To draw a map or plan from field notes by laying out distances and angles using a scale and a protractor. It is the manual drafting process of translating the bearings and chainages recorded in the field book into a scaled visual representation of the surveyed boundaries.
Heard on the job
After dinner, I need to protract the day's traverse to see if we closed properly.
Related terms
Traverse table
A printed reference book used to look up the latitude and departure of a survey line based on its bearing and distance.
Close
To complete a traverse and return to the starting point or another known control point with acceptable accuracy.
Misclosure
The geometric discrepancy that occurs when a traverse or level loop fails to close perfectly on its starting point.