Leveling is a surveying technique used to determine differences in elevation between points. It involves measuring vertical angles and distances to establish spot elevations across an area. There are two main methods - direct and indirect. Direct contouring involves marking points along contour lines in the field, while indirect contouring uses spot elevations from which contours are interpolated on a map. Common techniques include using a level, staff, and plane table or theodolite to obtain elevations and positions of points, which are then contoured. Leveling is important for engineering projects to design facilities and earthworks efficiently based on terrain.

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2. LEVELLING
According to science
• Leveling is a branch of surveying which deals with the measurement
of relative heights of different points on, above or below the
surface of the earth. Thus in leveling, the measurements
(elevations) are taken in the vertical plane.
Simple Definition
• Leveling is the process used to determine a difference in elevation
between two points.
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3. Definitions
• Station:- A point where the levelling staff is kept.
• Height of instrument:- It is the elevation of the plane of sight with
respect to assumed datum. It is also known as plane of collimation.
• Datum line ( M.S.L. ) :- Is the level (line) which are attributed to it
points levels on the surface of the Earth. Which is the average sea
level.
• Reduced level ( R.L) :- Is the high point from datum line.
• Benchmark (B .M ) :- Are fixed points information site and
attributed placed in different places until you start racing them
when conducting settlement .
• Back sight ( B.S.) :- Is the first reading taken after placing the device
in any position so that we see the greatest possible number of
points required to find the elevation .
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4. • BENCHMARKS
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5. • Fore sight (F.S) :- Is the last reading taken before the transfer device.
• Change point(CP) or turning point(TP): The point at which both BS
and FS are taken.
• Intermediate sight ( I.S.) :- Is reading taken between the back sight
and fore sight reading .
• Elevation of line of sight ( H.I) :- Is the imaginary vertical level
determined by the line of sight to the amount of increase or
decrease for sea level .
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6. • Tripod stand :- is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform
for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some
other object.
PLUMB BOBTRIPOD STAND TRIPOD STAND
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8. • Leveling Staff :-Is a wooden or metal ruler one side runway to meters
and centimeters. And is a ruler of solid wood 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 meters in
length and usually 4 meters .
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9. • Leveling of the instrument is done to make the vertical axis of the
instrument truly vertical. It is achieved by carrying out the
following steps:
• Step 1: The level tube is brought parallel to any two of the foot
screws, by rotating the upper part of the instrument.
• Step 2: The bubble is brought to the centre of the level tube by
rotating both the foot screws either inward or outward. (The bubble
moves in the same direction as the left thumb.)
• Step 3: The level tube is then brought over the third foot screw again
by rotating the upper part of the instrument.
• Step 4: The bubble is then again brought to the centre of the level
tube by rotating the third foot screw either inward or outward.
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10. • Step 5: By rotating the upper part of the instrument through 180 ° ,
the level tube is brought parallel to first two foot screws in reverse
order. The bubble will remain in the centre if the instrument is in
permanent adjustment.
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11. TYPES OF LEVELLING
1] Simple levelling
2] Differential levelling
3] Fly levelling
4] Profile levelling
5] Cross sectional levelling
6] Reciprocal levelling
There are two methods for obtaining the elevations at different points:
1] Height of instrument (or plane of collimation) method
2] Rise and fall method
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12. Simple levelling:-
• When the difference in the elevation of two nearby points is
required then simple levelling is performed.
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13. Differential levelling:-
• Performed when the final point is very far from the final point.
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14. Fly levelling
• Performed when the work site is very far away from the bench
mark.
• The surveyor starts by taking BS at BM and proceed towards
worksite till he finds a suitable place for temporary BM. All works
are done with respect to temporary BM.
• At the end of the day the surveyor comes back to original BM.
• This is called fly levelling.
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15. Profile levelling:-
•Profile levelling, which yields elevations at definite points along a
reference line, provides the needed data for designing facilities such as
highways, railroads, transmission lines.
•Reduced levels at various points at regular interval along the line is
calculated.
•After getting the RL of various points the profile is drawn. Normally
vertical scale is much larger than horizontal scale for the clear view of
the profile.
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16. Reciprocal levelling:-
When levelling across river is required then this method is
applied to get rid of various errors.
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17. METHODS
1] Height of Instrument method
• The basic equations are
• Height of instrument for the first setting= RL of BM + BS(at BM)
• Subtract the IS and FS from HI to get RL of intermediate stations
and change points.
• Checking: ΣBS -ΣFS = Last RL –First RL. This is –ve for FALL and +ve
for RISE.
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19. METHODS
2] Rise and Fall method
• In this method the difference of the present staff reading is
subtracted from the previous staff reading.
• Previous reading –present staff reading = +ve, denotes RISE
• Previous reading –present staff reading = -ve, denotes FALL
• Checking: ΣBS -ΣFS = Last RL –First RL= ΣRise -ΣFall
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21. BENCH MARK ELEVATED
e.g. 100m
?
TOP OF SLOPE
FIND THE DIFFERENT BETWEEN BENCH
MARK AND TOP OF SLOPE
Divide hill into 3 spots to make easier
Otherwise too far to see or level staff not
long enough
Back sight
9 m
Rotate dumpy round
Move level staff to new spot
Fore sight
2 m
Move dumpy level to new spot
Back sight
6 m
Fore sight
1 m
Rotate dumpy round
Move level staff to new spot
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22. Ground
level
Back sight
[from dumpy
level]
Height of
instrument [ground
level+ back sight
from dumpy level]
Fore sight
[from
dumpy
level]
Height of new
point [height
of instrument
fore sight]
Back sight
9 m
Fore sight
2 m
Back sight
6 m
Fore sight
1 m
Level of dumpy=109m
Level of dumpy=113m
9m
100m+
9m
6m
6m+107m
1m
2m
BENCH MARK ELEVATED
e.g. 100m
SO THE DIFFERENCE
IN HEIGHT IS
112-100=12M
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23. CONTOURING
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24. • Contours are those lines you can
see on OS maps.
• A contour line is an imaginary
line that joins points of equal
height above sea level.
• They can be used to learn about
the shape of the land (the relief).
• A map with only a few contour
lines will be flat (and often low
lying)
• If a map has lots of contours it is
a mountainous or hilly area.
• The actual pattern of the lines
will tell you more detail about
the area too.
Steep slopes
Area that is
flatter with only
a gentle slope
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25. CONTOURS
• Contour An imaginary line on the ground surface joining the points
of equal elevation is known as contour.
• In other words, contour is a line in which the ground surface is
intersected by a level surface obtained by joining points of equal
elevation. This line on the map represents a contour and is called
contour line.
• Contour Map :-A map showing contour lines is known as Contour
map.
• A contour map gives an idea of the altitudes of the surface features
as well as their relative positions in plan serves the purpose of both,
a plan and a section.
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26. Contouring
• The process of tracing contour lines on the surface of the earth is called
Contouring.
• PURPOSE OF CONTOURING
• Contour survey is carried out at the starting of any engineering
project such as a road, a railway, a canal, a dam, a building etc.
i) For preparing contour maps in order to select the most economical
or suitable site.
ii) To locate the alignment of a canal so that it should follow a ridge
line.
iii) To mark the alignment of roads and railways so that the quantity of
earthwork both in cutting and filling should be minimum.
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27. iv) For getting information about the ground whether it is flat,
undulating or mountainous.
v) To find the capacity of a reservoir and volume of earthwork
especially in a mountainous region.
vi) To trace out the given grade of a particular route.
vii)To locate the physical features of the ground such as a pond
depression, hill, steep or small slopes.
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28. METHODS OF CONTOURING
• There are mainly two methods of
locating contours:-
(1)Direct Method and
(2) Indirect Method.
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29. 1] Direct Method:
• In this method, the contours to be
located are directly traced out in the
field by locating and marking a
number of points on each contour.
• These points are then surveyed and
plotted on plan and the contours
drawn through them.
• This method is most accurate but
very slow and tedious as a lot of time
is wasted in searching points of the
same elevation for a contour.
• This is suitable for small area and
where great accuracy is required
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DIRECT METHOD OF
CONTOURING
50
48
B.M.
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30. Procedure:
• To start with, a temporary B.M is established near the area to be
surveyed with reference to a permanent B.M by fly levelling.
• The level is then set up in such a position so that the maximum
number of points can be commanded from the instrument station.
• The height of instrument is determined by taking a back sight on the
B.M. and adding it to the R.L. of bench mark.
• The staff reading required to fix points on the various contours is
determined by subtracting the R.L. of each of the contours from the
height of instrument.
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31. • Example:
• If the height of instrument is 82.48m., then the staff readings
required to locate 82, 81 and 80m contours are 0.48, 1.48 and
2.48m respectively. The staff is held on an approximate position of
point and then moved up and down the slope until the desired
reading is obtained. The point is marked with a peg.
• Similarly various other points are marked on each contour. The line
joining all these points give the required contour. It may be noted
that one contour is located at a time. Having fixed the contours
within the range of the instrument, the level is shifted and set up in
a new position.
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32. Procedure (Contd…..)
• The new height of instrument and the required staff readings are
then calculated in a similar manner and the process repeated till all
the contours are located.
• The positions of the contour points are located suitably either
simultaneous with levelling or afterwards.
• A theodolite , a compass or a plane table traversing is usually
adopted for locating these points.
• The points are then plotted on the plan and the contours drawn by
joining the corresponding points by dotted curved lines.
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33. Direct Method By Radial Lines
• This method is suitable for
small areas, where a single
point in the centre can
command the whole area.
Radial lines are laid out from
the common centre by
theodolite or compass and
their positions are fixed up by
horizontal angles and bearings.
RADIAL LINES METHOD
OF CONTOURING
70
65
60
55
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34. Direct Method By Radial Lines (contd.):
• Temporary bench marks are first established at the centre and near
the ends of the radial lines .
• The contour points are then located and marked on these lines and
their positions are determined by measuring their distances along
the radial lines.
• They are then plotted on the plan and the contours drawn by
joining all the corresponding points with the help of a plane table
instrument.
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35. 2. INDIRECT METHOD
• In this method the points located and surveyed are not necessarily
on the contour lines but the spot levels are taken along the series of
lines laid out over the area .
• The spot levels of the several representative points representing
hills, depressions, ridge and valley lines and the changes in the
slope all over the area to be contoured are also observed.
• Their positions are then plotted on the plan and the contours drawn
by interpolation.
• This method of contouring is also known as contouring by spot
levels.
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36. • This method is commonly employed in all kinds of surveys as this is
cheaper, quicker and less tedious as compared to direct method.
There are mainly three method of contouring in indirect method:
• (I) BY SQUARES [SQUARE METHOD]:-
• In this method, the whole area is divided into number of squares,
the side of which may vary from 5m to 30m depending upon the
nature of the ground and the contour interval. The square need not
be of the same size throughout.
• The corners of the squares are pegged out and the reduced levels
of these points are determined with a level.
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37. SQUARE METHOD
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38. (II) By Cross- Sections:
• This method is most suitable for the survey of long narrow strips
such as a road, railway or canal etc.
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39. • (III) By Tacheometric method:
• A techeometer is a transit theodolite having a diaphragm fitted with
two stadia wires, one above and other below the central wire.
• The horizontal distance between the instrument and staff station
may be determined by multiplying the difference of the staff
readings of the upper and lower stadia wires with the stadia
constant of the instrument, which is usually 100.
• Thus the techeometer is used for both the vertical as well as
horizontal measurements.
Stadia Wires at Diaphragm
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40. iii) By Tacheometric method (contd…):
• This method is most suitable in hilly areas as the number of stations
which can be commanded by a techeometer is far more than those
by a level and thus the number of instrument settings are
considerably reduced. A number of radial lines are laid out at a
known angular interval and representative points are marked by
pegs along these radial lines. Their elevations and distances are
then calculated and plotted on the plan and the contour lines are
then interpolated.
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