Traversing Accuracys
I’m currently working toward my bachelor’s degree in land surveying and completed my first surveying internship this summer. One area I’m still trying to better understand is how many direct and reverse angle observations should be made when traversing.
On one job, we used a manual total station and observed the backsight and foresight in direct and reverse, then averaged the angles. I understand that additional sets can improve the reliability of the angle, but how do you decide how many sets are appropriate?
Is it mainly based on the accuracy requirements of the survey, traverse length, instrument specifications, and expected closure, or is there a standard workflow you normally follow?
Personally, I like the idea of using the same procedure at every traverse point: backsight, foresight in direct, flip the scope and turn right, then backsight and foresight in reverse, repeating additional sets when greater precision is required. But I also understand that time is a factor in production surveying.
How do experienced surveyors decide when one set of direct/reverse angles is sufficient versus when two or more sets should be turned?