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Concept
Position resection and intersection
Summary
Position resection and intersection are methods for determining an unknown geographic position (position finding) by measuring angles with respect to known positions.
In resection, the one point with unknown coordinates is occupied and sightings are taken to the known points;
in intersection, the two points with known coordinates are occupied and sightings are taken to the unknown point.
Measurements can be made with a compass and topographic map (or nautical chart), theodolite or with a total station using known points of a geodetic network or landmarks of a map.
Resection and its related method, intersection, are used in surveying as well as in general land navigation (including inshore marine navigation using shore-based landmarks). Both methods involve taking azimuths or bearings to two or more objects, then drawing lines of position along those recorded bearings or azimuths.
When intersecting, lines of position are used to fix the position of an unmapped feature or point by fixing its position relative to two (or more) mapped or known points, the method is known as intersection. At each known point (hill, lighthouse, etc.), the navigator measures the bearing to the same unmapped target, drawing a line on the map from each known position to the target. The target is located where the lines intersect on the map. In earlier times, the intersection method was used by forest agencies and others using specialized alidades to plot the (unknown) location of an observed forest fire from two or more mapped (known) locations, such as forest fire observer towers.
The reverse of the intersection technique is appropriately termed resection. Resection simply reverses the intersection process by using crossed back bearings, where the navigator's position is the unknown. Two or more bearings to mapped, known points are taken; their resultant lines of position drawn from those points to where they intersect will reveal the navigator's location.
When resecting or fixing a position, the geometric strength (angular disparity) of the mapped points affects the precision and accuracy of the outcome.
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