The total station is a combination of an electronic theodolite, an electronic distance measuring device (EDM) and a microprocessor with a memory unit. With this device, one can determine the angles and distances to the points to be surveyed from the device. Using trigonometry, angles and distances can be used to calculate the actual positions (x, y and z or north, east and elevation) of surveyed points in absolute terms.
Measurements are taken with the help of a telescope, mounted on a.The measurements are taken with the help of a telescope, which is mounted on a tripod and levelled and focussed on to the prisms held as targets at the points to be surveyed. The instrument is attached with an alphanumeric key board and LCD display. This works with the help of a rechargeable compact battery. The instrument has a built-in automatic atmospheric sensor that measures the atmospheric pressure and temperature in real time and automatically applies the necessary corrections.
The total station can be used to make linear measurements to an accuracy of 0.1 mm and angle measurements to 1” accuracy. All the measurements are done with speed and accuracy and are recorded with the help of a memory card (usually a PCMCIA card or so). The range of the equipment varies from 2,000 to 3,000 m using single prism and from 3,000 to 3,600 m using multiple prisms. All the calculations can be carried out automatically and the data can be transferred to any computer using communication software and a cable. Any required drawings such as contours can then be prepared using any standard software. The instrument is very compact and light in weight and can be used for various other purposes such as area calculation, traverse, road mapping and three-dimensional cross sectioning
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