Triangulation station
fixed surveying station used in geodetic surveying
A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity.
The station is usually set up by a mapping organisation with known coordinates and elevation published. Numerous stations are installed on summits for purposes of visibility and prominence. A graven metal plate on the top of a pillar may provide a mounting point for a theodolite or reflector, often using some form of kinematic coupling to ensure reproducible positioning.
Use
Trigonometrical stations form networks of triangulation. Positions of land boundaries, roads, railways, bridges and other infrastructure can be accurately located by the network, a task essential to the construction of modern infrastructure. Apart from the known stations set up by government, some temporary trigonometrical stations are set up near construction sites for monitoring the precision and progress of construction.
Some trigonometrical stations use the Global Positioning System for convenience. Its accuracy factors in ionospheric and tropospheric propagation delay errors.
Although stations are no longer required for many modern surveying purposes, they remain useful to hikers and even aviators as navigational aids.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Triangulation station” as fixed surveying station used in geodetic surveying. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as fixed surveying station used in geodetic surveying. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q131862. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Triangulation station”, its source revision and the description used here.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Triangulation station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.