COGO: traverse, inverse, intersections and adjustment
Coordinate geometry with answers you can check, and a least-squares adjustment that reports every residual.
5 min read
The calculators
| Tool | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Inverse | Bearing and distance between two points |
| Traverse | A run of courses from a start point, with closure |
| Point by bearing | A new point at a typed distance and azimuth or quadrant bearing |
| Intersections | Bearing-bearing, bearing-distance, distance-distance |
Every result can be stored as a point in the project, so a computed corner becomes part of the survey rather than a number on a scrap of paper.
Least-squares adjustment
- Enter the network: observations, fixed points, and the standard errors you actually believe.
- Adjust.
- Read the report: the reference variance, the residual on every observation, and the adjusted coordinates.
- Store the adjusted coordinates if you accept them.
An unsolvable network is refused
If the geometry cannot support an adjustment, Backsight says so and names the reason rather than returning numbers that look like an answer.
Read next
- Editing points, one or a thousandChange a description, an elevation or how a point looks, for one point or every point you have selected.
- Drawing: tools, the command line and snapsHow to draw, how to be quick about it, and how to make things land exactly where you mean.
- Choosing a coordinate systemThe one decision everything else rests on, and how to be sure you have it right.
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