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Backsighting

Definition

The process of orienting a total station by pointing it at a known reference point (backsight) after setting it over the instrument station. It establishes the angular reference frame so that all measurements are consistent.

Related terms

Datum peg
A fixed ground marker with precisely recorded coordinates that serves as the origin point for a site grid. All spatial measurements on...
Resection
A method of determining the instrument station's own coordinates by measuring angles and distances to two or more points of known position....
RTK-GPS
Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System: a satellite-positioning technique where a static base station transmits correction data to a roving receiver in real...
Site grid
A rectangular coordinate system established across a site, usually with the origin at a datum peg and axes aligned to magnetic north...
Total station
An electronic instrument that simultaneously measures horizontal and vertical angles and distance to a reflective prism, computing three-dimensional coordinates directly. Typical angular...

Explained in

  • Total-Station and GPS SurveyThe process of orienting a total station by pointing it at a known reference point (backsight) after setting it over the instrument station. It establishes the...

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