Plane Table Surveying

Introduction
Plane Table Survey is a method of Surveying in which field work and the office
work are done simultaneously. It is also known as the graphical method of
Surveying. A manuscript map is made in the field and the topographic details
can be filled in later.

Different operations are involved during the location of details through plane
table surveying. To carry out the operations under different field conditions,
different methods of plane table surveying have been evolved - method of
radiation, method of intersection, method of traversing and the method of
resection. The method of radiation and the method of intersection are
employed to locate objects and features present in the area of survey; the
method of traversing is used to plot the network of stations and the method of
resection is employed to determine and to plot the location of the plane table
as well as to orient the table simultaneously.

List of instruments used in surveying:

 Plane Table
 Alidade
 Plumbing fork and Plumb bob
 Spirit Level
 Chain or Tape
 Rain roof cover for the plane table
 Compass
 Ranging Rods
  Drawing Sheets
 Drawing equipment.

Methods of plane table surveying:

1. For locating details:

(a) Radiation Method:

A ray is drawn towards the point with the help of the Alidade. With the help of
Chain or Tape the horizontal distance is measured from the Plane Table to the
point and this point is located on the sheet by plotting it into the scale of the
map.

(b) Intersection Method:

In this method two instrument stations are used but no chain or tape is
required. Intersecting rays are drawn from these two stations whose location is
already plotted (by measuring the distance between them), the point of
intersection is the location of the point.

2. For locating plane table stations:

(a) Traversing:

In this method the location of the Plane Table station is located in the
following manner:

At previous station a ray is drawn in the forward direction(Toward next station)

and point is plotted by measuring the horizontal distance and plotting it to
scale. Instrument is shifted to next station(which is just located in first step)
and the previous station is back-sighted to orient the plane table.

(b) Resection:
Resection the process of finding the position of a station where plane table, is
placed, with the help of sights taken towards known and visible points whose
location has already been plotted.

First of all the plane table is oriented correctly by one of the four given
methods:

(1) Orientation by trough compass

(2) Orientation by back sighting
(3) Orientation by two point problem
(4) Orientation by three point problem

Then afterwards point is located.

Now we study the Three point and Two point problems in detail.

Three Point Problem

If a surveyor wants to set up the plane table at a station P towards which no

rays had been drawn initially when the plane table occupied other stations, the
three point problem can be used. The back ray method cannot be used
because the ray was not drawn towards P when the plane table occupied other
stations.

The three point problem can be used if three well defined points A,B and C
whose stations a, b and c had already been plotted on the map are visible from
the plane table station P. There are several methods for the solution of three
point problem.

 Trial and Error

 Mechanical
 Graphical
  Analytical
 Geometrical-construction

The method is based on the fact that, in a correctly oriented plane table, re
sectors through well defined points get intersected at a point which represents
the location of the plane table station on the drawing. For example, as shown
in , if X, Y and Z are well defined objects present in the field whose plotted
positions are x, y and z. Now, if the plane table is oriented correctly, the three
re sectors Xx, Yy and Zz get intersected at p which represents the location of the
plane table station, P on the drawing sheet. Thus, through solution of three-
point problem, both orientation and resection of plane table gets
accomplished simultaneously.

Trial and Error Method

In three point problem, if the orientation of the plane table is not proper, the
intersection of the re sectors through the three points will not meet at a point
but will form a triangle, known as triangle of error. The size of the triangle of
error depends upon the amount of angular error in the orientation.

The trial and error method of three point problem, also known as Lehmann's
method minimises the triangle of error to a point iteratively. The iterative
operation consist of drawing of re sectors from known points through their
plotted position and the adjustment of orientation of the plane table.

The estimation of location of the plane table depends on its position relative to
the well defined points considered for this purpose. Depending on their
relative positions, three cases may arise :

i. The position of plane table is inside the great triangle;

ii. The position of plane table is outside the great triangle;
iii. The position of plane table lies on or near the circumference of the great
circle.

In case of 3, the solution of the three-point problem becomes indeterminate or

unstable. But for the cases 1 and 2, Lehmann's rules are used to estimate the
location of plane table.
Lehmann's Rules

1. If the position of plane table station is inside the great triangle, its
plotted position should be chosen inside the triangle of error.
2. If the position of plane table station is outside the great triangle, its
plotted position should be chosen outside the triangle of error.
3. The plotted position of the plane table should be so chosen that its
distance from the re sectors is proportional to the distance of plane
table station from the field positions of the considered objects.
4. The plotted position of the plane table should be so chosen that it is
to the same side of all the three rays. For example, in, as p is chosen
to the right of the ray Xx, it is chosen in such a way that it is also to
the right of the rays Yy and Zz.
 If the position of plane table station is outside the great circle,
its plotted position should be so chosen that it lies on the same
side of ray to the most distant point as the intersection k of the
other two rays. The intersection of two rays to the nearer
points, is midway between the plotted position of the station
and the ray to the most distant point.
 If the position of plane table station is outside the great
triangle but inside the great circle, the plotted position of the
station is so chosen that the ray to the middle point lies
between plotted station position and the intersection of the
rays to the two extreme points.
Graphical Method
Let X, Y, and Z represent the ground location of the well defined objects whose
plotted positions are x, y, and z, respectively. Let P be the plane table station
whose plotted position, say p, is to be determined.

a. Select a plane table position inside the great triangle XYZ and set
up the table over P and orient it by judgment so that apparent line
xy is approximately parallel to the imaginary side XY.
b. Pivoting the alidade on x, y, and z bisect the signals placed at X, Y,
and Z in turn and draw rays. If the orientation of the table is
correct, the three rays will meet at one point which is the desired
location of p on the sheet. If not, the rays will form a triangle of
error.
c. Choose a point p' inside the triangle of error such that its
perpendicular distances from each ray is in proportion to the
respective distances of P from the three ground objects. For
selection of location of p', Lehmann's rules 1 and 3 need to be
applied.
d. Align the alidade along p' x (assuming X to be the farthest station)
rotate the table till flag at X is bisected, and clamp the table.
e. Pivoting the alidade on x, y, and z repeat the process as in step 2
above. If the estimation of p as p' is correct, the three rays will
intersect at a point otherwise again a triangle of error will be
 formed but of smaller size and within the previous triangle of
error.
f. Estimate again the location of p' in the new triangle of error
applying the rules, 1 and 3, and repeat the steps 4 and 5.
g. The method is repeated till all the three rays intersect at a point.
The point of intersection is the required location p of the plane-
table station P.

Mechanical Method
The three point problem can be solved by a mechanical method using a tracing
cloth.
 1. Set up plane table at P whose location is required and orient it
approximately using a compass or by eye judgement. Clamp the table
securely.
2. Stretch a sheet of tracing cloth over the plan and fasten it on to the plan.
3. Choose any convenient point p1 on the tracing cloth to represent the
station p.
4. Pivot the alidade on p1 and sight the station A and draw a ray. Likewise
for B and C.
5. Unfasten the tracing cloth, and move it over the plan until the three rays
simultaneously pass through the plotted points a, b and c. Prick the
point p1 on the plan with a fine needle point to obtain the position of p
on the paper.
6. Centre the alidade on p, with the fiducial edge along pa, and turn the
plane table until station A is bisected. The plane table is now oriented
correctly.

Two Point Problem

The two point problem is used to orient the plane table at a station C by
sighting two stations A and B whose positions are already plotted on the plan.
It is a method of resection similar to the three point problem. However, in this
case, observations are taken to two well defined points A and B instead of
three points. The positions of the two points a and b had already been plotted
on the plan when the plane table was at other stations.

In the two-point problem, two points are sighted from other point
corresponding to the points given in plane table sheet. Here two cases are to
be discussed.

 When the points can be occupied by the plane table

 When the plane table cannot occupy the controlling stations

The following procedure is used:

1. Choose a suitable auxiliary station D near C so that angles CAD and CBD
are neither two acute nor two obtuse. Set up the plane table at D. Level
 it. Orient it approximately using a magnetic compass or alternatively.
Thus the line ab is made approximately parallel to AB. Clamp the plane
table.
2. Pivot the alidade on a and sight A. Draw a ray through a. Similarly pivot
the alidade on b and sight B, Draw a ray through b intersecting the ray
through a at d1. Transfer the point d1 to the ground using a plumbing
fork and drive the peg into the ground.
3. With the alidade pivoted at d1, sight the station C. Draw a rayd1c1 to
represent the station DC. Mark the position c1 by estimation.
4. Shift the plane table to C and centre it so that the point c1 is above C.
Orient the plane table by back sighting on D. Thus the orientation at C is
the same as it was at D.
5. Pivot the alidade against a and sight A. Draw a ray ac2 to intersect the
ray d1c1 produced at c2. Thus c2 represents the approximate position of
point C, because the orientation is still approximate.
6. Pivot the alidade against c2 and sight B. Draw a ray c2b1 through c2. In
general the ray c2b1 will not pass through the correct position b,
because the orientation is approximate. The point b1 gives the
approximate position of B with respect to the orientation made at D. As
the length ab is the true representation of AB, the error in the
orientation is equal to the angle b1 ab between the lines ab and ab1.
7. To eliminate the error in the orientation, place the alidade along ab1. Fix
a ranging rod at a point P at some distance from the plane table and in
line with ab1.
8. Place the alidade along ab and turn the plane until the ranging rod at P is
bisected. Clamp the plane table. Now the orientation of the plane table
is correct and the line ab is exactly parallel to AB.
9. To find the true position c of the station C, centre the alidade on a and
sight A. Draw a ray ca though a. Similarly centre the alidade on b and
sight B. Draw a ray cb through b. The intersection of the rays ca and cb
gives the true position of c.

Unless the point P is chosen quite far off from C, it becomes difficult to orient
the plane table at C correctly. As the distance of P from C is generally limited
due to other considerations, two point problem does not give accurate results.
Moreover, more work is involved in a two point problem than in a three point
problem as the table has to be set up at two stations.
THE END