Choice Review

Bird's short monograph provides a concentrated treatment of measurement, computation, and adjustment of EDM traverses. The term "EDM traverse" refers to a traverse (a line surveyed across a plot of ground) in which the distance measurements are made using an electronic distance measurement (EDM) device and the angles are measured with a transit or theodolite. Four different methods of traverse adjustment are covered: the method of equal shifts, the Bowditch method, the method of conditions by least squares, and the method of variation of coordinates. For each traverse adjustment method covered, the theory, adjustment procedure, and a numerical example are presented. Chapters on EDM calibration and trigonometric leveling are also included. A bibliography, an additional reading list, and two appendixes are provided. Because Bird is a senior lecturer in surveying at a British university, the book's terminology reflects British surveying practice. Recommended for college and university libraries serving undergraduate and graduate civil engineering and surveying programs. -D. B. Stafford, Clemson University