21/08/2026
📐 **TOTAL STATION SURVEY – THE BASICS**
If you are working in surveying or civil engineering, the Total Station is one instrument you will come across regularly. It may look complicated at first, but once you understand the basic setup and orientation, the process becomes much easier.
A Total Station basically measures **angles and distances**. From these measurements, we can determine the **Easting, Northing and Elevation (RL)** of a point.
# # # How do we start a survey?
The normal sequence is:
**Known Point → Set up the instrument → Backsight → Observe the prism → Measure → Store coordinates**
**1. Set up the instrument**
Fix the Total Station on the tripod over a known survey point. Keep the tripod reasonably level and at a comfortable working height.
**2. Center the instrument**
Using the laser or optical plummet, bring the instrument exactly over the station point. Don't rush this part. Good centering is important for accurate work.
**3. Level the instrument**
Level the Total Station carefully. Check the bubble/electronic level again after centering because adjusting one can sometimes disturb the other.
**4. Enter the station details**
Enter the coordinates of the point where the instrument is set up.
For example:
Easting = 1000.000 m
Northing = 1000.000 m
Elevation = 100.000 m
Also enter the **instrument height (HI)** correctly.
**5. Take the backsight**
Now sight a known point and enter its coordinates. This gives the Total Station its orientation.
This is one of the most important steps. If the backsight is wrong, all the points you survey afterwards can be wrong even though the instrument appears to be working perfectly.
**6. Sight the prism**
Keep the prism over the point you want to survey and enter the correct **prism height (HT)**.
Aim at the centre of the prism and focus properly.
**7. Measure and store the point**
The instrument measures the horizontal angle, vertical angle and distance and calculates the point coordinates automatically.
You will normally see values such as:
📏 SD – Slope Distance
📏 HD – Horizontal Distance
📐 HA – Horizontal Angle
📐 VA – Vertical Angle
📍 E, N & Z – Point Coordinates
# # # Where do we use a Total Station?
On actual projects, we commonly use it for **topographical surveys, building and column setting out, road surveys, contour surveys, boundary surveys, earthwork calculations, foundation layouts and as-built surveys.**
One lesson from site work: **always check your setup before collecting hundreds of points.**
Check the centering, level, station coordinates, backsight, instrument height and prism height. Spending an extra couple of minutes checking these can save hours of rework later.
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