Modeling and Analysis of Precise Orientation Determination using Theodolite Intersection Method

Abstract

The theodolite intersection method is a traditional approach in the field of geodetic survey for coordinate measurements. The approach can also be employed as a non-contact technique for industrial dimensional and orientation measurements. In this work, the utilization of double theodolite intersection technique for precise orientation determination was investigated. The technique was mathematically modelled in order to account for errors caused by realistic imperfections of the instruments. The model was developed based on geometric interpretation of covariance-matrix and was simplified by separating the horizontal and vertical computations in order to predict the standard deviations of orientation determinations. The performance of the developed model was evaluated using linearization and Monte Carlo simulation techniques. The evaluation results showed good predictions of standard deviation in the horizontal orientation (azimuth); however, the standard deviation predictions in vertical orientation (elevation) cases were not good due to the separation in horizontal and vertical computations.