The DIN 18723 STANDARD and its application in the Certification of Total Stations,

Theodolites and Levels

Engineer A. Márquez ---- BSEE Columbia University, New York - MSEE UCV Caracas
MECINCA-Caraca. General Manager.

Summary Introduction
Most relevant companies and important projects are ISO ISO 9001/9002 has created the need for a standard
9000/02 certified and to go along with the standard is control that guarantees the reliability of the aforementioned
necessary to track their measuring quality, to show the audit regulations in all applications and products that
authorities that the instruments they are using on the project they wrap, for which the control supervisors of
are the appropriate. On surveying and construction matters, quality requires the Calibration certificate of the equipment
those instruments usually consist of measuring tapes, of measurement associated with projects and/or in the lines
theodolites, levels, Electronic Total Stations, EDMs and their of production.
ancillary equipment.
The standard that defines the routines to calibrate surveying The companies that perform angular observations and or
instruments are the DIN 18723 and its equivalent distance measurements in civil engineering works,
ISO12857, they establish the procedures to check the Naval, Oil, in Industrial Assemblies, or in simple
instruments and the measures to calculate their accuracy topographic surveys for future projects, must
and precision. The fact that those procedures are tedious present Calibration Certificates of the instruments
and long time consuming, there are established on the same used at work, which generally consist of
Standard some easier ways to confirm the instrumental Total Stations, GPS equipment, measuring tapes and others
accuracy from time to time, or just to confirm it, after auxiliary measuring instruments.
instrument repairing or
preventive In these notes we will present an existing regulation, the
maintenance. DIN 18723, for the certification of equipment for
In MECINCA angular measurements according to its quality, and the shape
we use optical as we implement it in MECINCA, for after
colimators as field repair or perform maintenance on equipment, or
targets, making simply, regularly certify the benefits of
easier the angular the same. The use of Collimators will be presented, as
observations without auxiliary reading points with the teams, and a system
external systematic or formed by a set of four units, whose axes
random errors. Our they converge at a single geometric center. The...
array of four optical confidence intervals obtained, versus number of
colimators allows us measurements, with the C language program that is attached
to make observations besides other research results.
on both the horizontal
and vertical planes. Purpose
In this work we take We intend to bring to the attention of the regulatory authorities
measures on the way quality of the preparation of the Certificates of
that DIN 18723 Calibration of Levels, Theodolites, and Total Stations
recommends in full, and topographic, depends almost exclusively on the process of
also we apply some observation and statistical counting of measurements and results,
constraints to shorten the measure routines. We compare instead of the absolute comparison of the
both systems, taking their confidence intervals, and we observations with a determined angular pattern. That if
make conclusions. Finally we show the main optical, Well, there are angular pattern blocks, they only...
mechanics, and electronics checks out and the adjustments they could verify a particular measurement relatively,
that we usually make to the Total Stations and the way we and not the overall performance of the instrument, which is what
calculate their accuracy parameters. it is calculated and verified with the regulations. We compare in
analytical form the results of a complete measurement to
four points for DIN 18723, against a reduced version
and simplified from it, to conclude that the results
they are very similar, adopting the latter as the The operator must measure at four points that cover
calibration procedure in our company. intervals of 90 degrees the entire circumference of our
Finally, the routine model is shown that in horizon, the points should be clearly visible by the
We use MECINCA methodologically to carry out operator, and he will perform four series, forward and reverse, to
corrective maintenance and Certify the Stations the four sighting scopes installed on the points.
Topographical totals and the theodolites that we received there. Each series will cover the readings of 0, 45, 90, and 135 degrees.
that guarantees complete control of the eccentricity that
Precedents of the REGULATIONS could exist on the axes of the reading circles or
any mechanical anomaly. Next, we move on to the
The DIN 18723 standard arose from the need for reduction of the data, which we will see later with
to reliably evaluate the real accuracies in the detail, whose process will ultimately show us the accuracy
new electronic equipment, above all, through the high of the instrument in units of arc seconds.
resolution that they themselves offered, sometimes in tenths of
second, that confuse the user, about the true
precision of the instrument. Precisely during the period of
transition in which traditional optical theodolites
they finalize their production and the electronic devices appear
these confusions occur, and the need arises for
standard. Currently, the standardization of the
optical instruments are governed by the ISO/TC172 committee
Optics and Optical Instruments with seven committees of the
what concerns us is the SC 6 'Instruments'
Geodesics and Topography,” among whose members
include the USA, Japan, Sweden, Germany, and other countries that
they are producers of these types of equipment. Among the
standards published by Subcommittee SC6 include the
next:
ISO 9849 Terminology and Vocabulary.
ISO 12858-1 Accessories for geodetic instruments
ISO 12858-2 Tripods and other accessories
ISO 12857 Field procedures for determination
of accuracy in:
Part 1: Levels
Part 2: Theodolites
Part 3: Distancemeters
This is really the equivalent of DIN 18723, with its
corresponding reviews and improvements.
We observe that DIN18723 is quite severe because
The DIN 18723 Regulation (ISO 12857) how many do we need four instruments taken at random from
When a Total Station or Theodolite specifies that the production line to ensure the same, which does not
according to DIN18723 it is 2" (two seconds) implies that It is the case of an instrument that we want to test, afterwards
a single measurement taken on the right and reverse sides for example, to perform maintenance on it, but its
from the same, it can differ by a maximum error of two ISO 12857 equivalent, establishes similar procedures.
seconds, without detriment to the fact that the instrument to carry out a single instrument, and the uncertainty
it can have a very low resolution or reading the instrumental obtained is very similar to that calculated by the
below this value. manufacturer with the complete method DIN 18723.

To ensure reliability of the regulations, the Optical Collimators

manufacturers must submit their
equipment for testing The DIN18723 and ISO 12857 regulations state:
recognized that evaluate compliance with the standard in Install Four Target Cards, to one
in all cases, and under any working circumstances. approximate distance between 50 to 100 meters and that the
The DIN 18723 stipulates that four must be taken observations made towards them are not disturbed
random instruments from the production line, and they must in any way, by refraction or by any other means
test, by four different operators, four days external condition..........
different, and in four different places. The
measurement must be carried out as follows:
 The DIN 18723 (ISO1257) in MECINCA

What is really sought is to eliminate any error that

does not originate from the instrument in test, which is why using
the SOKKIA technology, in MECINCA we have available
four COLLIMATORS that serve as a target, and of
artificial horizon, to make the observations
necessary to verify that the instruments comply
with the regulations.

For the certification of topographic instruments, it is done

necessary to take enough measurements that allow us to
establish that the precision and accuracy to be displayed in the
field measurements should be at least the same or better
than those specified in the document that accredits them. For
Hello, measurements are made that cover extensively and
they exceed the conditions that the instrument will have
during its normal work operation.
A collimator is a telescope with a reticle similar to that of
a bubble leveling device, which has very good optics Our test data from the experiment consists of a
simple, with low geometric distortion and high quality. set of four series taken at four points
We look at the Target from our instrument. different. The series were taken in direct and inverse form,
We have installed a collimator and in front of the eyepiece of it in the portions of 0, 45, 90, and 135 degrees of the circle
a lighting system that allows us to see the threads of the horizontal. Below is the sequence of reports that the
reticle as if we were looking at a point located in calculation program, written in C language presents us in
the infinite. If we mount the Collimator on a column screen to conclude with DIN 18723 precision of
solid will serve as a reference as if it were a little mirror of instrument
polygonometry located about 100 meters away. As a first step, the data is normalized to zero in the
We also have another collimator with reticles. first observation, meaning we extract the values from the
multiple, which allow us to exercise our theodolite or first column to the rest of the data columns. A
station as if we were focusing and reading the the two observations are averaged, the
angular reading to a target located at 2, 5, 7, 9, 15, 30 or made with the telescope directly and the one made
100 meters apart, without being disturbed by the in reverse form. Averages are taken per point,
lighting, refraction to any external inducing agent they compare with the averaged data from both sides and
of errors. With this multi-reticle collimator, they extract the waste which is adjusted and the ...
we detected errors due to eccentricity in the system of average and the standard deviation of the same that
team approach in testing. finally represents the DIN 18723 accuracy of the
measurements. See details in the attached program.
 Experiment with COLON
Experiment with FOUR POINTS
We repeat the same procedures and routines but in
Original taken series: instead of using four points in the measurement, we do it
Point 1 point 2point 3 point 4
with colons. For this we only use columns 1 and
2 from the original data, corresponding to measurements
0.0011 179.5957 269.2905 345.0546 made at 0 and 180 degrees, and we also combined the
180.0014 0.0003 89.2910 165.0544 Data from the second and third column, as well as the
second and fourth to finish with the first and fourth
45.2252 225.2245 314.5145 30.2825 column. We show the experiment with the first and
225.2256 45.2245 134.5150 210.2829 second column that corresponds to the way they are
90.4540 270.4537 0.1437 75.5121
collimators installed in our laboratories, to zero
270.4544 90.4534 180.1446 255.5127 and 180 degrees.

135.5742 315.5731 45.2636 121.0321 Original data from the measurement:

315.5742 135.5733 225.2643 301.0323
Point 1 point 2
Data Report with REDUCTION from POINT 1 to zero
0.0011 179.5957
0.0000 179.5946 269.2857 345.0532 180.0014 0.0003
0.0000 179.5949 269.2856 345.0528
45.2252 225.2245
0.0000 179.5953 269.2853 345.0535 225.2256 45.2245
0.0000 179.5949 269.2854 345.0533
90.4540 270.4537
0.0000 179.5957 269.2857 345.0541 270.4544 90.4534
0.0000 179.5950 2692902 345.0538
135.5742 315.5731
0.0000 179.5949 2692854 345.0540 135.5743 135.5733
0.0000 179.5951 2692901 345.0540
Reduction of POINT 1 to zero

Report of Data with AVERAGED TWO SIDES 0.0000 179.5946

0.0000 179.5949
0.0000 179.5947 269.2856 345.0530
0.0000 179.5951 269.2853 345.0534 0.0000 179.5953
0.0000 179.5953 269.2859 345.0539 0.0000 179.5949
0.0000 179.5850 269.2858 345.0540
0.0000 179.5957
Angular averages by point: 0.0000 179.5950

0.0000 179.5950 269.2857 345.0536 0.0000 179.5949

0.0000 179.5951
Waste report Sum of Residues
Average of Direct-Inverse measurements
0.0000 -0.0003 0.0000 -0.0006 -0.0009
0.0000 0.0001 -0.0003 -0.0002 0.0005 0.0000 179.5947
0.0000 0.0003 0.0003 0.0004 0.0009 0.0000 179.5951
0.0000 0.0000 0.0001 0.0004 0.0004 0.0000 179.5953
0.0000 179.5850
Adjusted Waste
Average per point
0.0002 -0.0001 0.0002 -0.0004
0.0001 0.0002 -0.0002 -0.0001 0.0000 179.5950
-0.0002 0.0001 0.0000 0.0001
-0.0001 -0.0002 0.0000 0.0003 Waste Sum of Residues

The instrument's precision is 2.12 seconds 0.0000 -0.0003 -0.0003

0.0000 0.00005 0.00005
0.0000 0.000298 0.000298
0.0000 0.000049 0.000049
Adjusted Waste repair or after the corresponding tasks
included in routine maintenance.
0.00015 -0.00015
-0.000025 0.000025 References:
-0.000149 0.000149
0.000024 -0.000024
DIN 18723 "Field Procedures" 1990. DIN
The DIN 18723 standard is 1.93 seconds German office.
----------------
We exclude partial results: Knowles, David R. “Wild T16 vs. T1: A statistical
With the combination of column 1 and 4 (0 and 345 degrees) Comparison of Precision. Proceedings of the March 1980
The DIN 18723 standard is 1.91 seconds. ACSM Annual Convention.
----------------
With the combination of column 2 and 3 Marquez A. 'The Precision of Theodolites According to Regulations'
The DIN 18723 standard is 1.98 seconds DIN 18723” II Venezuelan Congress of Geodesy 1989

We observe that if we round to the second, which is the M.J. Cunningham "Measurement Errors and Instrument"
minimum unit or typical instrumental resolution of these Inaccuracies, J Phys. E. Sciences Instruments. Vol 14,
devices, the complete DIN experiment that resulted in 2.12 1981
I would round to 2 seconds, just like 1.93 and 1.91.
they would also round to 2 seconds. Paiva, J.V.R. “ Evaluating the accuracy of Electronic
Similar results we see with the rest of the Theodolites. ACSM Fall convention 1985
column combinations, made with two
collimators, through the aforementioned procedures ISO 12857 (2001) Optics and Optical Instruments. Field
exposed, which prove to be very similar to those extracted procedures for determining accuracy.
for DIN 18723 in its complete form. The analysis of
confidence interval for the standard deviation of the ISO / DIS 17123 (2001) Optics and Optical Instruments.
sample with 15 and 7 degrees of freedom differ only Field procedures for testing geodetic and surveying
slightly, and we can establish that the deviation instruments.
standard obtained by this method is within the range of
precision indicated by the manufacturing company. ISO 8322 (2001) Building Construction. Measuring
Instruments. Procedures for determining accuracy in use.
In the experiment, only reading data was taken from
horizontal circle, and the measurements of the were overlooked.
vertical, but it can be computed in a similar way
vertical precision, in which there is special interest to
practice in the accuracy and precision of the compensators
electronics installed in that system.
We must also mention that by analyzing the waste,
we can discover anomalies motivated generally by
mechanical wear or misalignment of eccentricity of the
circles and other instrumental trends, which are a reason
of research to be presented on another occasion.

conclusions

The accuracy of a Theodolite or Total Station can be

determined in the laboratory through readings to
Collimators applying the exposed method, and the precision
thus estimated, it is quite representative and consonant with the
established by the complete DIN 18723 method in
the specifications provided by the manufacturer, therefore
our method is applicable to periodic assessments of the
precision of surveying equipment, or to check the
same after making adjustments following a