Plane tabling — fixing the station: Locating the position of a plane-table station with respect to three well-defined, already-plotted points is commonly called what?

Introduction / Context:
In plane table surveying, you sometimes occupy an unknown station and need to fix its position on the drawing sheet using visible points that are already plotted. The operation used to achieve this is foundational for rapid topographic mapping and detail filling.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Three well-spread, visible control points are already plotted on the sheet.
• The board can be rotated and oriented.
• Sight lines can be drawn from the plotted points to the station position.

Concept / Approach:
Resection is the process of determining the station position by sighting to known points and rotating the board until back rays concur. With three points, the classical “three-point problem” arises; practical solutions like Lehmann’s method remove the small triangle of error and fix the station precisely. While “three-point problem” describes the situation, the method employed is resection.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Check by sighting a fourth known point if available; minor residuals indicate orientation quality.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Intersection: Used to plot a new detail point by intersecting rays from a known station, not to fix the station itself.
• Radiation: Used to plot multiple details from a known station by measuring directions and distances.
• Triangulation by offsets: Not the standard term in plane table methods.

Common Pitfalls:
Poor point geometry (near collinearity) causes instability; ensure points are well spread around the station.

Final Answer:
Resection method