total station

Archaeological survey using a Leica TPS1100 total station on an Iron Age dwelling in Ytterby, Sweden A typical prism with back target. Used with survey and 3D point monitoring systems to measure changes in elevation and position of a point.

A total station or total station theodolite is an electronic/optical instrument used for surveying and building construction. It is an electronic transit theodolite integrated with electronic distance measurement (EDM) to measure both vertical and horizontal angles and the slope distance from the instrument to a particular point, and an on-board computer to collect data and perform triangulation and position resection and intersection calculations.