ISO 7078:2020

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 7078
Second edition
2020-04
Buildings and civil engineering
works — Procedures for setting
out, measurement and surveying —
Vocabulary
Construction immobilière — Procédés pour l'implantation, le
mesurage et la topométrie — Vocabulaire
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
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ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 General terms . 1
3.2 Quality of measurement . 6
3.3 Scales .10
3.4 Measuring tools .12
3.5 Measuring instruments and their parts .15
3.6 Methods of measuring .19
Bibliography .29
INDEX .30
Foreword
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iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 59, Buildings and civil engineering works,
Subcommittee SC 2, Terminology and harmonization of languages.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 7078:1985), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— removal of diagrams describing traditional practices and statistical methods;
— renumbering of all entries;
— terms previously discussed in groups now separated and presented as individual entries.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document has been revised to be compatible with the series of vocabularies being produced by
TC 59/SC 2 spanning across several domains within the construction sector. With the growth in the
number of international construction projects and the development of the international market for
construction products, there is an increasing need for an agreement on a common language across
disciplines.
The practical realization of dimensional accuracy in relation to buildings and civil engineering
works involves not only land surveyors and measuring technicians but also professionals engaged
in the different stages of the construction process. Further, the widespread use of optical measuring
instruments and associated electro-optical techniques, many of which make provision for automatic
communication of information, makes smooth communication between different professions
necessary. In order to promote such a communication agreement on terms and concepts used in setting
out, measurement and surveying is necessary. The purpose of this document is, therefore, to provide
a consistent language for use by the various professions involved in measurement in the construction
industry.
International preferred terms are listed in boldface type. Where a preferred term is specific to a
particular English-speaking country, e.g. the United States of America, etc., it is given below the
international preferred term and is annotated with the relevant country code. Where no preferred
terms are listed indicating usage in a specific geographical location, this signifies that the international
preferred term is the accepted term in the English-speaking countries. A term beneath the preferred
term not given in boldface type is an admitted (non-preferred) synonym. A country code is assigned to
an admitted term if it is specific to a particular English-speaking country.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 7078:2020(E)
Buildings and civil engineering works — Procedures for
setting out, measurement and surveying — Vocabulary
1 Scope
This document defines terms that are commonly used in procedures for setting out, measurement and
surveying in buildings and civil engineering works.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
NOTE ISO 6707-1 defines general terms for buildings and civil engineering works.
3.1 General terms
3.1.1
measurement
operation that has the object of determining the value of a quantity
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-1:2017, 3.5.1.22, modified — Note 1 to entry has been omitted.]
3.1.2
setting out
layout, US
laying out, US
establishment of marks and lines to define the position and level of the elements for the construction
work so that work can proceed with reference to them
[SOURCE: ISO 6707-2:2017, 3.3.13]
3.1.3
metrology
science of measurement (3.1.1) and its application
Note 1 to entry: Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement, whatever the
measurement uncertainty and field of application.
[SOURCE: ISO Guide 99:2007, 2.2]
3.1.4
geodesy
science of measurement (3.1.1) on or in the vicinity of the ground to determine form, dimensions and
the distribution of mass and fields of gravity on the earth or parts of it
Note 1 to entry: Surveying is the science of measurements necessary to determine the locations of points
(features) on or beneath the surface of the earth.
Note 2 to entry: Where measurements cover such a large part of the earth’s surface that the curvature cannot be
ignored, then the operations are termed geodetic surveying or measuring.
3.1.5
photogrammetry
technique of measurement (3.1.1) using photographs, for example aerial photographs, to determine,
primarily, geometric properties such as size, location and form of objects
Note 1 to entry: Photogrammetric measurement is often used for mapping, but also has some engineering
applications.
3.1.6
measurand
quantity intended to be measured
Note 1 to entry: The measurand including the measuring system (3.1.19) and the conditions under which the
measurement (3.1.1) is carried out, might change the phenomenon, body, or substance such that the quantity
being measured may differ from the measurand as defined. In this case, adequate correction (3.2.15) is necessary.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC Guide 99:2007, 2.3, modified — EXAMPLEs and NOTEs 2 to 4 have been omitted.]
3.1.7
measuring instrument
device used for making measurements (3.1.1) or for levelling (3.6.4)
Note 1 to entry: Measuring instruments are sometimes used in conjunction with one or more supplementary
devices.
3.1.8
measuring equipment
measuring instrument (3.1.7), material measure, software, measurement standard (3.1.14), reference
material, ancillary equipment (3.1.9) or auxiliary equipment (3.1.10) used in a measurement (3.1.1)
Note 1 to entry: The definition is necessarily wider than that of measuring instrument since it includes all the
devices used in a measurement.
[SOURCE: ISO 14978:2018, 3.5.1, modified — In the definition, “indicating” has been omitted from
beginning, and “ancillary equipment” has been inserted before “auxiliary equipment”; Note 2 to entry
has been omitted.]
3.1.9
ancillary equipment
equipment additional to the actual measuring instrument (3.1.7) used when carrying out
measurements (3.1.1)
EXAMPLE Pegs, sighting targets (3.6.67) and chalk marking lines.
3.1.10
auxiliary equipment
equipment that gives aid or support to a measuring instrument (3.1.7)
EXAMPLE Tripod.
3.1.11
measuring tool
simple measuring device
EXAMPLE Folding rule (3.4.5), measuring tape (3.4.1), square (3.4.12).
2 © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

3.1.12
indication
quantity value provided by a measuring instrument (3.1.7) or a measuring system (3.1.19)
Note 1 to entry: An indication may be presented in visual or acoustic form or may be transferred to another
device. An indication is often given by the position of a pointer on the display for analogue outputs, a displayed
or printed number for digital outputs, a code pattern for code outputs, or an assigned quantity value for material
measures.
Note 2 to entry: An indication and a corresponding value of the quantity being measured are not necessarily
values of quantities of the same kind.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC Guide 99:2007, 4.1]
3.1.13
measurement result
set of quantity values being attributed to a measurand (3.1.6) together with other available relevant
information
Note 1 to entry: A measurement result generally contains “relevant information” about the set of quantity values,
such that some may be more representative of the measurand than others. This may be expressed in the form of
a probability density function (PDF).
Note 2 to entry: A measurement result is generally expressed as a single measured quantity value and a
measurement of uncertainty. If the measurement uncertainty is considered negligible for some purpose, the
measurement result may be expressed as a single measured quantity value. In many fields, this is the common
way of expressing a measurement result.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC Guide 99:2007, 2.9, modified — NOTE 3 has been omitted.]
3.1.14
measurement standard
realization of the definition of a given quantity value and associated measurement (3.1.1) uncertainty,
used as a reference
[SOURCE: ISO Guide 99:2007, 5.1, modified — EXAMPLEs and NOTEs have been omitted.]
3.1.15
observation
act of measuring or otherwise determining the value of a property
[SOURCE: ISO 19109:2015, 4.16]
3.1.16
reading
part of an observation (3.1.15) which only involves the operator’s notations of values on a scale (3.3.1) or
other methods of recording values
3.
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