Precise height determination using leap-frog trigonometric leveling

Precise leveling has been used for the determination of accurate heights for many years. The application of this technique is difficult, time consuming, and expensive, especially in rough terrain. These difficulties have forced researchers to examine alternative methods of height determination. As a result of modern high-tech instrument developments, research has again been focused on precision trigonometric leveling. In this study, a leap-frog trigonometric leveling (LFTL) is applied with different sight distances on a sample test network at the Selcuk University Campus in Konya, Turkey, in order to determine the optimum sight distances. The results were compared with precise geometric leveling in terms of precision, cost, and feasibility. Leap-frog trigonometric leveling for the sight distance S=150 m resulted in a standard deviation of +/- 1.87 mm/ root km and with a production speed of 5.6 km/day.