CIVE 221

Instructors:
Jeff Girton
Office: N106 SLINK
Office hours: TBA
Email: jgirton2@unl.edu

Teaching Assistants: Alison Kathol, Hamid Bazgirhoob and Halle

Seyller.
Text: Elementary Surveying An Introduction to Geomatics:
Charles D Ghilani and Paul R. Wolf 14 th Edition

CIVE 221
Course objectives:
This course is designed to introduce the basic principles of construction surveying
as it applies to civil engineering and construction projects. Students will be
introduced to the techniques, tools and calculations necessary to do basic
construction layout.
At the end of this course students should be able to:
Understand the requirements of proper vertical control. Operate an optical level
and run and adjust a level line for project control. Keep proper level field notes and
check for errors and misclosure.
Understand common survey units for distance, angles and direction, such as DMS
angles, azimuths and bearings, and stationing. Perform correct unit conversions for
angles, distance, area and volume. They will be able to convert angles and
distances to latitudes and departures, convert latitudes and departures into grid
coordinates, close and adjust a traverse. Calculations for coordinate data to be
converted to areas and volumes will be covered.
Use a total station to complete a control traverse, stake a reference line, set a
slope stake and collect and analyze the data necessary to compute a volume or
area.
Understand reference systems both state plane and Public Land Systems. The
difference between these systems and local control will be explained. They will be
introduced to the National Spatial Reference System and the more common vertical
and horizontal datums.
GPS systems will be introduced and how those systems interacts with NSRS and
state plane coordinate systems and how geoids and ellipsoids effect GPS positional
accuracy will be covered.
They will be required to read common types of plan sheets: geometric control
sheets, alignments, plan and profile and cross sections. Students will be required to
take actual plan sheets and find the necessary data to calculate coordinates to
points on a line or a circular curve find the elevation of a point on a vertical
alignment and compute a slope stake.

CIVE 221
1/9/2017

Introduction

Week 1 lab Pacing

Read Chapter 1-3

1/11/2017

Assigned problems
Introduction to leveling

1/16/2016

MLK no class

1/18/2017

Differential Leveling and

field procedures

Week 2 no lab

Read Chapter 5

1/23/2017

1/25/2017

1/30/2017

Assigned problems
Level notes, reductions
and checks. Profile levels
and introduction to
stationing. Plotting
profiles

Week 3 lab
Pegging levels and
running closed curcit

Homework handout
Extra credit NGS control
Distance measurement.
Units, conversions and
more on station and
offsets
Read
Chapter 6
Angles Introduction to
DMS and computations
with angles
Read Chapter 7
Assigned problems

Week 4 lab
Run profile

CIVE 221
2/1/2017

Azimuths and bearings

2/6/2017

Introduction to total
stations

Week 5 lab
Properly setting up a total
station and care of
instrument
Proper field book entry

2/8/2017

Traversing
Read Chapter 9

2/13/2017

2//15/2017

2/20/2017

Traverse Computations

Week 6 Lab

Homework handout due

Wednesday 2/15/2017

Triangle traverse though

campus control

Introduction to COGO
functions of the total
station Inverse,
resection calculation of a
point with bearing and
distance
Area Computations
Introduction to breaklines
Read Chapter 12
Homework due 2/22/2017

2/22/2017

Volume computations
Average End Areas and
Introduction to TINs
Read Chapter 26

2/27/2017

Review for Midterm

Week 7 Lab
Resection total station
setup
And cogo functions

Week 8 Lab
Area with total station

CIVE 221
3/1/2017

Midterm

CIVE 221
3/6/2017

3/8/2017

3/13/2017

Introduction to state plane

coordinates
Discuss assigned Video
and Quiz
Read Chapter 19 and 20
Introduction to horizontal
curves
Curve Parts
Read Chapter 24

Week 9 Lab

Working horizontal curves

Plan data in class exercise

Week 10 Lab

Homework due 3/15/2017

3/15/2017

Horizontal Curves
Offset and skews

3/20/2017

Spring break

3/22/2017

Spring break

3/27/2017

Introduction to vertical
curves

Staking offsets to a
reference line

Staking curves with toal

station

No Lab

Week 12 lab
Remote elevations with
total station

3/29/2017

In Class exercise on
vertical curves and plan
data
Homework exercise due
4/3/2017

CIVE 221

4/3/2017

Construction surveys
staking pipe and boxes

Week 13 Lab
Setting slope stakes

4/5/2017

4/10/2017

In class exercise on data

take off and computations
Construction surveys
staking
Earthwork grading and
slope stakes.
Construction surveysstaking paving and
superelevations

4/12/2017

Topographic surveying
reading topo maps and
prelim surveys

4/17/2017

Introduction to Public Land

Systems and reading ROW
plans

4/19/2017

Introduction to GPS

4/25/2017

Dead Week
Take Home Final
I will be in classroom
during lecture period to
answer questions
Dead Week
Take Home Final
I will be in classroom
during lecture period to
answer questions

4/26/2017

Week 14 lab
Topo map reading

Week 15 Lab introduction

to GPS

Timed lab finals

CIVE 221

Grades will be based on the following:

Homework
5x20=
100
In Class exercises
4x15=
Quiz
2x20=
40
Midterm=
100
Final=
100
Weekly Lab Participation 13x10= 130
Lab Assignments
10x10= 100
Field Book 2x50=
100
Timed Setup Lab Final 2x40=
50
Total Points=
780
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

=754-780
=728-753
=702-727
=676-701
=650-675
=624-649
=598-623
=572-597
=546-571
=520-545
=494-519
=468-493
less than 468

60

CIVE 221
Homework: There will be 5 graded homework assignments. Homework
assignments will be accepted late up to 5 university working days for a 20%
reduction in value for each day it is late. Neatness and organization count.
Please write in block letters with a hard lead pencil. Please avoid using
cursive writing. Problems will only be accepted if they are written on green
or white ENGINEERING PROBLEMS PAPER If I cant easily read and follow
your work it is wrong. Well organized homework assignments will aid you on
both the midterm and the final. You may bring these materials with you to
take the tests. There will be problems similar to the homework on both
exams. You are required to have a three ring binder in which you will keep
your completed problem sets. No mechanical copies of the text will be
allowed for test notes. If you have trouble with any of the homework or
problems in the text I am available by appointment to help you.
Testing: The exams will be open notes, NOT OPEN BOOKS. You will be
allowed to use the three-ring binder as your open notes. Notes taken in class
and written in the notebook are allowed. The midterm and the final will
consist of problems that we have done in class as well as questions taken
from the assigned reading. Surveying has its own special language and in
order to understand the field it is necessary to understand the terminology. I
will use many of these terms in class and you will be exposed to them in the
reading material. If you have a question about the meaning of a term,
please ask a question. Again neatness and organization count. If it is
difficult for me to follow the work that you have done, then you wont get any
partial credit for the procedure portion of the question. The testing for the
lab finals will be two timed procedures. The first will be a timed set up on
the level. You will be required to be able to set the level up and take an
accurate rod reading in under 3 minutes. The second test will be a timed set
up with the total station. You will be required to finish a setup, be level and
over a point in less than 15 minutes.
Labs: Attendance to lab is important. 54% of your grade in this
class is from the lab. Surveying especially construction layout requires an
understanding of how to use the equipment with the proper procedures. It
also requires an understanding of the limitations of the different types of
survey instruments used for layout and control. Half of your daily lab grade
will be a participation grade. If you are actively trying to help your team then
you will do well. The other portion of the grade is how well your team actually
performs the work. I will repeat that this is a team grade. Being able to work
with a team, including difficult personalities is an important skill necessary in

CIVE 221
construction. Missed labs must be made up by special

arraignment with one of the TAs or me. Missing 3 or more

labs will result in an F for the entire course. The field book
grade is based on neatness, organization, and content. Data shall be gathered
during each lab session. Field notes will be kept in your field book. Field notes will be kept
during lab exercises. Each member of your crew will verify the field information in his own book,
which will be graded during the Midterm Exam and the Final Exam. Sample field notes are shown
in the Lab manual, which is available in the bookstore. No erasures are permitted in the field
books. HB or harder lead is required in field books. Your grade on your field notes will include a
score for neatly and precisely drawn lettering.
Calculators: we will work with angles a great deal during the semester. We will be converting
angles from decimal degrees to degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS). I expect you to know where
the function keys are on your chosen calculator in order to make these conversions. Know how to
tell what angular mode the calculator is operating in so that you do not inadvertently provide an
answer in radians or gons. We will be calculating trig functions in class and on the exams. Most
calculators will not do trig with DMS angles. We will also be working with a variety of units for
distance and volume. Most engineering calculators will do these conversions for you. Know
where the conversion functions are located.

Extra Credit:

There is one extra credit exercise planned for the entire

class. It will be worth 20 points. It will consist of you finding and
documenting NGS control points in the Lincoln area. There is now a
computer lab available for student use in conjunction with this course. Extra
credit assignments will be available to anyone who wants to put in the time
and effort to do a special project. These projects will require my prior
approval and depending on the degree of difficulty could be worth as much
as 100 points.
Incompletes will not be given in the class except under extraordinary
circumstances. Incompletes must be arranged or on before date of the final
exam. November 11th at 5:00 p.m. is the last day to drop the class without
penalty. If an incomplete is granted, the student must attend all remaining
class sessions and labs to complete the course before the end of the next
semester. Failure to complete the course will result in a grade of F being
sent to the registrar.
Please place your cells in airplane mode or silent only mode. Please do not
take or make calls or texts while in class. I consider the use of phones in
class to be extremely rude.

CIVE 221
There may be times when the weather will not permit field work. Examples
are when it is raining or snowing, it is difficult to read the instruments
through the rain or the snow. In these cases we will attempt to move the
labs indoors. If we have a prolonged winter we may cancel some of the labs
and do some alternative activities such as watching instructional video. If
you do not get your field work completed during regular lab hours, it is your
responsibility to complete it on your own time. Consider carefully the
logistical problems you will encounter if you attempt to do a lab outside of
the scheduled time. The labs are a team exercise. You cannot work alone.
You will require lab partners and access to the equipment. Access to the
equipment requires that a TA or I be present. I will not require the Teaching
Assistants to work outside of their assigned schedule. Working outside the
schedule will be on a volunteer basis only. Protect the surveying
equipment at all times. The instruments are delicate and expensive
to repair or replace.
The University publishes a Student Handbook which is available upon request
from the Registrar's Office. This book spells out a student's rights as well as
the procedures that will be followed by instructors when a student is found to
have substituted another's work as his/her own, or is caught in the act of
obtaining information from another student during an exam. It is important
that each student obtain this handbook and read it, because these rules will
be enforced in this class.
You are requested to wear long pants, a protective shirt and field boots. You
may be required to kneel on the ground and to climb through wet grass and
bushes. Jeans and long sleeve shirts will offer you the most protection. In
cold weather you should pay particular attention to protecting your hands,
feet and head. Nothing is colder than standing in one place behind an
instrument in the cold. When the weather warms you should bring your own
insect repellent. We will be working outside, and Antelope Creek is a
breeding ground for insects that will rise up to greet you when you begin
your field problem.