Land Surveying and Data Management - 2025 entry

Surveying is a multidisciplinary skill that is applied to any area of science and engineering that requires the accurate measurement of natural and manmade features on the Earth’s surface. This applied module is designed to provide all the underpinning knowledge to become a surveyor.

The course begins by introducing the fundamental surveying techniques. This includes the application of surveying techniques to make spatial measurements (angles, distances and elevations), as well as the theory and mathematics involved with establishing control networks. As the module advances you will be introduced to global navigation satellite systems in surveying and be given an introduction to setting out and engineering surveying. This module is delivered in the form of lectures, workshops and practical sessions.

The second half of the module goes through the processes of a topographic survey. During several exercises you will use your knowledge and understanding of surveying to establish a primary control network on a site and connecting to a coordinate system, collect topographic detail, and produce a scaled topographic plan using digital terrain modelling software and AutoCAD.

Several courses that have been provided by Leica Geosystems will be embedded into the ELE content to train students on how the complex equipment operates in practical environment. These courses will be underpinned with practical surveying sessions that will provide the students with hands on content.

Setting out is critical aspect of surveying where there is a need to transfer planned designs into the real world. The process of setting out established engineering designs will be covered in this module, using the full workflow of CAD applications to geospatial control and positioning.

In addition, subsurface characterisation techniques will be covered in the context of ground investigation. Knowledge of a variety of methods and their applications is supported by an overview of the legal context of site investigations.

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of fundamental and advanced surveying techniques that will provide you with the foundation skills to complete a topographic and subsurface surveys (using a variety of surveying techniques and associated software packages). The module addresses methods of survey control and detail data capture and provides an introduction to CAD and error control packages used for mapping while insuring data quality.

In addition, this module will expose students to the latest survey equipment and its functionality in both surface and subsurface applications.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge

Topic 1 - Introduction to Surveying: purpose of surveying, applications of surveying, origination of coordinate systems, true, grid and magnetic north derivations, sexagesimal angular measurement, equipment used in surveying, outline of surveying techniques, introduction to mathematics in surveying (lecture, example sheet 1);

Topic 2 - Levelling: levelling techniques and purpose, vertical coordinate systems, equipment and types of levels used, booking of data, levelling calculations and checks, trigonometrical levelling methods, errors involved with levelling (lecture, example sheet 2);

Topic 3 - Measuring Angles and Distances: types of theodolites and an explanation of their use, methods of reading both the horizontal and vertical circles, booking of data and consequent reduction and calculations, measuring of distances with EDMs (electromagnetic distance measurement), tapes and steel bands, linear surveying procedure, stadia tacheometry (lecture, example sheet 3);

Topic 4 - Traversing and Coordinate Calculations: purpose and types of control surveys, traversing procedure including both an example of closed coordinate and open / link traverses, calculation procedures for closed traverses including angular adjustment, converting angles to bearings, partial coordinate calculations, traverse accuracy, Bowditch adjustments and subsequent coordinate calculations (lecture, example sheet 4);

Topic 5 - Introduction to GNSS: development and importance of GNSS, different types of GNSS and applications, application of GNSS in surveying, GNSS positioning methods, errors in GNSS (lecture);

Topic 6 - Setting Out and Area Calculations: aims, principles and methods of engineering surveying, uses and applications of setting out, control methods, equipment used in setting out, worked area calculations for straight and irregular bounded shapes (lecture, example sheet 5);

Campus Survey – complete a topographic survey of an area of the Penryn Campus. The survey will be completed over a duration of 6 weeks. During this time there will be lectures and workshops including:

- Introduction to total stations;

- Introduction to surveying topographic detail;

- Introduction to AutoCAD and LSS;

Topic 7- Subsurface Characterisation Techniques- Covering, the principles of near surface geophysical surveying, including appropriate selection of techniques, the application of surveying techniques to the collection of geophysical data in the field and Data processing relevant to a selected range of techniques;

Topic 8 - Revision Session: at the end of term there will be a tutorial session covering the mathematics and theory covered during the module in preparation for the closed book examination (lecture, tutorial);

(Syllabus plan may be subject to change during term time).

If a student is referred or deferred, the failed / non-completed component(s) will be re-assessed at the same weighting as the original assessment.

Basic reading:

Reading list for this module: