Plan Plotting And
    Contouring
 Requirements For Plan
    Production
 Scales
 Layout
 Plotting Methods
 Plotting Contours

Plotting Methods - Radiations or Coordinates?

There are two methods generally available for plotting survey data on plans, one using radiations and the other using cartesian coordinates. The preferred method is that of coordinates, each point is located on the plan independently of the location of the point or points preceding.

Most Surveyors these days use computers to reduce field observations onto a ground coordinate system, especially as many new survey instruments are capable of providing digital data for electronic storage in the field. As discussed in the notes on coordinates, the use of a rectangular coordinate system reduces the propagation of errors and unifies surveys, so as coordinates are used in the calculations they are also used in the plotting.