude of
the course.
RULE 2: The DPD of any other course is equal to the DPD of
the preceding course, plus the latitude of the preceding
course, plus the latitude of the course itself
RULE 3: The DPD of the last course is the numerically equal to
the latitude of that course but with the opposite sign.
EXAMPLE PROBLEM
SIMPSON'S
1/3 RULE
This is based on the assumption that the
curved boundary consists of a series of
parabolic arcs where each arc continuous
over three adjacent offsets that are equally
spaced. Because of this assumption, the rule
is only applicable when there is an odd
number of offsets and if they are equally
spaced. When there is an even number of
offsets, this rule may be applied except for
the last portion which will be determined where:
separately by assuming it to be a single A = area of the tract bounded by the curve, the baseline, and
the end offsets
trapezoid. d = common spacing between offsets
n = number of offsets
EXAMPLE PROBLEM
 The area in the figure was measured using a fiberglass tape for the offset
distances. A common interval of 15 ft was chosen to delineate the riverbank
suitably. Find the area using Simpson's one-third rule.

SEAT
WORK 4
끝.