The  purpose  of  a  TOPOGRAPHIC  SURVEYis  to  gather survey  data  about  the  natural  and man-made  features  of  the land,  as  well  as  itselevations.  From  this  information  a  three-dimensional  map  may  be  prepared.  You  may prepare  the topographic  map  in  the  office  after collecting the field data or prepare it right away in  the  field  by  plane  table.  The  work usually consists  of  the  following:

1.  Establishing  horizontal  and  vertical  controlthat  will  serve  as  the  framework  of  the  survey

2.   Determining   enough   horizontal   location and  elevation (usually  called  side  shots)  of  ground points to provide enough data for plotting when the map is prepared

3.  Locating  natural  and  man-made  features that may be required by the purpose of the survey

4.   Computing   distances,   angles,   and elevations

5.  Drawing  the  topographic  map Topographic surveys are commonly identified with  horizontal  and/or  vertical  control  of third- and  lower-order  accuracies .
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Topographical Survey:
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