Some Basic

Principles for
Leveling
Lecture Overview

• Equipment
• Introduction to Leveling
• Observation, Field Notes, and
Computation
• Errors and their effects
Equipment
Equipment
• Level Instrument
• Tripod
• Staff/Pole
• Change plate
• Pole staff bubble (bull eye)
• Marker
Equipment: Level Instrument

• Automated Levels

Easy to use (not power!)

Needs experience

Robust even in hostile environment

• Digital Levels

Push-button technique

No reading errors, special staff

Readings are stored and analyzed digitally
 Automated Levels (Compensator)
Pendulum
Bull Eye

Tribrach

Courtesy: Deumlich, Vermessungskunde

Digital Levels
• Uses Barcode staffs
• Internal storage of data

Download to the computer

Automated height computation + adjustment

No feeling for quality anymore

You frequently need power plugs
Equipment: Tripod
• Wooden design or aluminum

From “easy to sit” to “ops, this is high”
Equipment: Staff/Pole
• Wood, aluminum
• INVAR type for high precision leveling
 Equipment: Staff/Pole
• Wood, aluminum
• INVAR type for high precision leveling

Conventional (“E”-type) Barcode

for Digital Levels
Reading a graduated staff
Reading a graduated Staff

1422
Equipment: Bubble
• Keep the pole upright

Any tilt will disturb your readings
Introduction to Leveling:
Observation & Fieldnotes
Some Basic Definitions
• Level surface (e.g. the geoid)

A water surface with no motion

Gravity gradient is the normal to the level surface

The Instrument’s Bubble is in the normal (!)

• Horizontal surface

At the instruments axis, the horizontal surface is tangent
to the level surface

Over short distances (<100 m) the horizontal surface
and the level surface will coincide

For long leveling lines the effects of the gravity field
must be considered
Basic Principle of Leveling
• Measures height differences between points

Along a line

Several points from one occupation

Leveling rods
Line of sight
Back sight Fore sight
fs
bs
∆h = bs - fs

Gravity Gradient
Definitions
• Back sight (BS)

The first reading from a new instrument stand
point (i.e. take the height to the instrument)

• Fore sight (FS)

The last reading from the current instrument
station (i.e. give the height to a benchmark)

• Intermediate sight (IS)

Any sighting that is not a back sight or fore sight
Reading a Staff
• Read the [m], [dm] & [cm]
• Estimate the [mm]

1422

• Check yourself for frequent

used numbers (2/3) or (7/8)
Basic Rules for Leveling
• Always start and finish a leveling run on a
Benchmark (BM or TBM) and close the loops
• Keep fore sight and back sight distances as equal
as possible
• Keep lines of sight short (normally < 50m)
• Never read below 0.5m on a staff (refraction)
• Beware of shadowing effects
Observation, Field Notes, and
Computation
Observation & Field Notes
Observation & Field Notes

BS FS Remarks
6.770
7.450 4.230
7.070 5.120
3.480
Observation & Field Notes

BS FS Remarks
0.663 Bench Mark
2.787 0.456 1
0.646 Bench Mark
How to: levelling work
How To: Field Notes