Which of the following is NOT a traversing survey?

🧭 Understanding Traversing

A traverse is a series of connected survey lines that form a framework. The process of establishing the lengths and directions of these lines in the field is called traversing. This framework is the primary control network for the survey. The key is that a traversing method establishes this framework of lines, typically by measuring both lengths and angles (or directions).

🔬 Detailed Analysis of Surveying Methods

• Chain and Compass Survey: This is a classic traversing method. The lengths of the survey lines are measured with a chain or tape, and their directions (bearings) are measured with a compass.
• Chain Survey (Chain Traverse): In a pure chain survey, the framework is built using triangles. However, a "chain traverse" can also be established where the directions of the lines are fixed by taking ties (linear measurements) to nearby features, creating a framework of connected lines.
• Plane Table Survey: In this method, the traverse is plotted directly in the field on a drawing board. The directions of the lines are established graphically, and the lengths are measured and scaled onto the map as the work progresses. This is a graphical method of traversing.
• Tacheometer Survey: This is a method of optical distance measurement (ODM). A tacheometer is an instrument used to quickly determine the horizontal distance to a point and its elevation. While a tacheometer can be used to measure the lengths of the lines *within* a traverse, tacheometry itself is a measurement technique, not a method for establishing the fundamental framework of a traverse. Therefore, it is not considered a traversing survey method in the same class as the others.