Traverse Survey Calculator

Traverse coordinates

Enter each horizontal leg length and its azimuth clockwise from north. The sine component is added to easting and the cosine component to northing. Legs are processed in survey order and the unadjusted coordinates of every station are displayed.

Misclosure check

Subtract the known target coordinates from the calculated endpoint. The magnitude of the two residual components is the linear misclosure. For example, legs of 3 m east and 4 m north leave a 5 m displacement from the start. In a closed traverse the target is the starting point. The calculator does not derive azimuths from angles, distribute residuals or certify survey accuracy. Reduce all azimuths and distances to the same coordinate plane before use.

Specify start and target explicitly

Start at example east coordinate 100 m and north coordinate 200 m. A first leg of 6 m at azimuth 90° gives east 106 m and north 200 m. A second leg of 8 m at azimuth 0° gives final coordinates east 106 m and north 208 m. Total traversed length is 14 m. If the known target has those final coordinates, closure is zero. If the start is used as target, the discrepancy is √(6² + 8²) = 10 m.

These two closure values evaluate the same traverse against different targets. For an open traverse, retaining the start as target gives distance from the start rather than a genuine measurement closure. Enter target coordinates from the survey plan.

Each row contains length followed by azimuth. Do not enter an internal angle or a direction measured from south as azimuth. Preserve the east and north coordinate order. A small closure does not establish correct measurement of every leg, since errors can cancel. Coordinates are unadjusted, so do not assume the discrepancy has been distributed across the points. Network assessment and adjustment methods are outside this calculation.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate coordinates in traverse surveying?

For example, resolving each leg into sine and cosine components gives easting 3 m and northing 4 m after 3 m at azimuth 90 degrees followed by 4 m at 0 degrees. With zero start and target coordinates, misclosure is 5 m, and this preliminary clockwise from north calculation neither adjusts observations nor certifies survey accuracy.