Surveying-I

CE-205 (T)

Plane Table Surveying

Lecture 4

Department of civil engineering

UET Peshawar
Lecturer
Engr. Muhammad Rizwan
Lecture 4

Plane Table Surveying

Plane Table Surveying

Plane table is a graphical method of surveying in
which the field works and the plotting are done
simultaneously.
It is most suitable for the filling in of the details
between stations previously filled by triangulation or
theodolite survey.
It is particularly adopted for small scale or medium scale
mapping , in which great accuracy in in details are not
required as for topographical survey.

Lecture 4

Plane Table Surveying

Instruments In Plane Tabling

The Plane Table Essentially consist of :
A) A drawing board, mounted on a tripod and
B) A straight edge called Alidade.
The Drawing Board :
Made of well seasoned wood, 40cm x 30cm to 75cm x 60 cm Or
50 cm to 60 cm square, mounted on a tripod, such that can be
leveled and revolved about vertical axis and clamped in any
position. Board fitted with a ball and socked arrangement.

The Alidade:
Consist of metal ruler about 50 cm long having straight and
smooth ruling edge (working edge) also called Fiducial edge.
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Plane Table Surveying

Instruments In Plane Tabling

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Plane Table Surveying

The Accessories to the plane table are:

1) Trough compass or circular compass
2) a Plumbing fork for or U frame, with a plumb bob for centering
the table.
3) a Water proof cover to protect the sheet from rain.
4) Paper

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Plane Table Surveying

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Plane Tabling
Advantages
It is most suitable for preparing small scale survey.
Is most rapid.
The field book is not required.
The surveyor can compared the plotted work to the
actual features.
There is no chance of omitting the necessary
measurements, as the map is prepared in the field.
It is less costly than the theodolite.

Lecture 4

Plane Table Surveying

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Plane Tabling
Disadvantages :

It is not suitable for work in wet climate.

It is heavy and Is difficult to carry.
There are many accessories to carry and may be lost.
It is not intended for accurate work.
If the map is to be re plotted it is very inconvenience
in the absence of field notes.

Lecture 4

Plane Table Surveying

The Points to be kept in mind while surveying

with plane table:
The small letters a,b,c are used to represent the
stations on the paper.
The table will remain stationary while the alidade is
rotated to slight the station.
While taking the reading the alidade must be
centered.
The board is turned only when the table is to be
oriented.

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Plane Table Surveying

Setting up the plane table

It includes the following operations:
1) The table is fixed at a convenient height
Say about 1m and approximately leaved, legs should spread
well apart and firmly fixed.

2) Centering
3) Leveling
Home Assignment

Lecture 4

Plane Table Surveying

Orientation of Plane Table

The preparation of keeping the table at each of the
successive stations parallel to position which it
occupied at the first station is known as Orientation.
When table is properly oriented the lines on the paper are
parallel to the lines on the ground, which they represent.

There are two methods of Orienting the Table:

1) By Use of Magnetic Needle
2) By Backsighting

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Plane Table Surveying

10

1) Orientation by Magnetic Needle

To orient the table at any subsequent station, the
rough compass(or circular compass) is placed
along the line representing the magnetic meridian
which has been drawn on the paper at first station
and the board is then turned until the ends of
needle are opposite the zeros of scale.
The board is then clamped in position.
This method is sufficiently accurate provided there is no local
attraction.
Sutiable for rough small scale.

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Plane Table Surveying

11

2) Orientation by Backsighting
This is most accurate method and always preferred.
In this method, the fiducial edge of alidade is laid
along a ray drawn from previous station to the
present station and the plane table is then rotated
till the line of sight of alidade bisects exactly the
ranging rod placed at previous station.
The plane table is then clamped and said to be
oriented. In this method, the level of the plane table
has to be maintained identical in both the stations.

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Plane Table Surveying

12

Methods of Plane Tabling

There are 4 methods of Survey with Plane Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)

Radiation
Intersection
Traversing
Resection

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Plane Table Surveying

13

1) Radiation
In this method the point is located on plan by
drawing a ray from the plane table station to the
point, and plotting to scale along the ray, the
distance measured from the station to the point.
A

The method suitable for the

survey of small areas which
can be commanded from
a single station.

E
e

Chiefly used for locating

details from stations, which
have been previously
established by other
methods such Triangulation
or Traversing.

D
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b
p

C
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14

Radiation Procedure:
Select Point P on ground such that
all the points to be located are
visible.
Set up the table at point P and
after leveling it clam it.
Select a point on sheet such it
E
exactly above he P, this is done
with the help of U-frame.
Mark the direction of the magnetic
meridian with trough compass.
Centering the alidade at p sight
various points all around and draws
the rays along the fiducial edge.
Measured the distance PA, PB, PC
and so and plot on the sheet
according to scale.

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e
d

b
p

Plane Table Surveying

15

Radiation

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Plane Table Surveying

16

2) Intersection
In this method the point is fixed on plan by
Intersection of rays drawn from Two Instrument
Station.
The line joining these stations is called Base Line.
The method requires only the linear measurement of
C
this line.
The method commonly used
for locating:
a) Details
b) distant and inaccessible
points
c) broken boundaries
d) Rivers
e) Checking distant objects
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Plane Table Surveying

q
P

p
Q
E

17
D

Intersection Procedure:

Select two points P and Q in

commanding position, line joining P
and Q is called Base line.
Select a point p on sheet above
A
station P, center and level it and also
mark the magnetic north.
With the alidade centered with p
draw rays to Q and other points say
A,B,C etc.
Measure distance between P and Q
accurately and mark the location of q
on sheet.
Shift the table and fix it at Q such that
q is exactly above the station Q.
Place alidade along qp and orient the
table by backsighting and clamp it.
With the alidade placed along q draw F
rays to the objects again.
The point of intersection will give the
location of all these points.

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Q
E

Plane Table Surveying

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Intersection

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Plane Table Surveying

19

3) Traversing
This method is similar to the compass traversing.
It is used for running survey lines between stations
which have been previously fixed by other methods
of surveying to locate the topographical details.
It is also suitable for survey of Rivers or Roads etc.

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Plane Table Surveying

20

Traversing
Procedure
Home Assignment

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Plane Table Surveying

21

4) Resection
This method is used for establishing the instrument stations only.
After fixing the stations. Details are located by either radiation
or intersection.
The characteristics feature of Resection is that, the point
plotted on the plan is the station occupied by the Plane Table.
Select a base line PQ on ground, measure it
accurately with steel tape.
Setup table at P, Center it,
Placing alidade at line pq . Orient table by
running ray until Q sighted, clamped it.
With alidade touching p, sight R , which is to
be located by intersection.
Shift the instrument and setup at R, orient the
table by taking back sight on P, clamp it.
With alidade centered at q, sight the station
Q and draw a ray.
The point of intersection of this ray and that
previously drawn from p gives the required
point r.
This method is called Back Ray method.

r
p

p
P

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Plane Table Surveying

22

The others cases of Resection are:

1) Two Point Problem
2) Three Point Problem
1) Two Point Problem:
Two point problem consist in locating the position on
the plan of the station occupied by the plane table,
by means of observation to Two well defined points,
which are visible from the instrument station and
whose position have been already plotted on the
plan.

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Plane Table Surveying

23

A B are the two points on ground, a b their plotted position on

sheet, C the station over which the table is to be setup and c is its
position on sheet/plan.
The solution obtain as :
Solution:
Choose suitable station D.
Setup the table at D, orient
the table by compass or
judging ab line parallel to AB
and clamp it.
With alidade touching a,
sight A and dray ray. similarly
with alidade touching b sight
B and draw line. Intersection
d1 (station D).
With alidade centered on
d1,sight C, and draw ray
d1c1.
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d1
D

c1

c b1
c1

d1
C

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Remove table and setup at C, orient

table by backsighting on D.
With alidade against a, sight A and
draw ray intersecting the line d1c1 in
c1.
With alidade centered at c1 sight B,
proved to pass through b, if properly
Oriented., if not then c1B,and d1B.
b1 represent station B.
ab is true representation of line AB, so
error in orientation equal to angle
b1ab.
To eliminate the error the table must
be rotated by this angle.
To do this: place alidade along ab1
and fix a ranging rod P at a great
distance from the table and bisect.
Place alidade along ab and bisect
again P. now ab is parallel to AB.
To find true position of C , center
alidade on a and bisect A, draw ray.
Similarly center at b and , bisect B and
draw ray. The interaction of these two
lines will give point c(Station C)

d1

c1

a
d1

b c
c1
C

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Plane Table Surveying

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b1

2) Three Point Problem

The three point problem consist in locating on the plan
the position of the instrument station on the ground by
means of observation to Three well defined points,
whose positions have been already plotted on the
plan.
Suppose A,B,C are three points, which
have been plotted as a,b,c and the
table is setup at T from which A,B,C are
visible.
It is required to plot on the plan the
position t of the instrument station T.
The problem may be solved:
1) Mechanically
2) Graphically
3) by Trial
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T
Plane Table Surveying

26

1) Mechanical method:
Also called Tracing cloth or
Paper method.

The table is setup at T. a sheet

of Tracing cloth is stretched
over the plane table sheet
A
and point t1 is chosen to
represent approximately the
station(T).
When alidade center at
t1,sight A,B,C and draw rays.
The racing cloth is unfastened
and moved around the plane
table until three rays pass
through plotted points a,b,c
on the sheet. i.e t1 and t
corresponding to station T.
Alidade then centered at ta
line and the table is oriented
by turning the board until A
bisected.
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a b c
t1
T

a b c
t1

t
T

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2) Graphical method
3) Trial method
Home Assignment

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Plane Table Surveying

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References
Surveying & Leveling (part 1) by T P Kanetkar & S V Kulkarni
(Part 1)

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Plane Table Surveying

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