Calibration of surveying instruments and tools – means to the quality increase of deformation measurements

Purpose
This paper describes selected control and calibration procedures of some surveying instruments and tools (digital levels and code bar levelling staffs, total stations and electronic tacheometers, and reflective systems).
Methods
The calibration of horizontal circles of optical and electronic theodolites can be carried out under laboratory conditions, e.g. on an automated device for the calibration of optical polygons EZB-3 in the Slovak Institute of Metrology in Bratislava (SIM).
Results
The results of testing the influence of lighting when working with a digital levelling instrument are presented. Furthermore, the procedure and results of the calibration of horizontal circles of surveying instruments on a calibration device (Slovak Institute of Metrology in Bratislava) are described in this paper.
Practical implications
The result of such calibration is a set of horizontal scale corrective values for particular nominal values of the scale, determined using a series of measurements, and eventually the provision of the parameters of approximating function.
Originality/ value
The use of a laser interferometer (laser measurement system XL 10 f. RENISHAW) for the calibration of the code leveling rod, respectively of the system calibration (digital leveling device – code late) prepared by the Department of Geodesy, SUT Bratislava with the help of European projects, will then be implemented in a unique facility in the Slovak Republic.