A surveying technique used to find the exact coordinates of an occupied station by taking angular and sometimes distance measurements to two or more known reference points. Instead of setting up over a known point, the surveyor places the instrument in a convenient location and calculates their position backward from the visible control network.
We couldn't set up on the hub due to traffic, so I did a resection off three building corners.
A strong resection requires good geometry; intersecting angles too close to 0 or 180 degrees will yield a poor position solution.
Also heard as
- free stationing
Related terms
Occupy
To set up a surveying instrument precisely over a known control point.
Triangulateration
A surveying method that combines the measurement of both angles and distances to determine point coordinates.
Ground control point
A physical target on the ground with precise known coordinates used to scale aerial surveys.