Structural and Terrain Movements

This paper is to be Chapter 17 of the proposed Manual on Engineering Surveys now being prepared by the Committee on Engineering Surveying of the Surveying and Mapping Division. It is essentially an outline of survey procedures that are specifically applicable to the problem of measuring terrain movements and structural deformations. The scope is limited to the determination of absolute movement by precise survey methods. Emphasis is placed on designing a movement study so that propagated errors in position and elevation remain smaller than the minimum expected movement. Error propagation equations for some of the survey and computational methods used in movement studies and a comprehensive list of pertinent references are appended.