Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Introduction and Methods of Leveling01:26

Introduction and Methods of Leveling

706
Leveling is a surveying procedure used to determine elevation differences between distant points. Elevation refers to the vertical distance above or below a reference datum, typically mean sea level (MSL). In the United States, elevations are often referenced to the mean sea level station at Father Point Rimouski along the St. Lawrence Seaway. To make the datum accessible, permanent markers are established throughout the region. These markers, called benchmarks, have known elevations. If the...
706
Differential Leveling01:12

Differential Leveling

925
Differential leveling is a precise method in surveying used to determine the elevation difference between two points. Its primary goal is to establish accurate vertical measurements to create level surfaces or grade lines critical for designing and constructing infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and buildings.The procedure for differential leveling begins with setting up and leveling the instrument at a point where the benchmark can be seen. The level rod is held on the benchmark (BM), and...
925
Influence of Earth's Curvature and Atmospheric Refraction on Leveling01:26

Influence of Earth's Curvature and Atmospheric Refraction on Leveling

1.3K
During leveling, the Earth's curvature and atmospheric refraction introduce deviations in the line of sight from a true horizontal reference. When the line of sight is leveled, it remains perpendicular to the plumb line only at a single point. Beyond this, it deviates due to the Earth’s curvature, represented by the correction C. For a sight distance D, the deviation can be derived using the relationship:This relationship shows that the deviation increases quadratically with distance.
1.3K
Common Leveling Mistakes and Errors01:17

Common Leveling Mistakes and Errors

620
A survey team is tasked with determining the elevation difference between points Point A and Point B, separated by uneven terrain. They use a leveling instrument and a leveling rod.Common MistakesMisreading the Rod: During a backsight reading at Point A, the instrumentman observes the rod partially obscured by tall grass. Instead of reading 1.135 m, they mistakenly record 1.735 m due to the misalignment of the crosshair with the wrong graduation. This error adds 0.600 m to all subsequent...
620
Leveling Equipment01:18

Leveling Equipment

627
As leveling involves measuring vertical distances relative to a horizontal line of sight, it requires a graduated rod, called a level rod, for vertical measurements and an instrument called a level for a horizontal sight line. A level includes a high-powered telescope with a mechanism for leveling to ensure the line of sight is horizontal when the bubble in the spirit level is centered. Leveling rods, made of wood, metal, or fiberglass, are graduated in feet or meters and commonly used in two-...
627
Profile Leveling and Cross Sections01:26

Profile Leveling and Cross Sections

2.2K
Profile leveling and cross-sections are surveying methods used to determine and document terrain elevations for infrastructure projects such as highways, railroads, canals, and pipelines. These methods provide data for earthwork planning and alignment of proposed routes.  Profile leveling involves measuring elevations along a fixed line to create a vertical terrain profile. A surveyor sets up a leveling instrument at the benchmark (BM) and records a backsight (BS) to determine the...
2.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Uncertainty-Driven Generative Prior Learning for Sparse Model-Guided Hyperspectral Image Fusion.

IEEE transactions on image processing : a publication of the IEEE Signal Processing Society·2026
Same author

ADAM8 Deficiency in Macrophages Alleviates Vascular Calcification in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition)·2026
Same author

Rich-Defect Ru-Tb<sub>2</sub>Ce<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7+<i>x</i></sub> Catalysts for Highly Efficient Soot Particulate Elimination: Insights into the key roles of Ru-O-Ce/Tb Interfacial Bonds, Ru<sup>0</sup> Sites, and Surface Vacancies.

Environmental science & technology·2026
Same author

Learning Retinex Prior for Compressive Hyperspectral Image Reconstruction.

IEEE transactions on image processing : a publication of the IEEE Signal Processing Society·2026
Same author

Masticatory-Driven Piezoelectric Hydrogels with Electrical Stimulation-Triggered NPY Condensate for Mandibular Bone Regeneration.

Advanced healthcare materials·2026
Same author

CoCoFR: Collaborative codebooks learning with soft matching strategy for blind face restoration.

Neural networks : the official journal of the International Neural Network Society·2026
Same journal

Turbulent flow in a vortex separator with a directed pipe inlet.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Systematic characteristic evaluation of clay-based cementitious material derived from calcium carbide residue and waste tile powder.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Retraction Note: Improvement of a rapid diagnostic application of monoclonal antibodies against avian influenza H7 subtype virus using Europium nanoparticles.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Applying large language models to spam detection in the Kazakh low-resource language setting.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

An open-source 3D printing system enabling in-situ freeze-thaw processing of hydrogels.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

An enhanced EfficientNet framework for automated waste classification using cosine annealing and label smoothing.

Scientific reports·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon
09:44

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon

Published on: October 16, 2018

10.8K

The intermediate station trigonometric leveling method for replacing second-order leveling in complex terrain.

Weixing Yang1,2,3, Tingting Li4, Junwei Xu5

  • 1POWERCHINA Northwest Engineering Corporation Limited, Xi'an, 710100, China. 75604366@qq.com.

Scientific Reports
|April 14, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces trigonometric leveling using a total station for efficient elevation measurement in challenging terrain. The method achieves second-order leveling accuracy, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional techniques.

Keywords:
ElevationIntermediate Station MethodRoot Mean Square Error (RMSE)Second-Order LevelingTrigonometric Leveling

More Related Videos

Continuous-Wave Propagation Channel-Sounding Measurement System - Testing, Verification, and Measurements
09:36

Continuous-Wave Propagation Channel-Sounding Measurement System - Testing, Verification, and Measurements

Published on: June 25, 2021

3.6K
Time Multiplexing Super Resolving Technique for Imaging from a Moving Platform
06:25

Time Multiplexing Super Resolving Technique for Imaging from a Moving Platform

Published on: February 12, 2014

8.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon
09:44

Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon

Published on: October 16, 2018

10.8K
Continuous-Wave Propagation Channel-Sounding Measurement System - Testing, Verification, and Measurements
09:36

Continuous-Wave Propagation Channel-Sounding Measurement System - Testing, Verification, and Measurements

Published on: June 25, 2021

3.6K
Time Multiplexing Super Resolving Technique for Imaging from a Moving Platform
06:25

Time Multiplexing Super Resolving Technique for Imaging from a Moving Platform

Published on: February 12, 2014

8.9K

Area of Science:

  • Geomatics Engineering
  • Geospatial Information Science
  • Surveying Technology

Background:

  • Elevation measurement is crucial for engineering and geospatial data acquisition.
  • Traditional high-precision leveling is inefficient and difficult in complex terrains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and validate a trigonometric leveling method using a total station for improved efficiency in challenging environments.
  • To assess the accuracy of trigonometric leveling against second-order leveling standards.

Main Methods:

  • Implemented an intermediate setup approach with a high-precision total station.
  • Collected multiple sets of distance and vertical angle observations.
  • Calculated elevation differences using trigonometric geometric relationships.

Main Results:

  • The trigonometric leveling method achieved accuracy meeting second-order leveling requirements under specific conditions (vertical angle < 30°, sight distance < 600 m, sight distance difference < 0.5 m).
  • Measurements were successfully conducted across seven control points in topographically challenging areas.

Conclusions:

  • Trigonometric leveling is a feasible and accurate alternative to traditional methods in complex terrain.
  • This approach offers significant improvements in operational efficiency and cost reduction for surveying.
  • The method has broad potential for practical application in geomatics engineering.