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GATE CE Geomatics Engineering Previous Year Questions

60 solved GATE CE questions on Geomatics Engineering, drawn from 10 exam years and grouped by year. Every question shows the official answer and a step-by-step solution.

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Geomatics Engineering: close the survey loop before interpreting coordinates

Record raw measurements, apply corrections, and verify closure before using survey data. These selected foundations connect leveling, traversing, coordinate computation, and remote sensing. The original exercises use idealized supplied data for learning; they do not prescribe field procedures or equipment calibration.

Our study notes and original examples support the PYQs below; they are not official exam questions or a replacement for the current syllabus.

Before you start

  • Trigonometry: sine, cosine, and tangent for angle-to-distance conversions.
  • Coordinate geometry: distances and bearings between points in a 2-D plane.

Concepts to revise before solving

Leveling and reduced levels

Differential leveling determines elevation differences using backsight (BS) and foresight (FS) readings. The height of instrument (HI) equals the known elevation plus the backsight. The reduced level (RL) of the next point equals HI minus the foresight. Closing error is the difference between the computed and known RL at the closing benchmark.

Check yourself: Does the sum of backsights minus the sum of foresights equal the total rise?

Theodolite traversing and coordinate computation

A closed traverse returns to its starting point; the angular misclosure is the difference between the sum of measured interior angles and (n − 2) × 180° for an n-sided polygon. Departures (east-west) and latitudes (north-south) are computed from corrected bearings and distances. Closure error in coordinates is √(ΣΔx² + ΣΔy²).

Check yourself: Have you distributed the angular misclosure before computing latitudes and departures?

Total station and EDM principles

An Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) device measures distance using the travel time or phase shift of electromagnetic waves. Total stations combine EDM with a theodolite for simultaneous angle and distance measurement. Prism constant and atmospheric corrections affect the measured distance.

Check yourself: Has the atmospheric correction been applied to the raw EDM distance?

Remote sensing and GIS fundamentals

Remote sensing acquires information about objects without physical contact, using reflected or emitted electromagnetic radiation. Spatial resolution defines the smallest distinguishable ground feature. A Geographic Information System (GIS) stores, analyzes, and displays spatial data in raster or vector formats. Supervised classification requires training data for each land-cover class.

Check yourself: Is the resolution sufficient to distinguish the features of interest?

Photogrammetry and GPS basics

In vertical aerial photography, scale = focal length / flying height above ground = photo distance / ground distance. Relief displacement causes tall objects to lean radially outward from the photo center. GPS positioning uses satellite range measurements; a minimum of four satellites is needed for 3-D position and time.

Check yourself: Is the flying height measured above ground level or above mean sea level?

Mistakes to avoid

Subtracting backsight from HI instead of foresight when computing reduced levels.
RL = HI − FS. The backsight establishes HI from a known point; the foresight determines the RL of the unknown point.
Using the interior angle sum formula (n − 2) × 180° for exterior angles.
The sum of exterior angles of any closed polygon is 360°. Interior angles sum to (n − 2) × 180°. Identify which angles were measured.
Confusing photo scale with map scale when flying height changes.
Photo scale = f / H, where H is the flying height above the terrain. Varying terrain elevation changes the local scale across the photograph.

Original teaching example · not a PYQ

Work through the reasoning

Original example: a differential leveling survey starts at benchmark A (RL = 100.000 m). The instrument reads BS = 1.500 m on A, then FS = 2.300 m on point B, then BS = 1.200 m on B, then FS = 1.800 m on point C. Find the reduced levels of B and C.

  1. HI at setup 1 = RL_A + BS = 100.000 + 1.500 = 101.500 m.
  2. RL_B = HI − FS = 101.500 − 2.300 = 99.200 m.
  3. HI at setup 2 = RL_B + BS = 99.200 + 1.200 = 100.400 m.
  4. RL_C = HI − FS = 100.400 − 1.800 = 98.600 m.
  5. Arithmetic check: ΣBS − ΣFS = (1.500 + 1.200) − (2.300 + 1.800) = 2.700 − 4.100 = −1.400 m. This equals RL_C − RL_A = 98.600 − 100.000 = −1.400 m. ✓

RL_B = 99.200 m; RL_C = 98.600 m.

Try it before reading the answer

A vertical aerial photograph is taken with focal length f = 150 mm at a flying height of 1500 m above ground level. What is the photo scale?

Show answer and reasoning

Photo scale = 1 : 10,000.

Scale = f / H = 150 mm / 1500 m = 0.150 m / 1500 m = 1/10,000. A distance of 1 mm on the photo represents 10 m on the ground.

Go deeper with free learning resources

Supplemental reading, not an official GATE reading list or an endorsement of these notes.

  • NPTEL: Surveying

    Free video lectures covering leveling, traversing, total stations, and basic photogrammetry aligned with the GATE CE geomatics syllabus.

Apply this to the previous-year questions

Previous-year questions by year

This page shows 60 recent questions from the released archive, newest first. For older questions and complete papers, browse all GATE CE papers. Questions can carry more than one subject tag; counts are not marks weightage.

GATE CE 20269 questions

  1. Set 1 Q20The Whole Circle Bearing (WCB) of line ABAB is 150∘150^\circ. The length of ABAB is 100 m. The latitude and departure values, respectively, for this line are:MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q34A 30 m long tape is standardized at 25 ∘^\circ C. It was used to measure the length of a line which came out to be 200 m. The temperature during the…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  3. Set 1 Q35The height of the plane of collimation of a levelling instrument is 100.000 m from a datum. The levelling instrument measures a Back Sight of 1.500 m on a…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  4. Set 1 Q43Locations PP and QQ are separated by a wide valley. The difference in levels of locations PP and QQ measured by a levelling instrument stationed near PP…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  5. Set 1 Q62The following consecutive readings (in m) were taken with a dumpy level and a levelling staff at a common interval of 20 m: 0.385; 1.030; 1.925; 2.825; 3.730;…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  6. Set 2 Q26Which one of the following statements is TRUE with respect to levelling survey?MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  7. Set 2 Q35A tourist visiting a city holds a map prepared at a scale of 1:250001:25000. The tourist measures the distance between place A and place B in the city as…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  8. Set 2 Q41For the traverse given below, the benchmark is at ground point L. The Reduced Level (RL) of L is 150.000150.000 m. The direction of the traverse is from L to N. The…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  9. Set 2 Q62Interior angles measured at the locations of a closed traverse ABCDA are given in table below. | Location | Interior angle | |----------|----------------| | A…NAT · +2 marks · Easy

GATE CE 20257 questions

  1. Set 1 Q26If the horizontal distance between a staff point and the point of observation is dd, the error due to the curvature of earth is proportional toMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q27If the quadrantal bearing of a line is N30∘30^\circ W, then the whole circle bearing of the line isMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  3. Set 1 Q35Road A and Road B are joined by a circular horizontal curve of radius 200200 m as shown in the figure. Road A and Road B are tangential to the curve at the…NAT · +1 marks · Medium
  4. Set 1 Q64In levelling between two points A and B on the opposite banks of a river, the readings are taken by setting the instrument both at A and B, as shown in the…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  5. Set 2 Q20The point where the road alignment changes from a tangent to a curve is known as ______.MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  6. Set 2 Q35A surveyor measured the distance between two points on the plan drawn to a scale of 1 cm=40 m1\text{ cm} = 40\text{ m} and the result was 468 m468\text{ m}. Later, it…NAT · +1 marks · Medium
  7. Set 2 Q65If the Fore Bearing of the lines AB and BC are 60∘60^\circ and 122∘122^\circ, respectively, then the interior angle ∠ABC\angle ABC (in degrees) is ______ (round off…NAT · +2 marks · Medium

GATE CE 202410 questions

  1. Set 1 Q25If the number of sides resulting in a closed traverse is increased from three to four, the sum of the interior angles increases byMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q26A surveyor observes a zenith angle of 93∘00′00′′93^\circ 00' 00'' during a theodolite survey. The corresponding vertical angle isMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  3. Set 1 Q27Among the following statements relating the fundamental lines of a transit theodolite, which one is CORRECT?MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  4. Set 1 Q45A map is prepared with a scale of 1: 1000 and a contour interval of 1 m. If the distance between two adjacent contours on the map is 10 mm, the slope of the…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  5. Set 1 Q65A bird is resting on a point P at a height of 88 m above the Mean Sea Level (MSL). Upon hearing a loud noise, the bird flies parallel to the ground surface…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  6. Set 2 Q30For a reconnaissance survey, it is necessary to obtain vertical aerial photographs of a terrain at an average scale of 1:130001: 13000 using a camera. If the…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  7. Set 2 Q31What is the CORRECT match between the survey instruments/parts of instruments shown in the table and the operations carried out with them? | Instruments/Parts…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  8. Set 2 Q32To finalize the direction of a survey, four surveyors set up a theodolite at a station P and performed all the temporary adjustments. From the station P, each…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  9. Set 2 Q64A child walks on a level surface from point PP to point QQ at a bearing of 30∘30^\circ, from point QQ to point RR at a bearing of 90∘90^\circ and then…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  10. Set 2 Q65Differential levelling is carried out from point P (BM: +200.000 m) to point R. The readings taken are given in the table. | Points | Staff readings (m) | |…NAT · +2 marks · Medium

GATE CE 20237 questions

  1. Set 1 Q21G1G_1 and G2G_2 are the slopes of the approach and departure grades of a vertical curve, respectively. Given ∣G1∣<∣G2∣|G_1| < |G_2| and ∣G1∣≠∣G2∣≠0|G_1| \neq |G_2| \neq 0…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  2. Set 1 Q22The direct and reversed zenith angles observed by a theodolite are 56∘00′00′′56^\circ 00' 00'' and 303∘00′00′′303^\circ 00' 00'', respectively. What is the vertical collimation…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q23A student is scanning his 10 inch×10 inch10\text{ inch} \times 10\text{ inch} certificate at 600 dots per inch (dpi)600\text{ dots per inch (dpi)} to convert it to raster. What is the…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  4. Set 1 Q65Trigonometric levelling was carried out from two stations P and Q to find the reduced level (R. L.) of the top of hillock, as shown in the table. The distance…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  5. Set 2 Q24The magnetic bearing of the sun for a location at noon is 183∘30′183^\circ 30'. If the sun is exactly on the geographic meridian at noon, the magnetic declination…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  6. Set 2 Q35If the size of the ground area is 6extkmimes3extkm6 ext{ km} imes 3 ext{ km} and the corresponding photo size in the aerial photograph is 30extcmimes15extcm30 ext{ cm} imes 15 ext{ cm},…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  7. Set 2 Q46A delivery agent is at a location R. To deliver the order, she is instructed to travel to location P along straight-line paths of RC, CA, AB and BP of 5 km…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium

GATE CE 20225 questions

  1. Set 1 Q23An aerial photograph is taken from a flight at a height of 3.5 km above mean sea level, using a camera of focal length 152 mm. If the average ground elevation…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q24A line between stations P and Q laid on a slope of 1 in 5 was measured as 350 m using a 50 m tape. The tape is known to be short by 0.1 m. The…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q35The bearing of a survey line is N31∘17′WN31^\circ 17'W. Its azimuth observed from north is ______ deg. (round off to two decimal places)NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  4. Set 2 Q23Match the following attributes of a city with the appropriate scale of measurements. | Attribute | Scale of measurement | | :--- | :--- | | (P) Average…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  5. Set 2 Q24If the magnetic bearing of the Sun at a place at noon is S 2° E, the magnetic declination (in degrees) at that place isMCQ · +1 marks · Easy

GATE CE 20216 questions

  1. Set 1 Q26Which of the following is NOT a correct statement?MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q27Which of the following is/are correct statement(s)?MSQ · +1 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q65Traversing is carried out for a closed traverse PQRS. The internal angles at vertices P, Q, R and S are measured as 92∘92^\circ, 68∘68^\circ, 123∘123^\circ, and…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  4. Set 2 Q15In general, the CORRECT sequence of surveying operations isMCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  5. Set 2 Q35A horizontal angle θ\theta is measured by four different surveyors multiple times and the values reported are given below. | Surveyor | Angle θ\theta |…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  6. Set 2 Q44For a given traverse, latitudes and departures are calculated and it is found that sum of latitudes is equal to +2.1+2.1 m and the sum of departures is equal to…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium

GATE CE 20204 questions

  1. Set 1 Q48An open traverse PQRST is surveyed using theodolite and the consecutive coordinates obtained are given in the table | Line | Northing (m) | Southing (m) |…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q65The lengths and bearings of a traverse PQRS are: | Segment | Length (m) | Bearing | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | PQ | 40 | 80∘80^\circ | | QR | 50 | 10∘10^\circ | |…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  3. Set 2 Q48A theodolite was set up at a station P. The angle of depression to a vane 2 m above the foot of a staff held at another station Q was 45∘45^\circ. The…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  4. Set 2 Q65A theodolite is set up at station A. The RL of instrument axis is 212.250 m. The angle of elevation to the top of a 4 m long staff, held vertical at station B,…NAT · +2 marks · Medium

GATE CE 20195 questions

  1. Set 1 Q20The interior angles of four triangles are given below: | Triangle | Interior Angles | | :--- | :--- | | P | 85∘,50∘,45∘85^\circ, 50^\circ, 45^\circ | | Q |…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q45A survey line was measured to be 285.5 m285.5\text{ m} with a tape having a nominal length of 30 m30\text{ m}. On checking, the true length of the tape was found to…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q53A staff is placed on a benchmark (BM) of reduced level (RL) 100.000 m100.000\text{ m} and a theodolite is placed at a horizontal distance of 50 m50\text{ m} from the BM…NAT · +2 marks · Medium
  4. Set 2 Q32The data from a closed traverse survey PQRS (run in the clockwise direction) are given in the table | Line | Included angle (in degrees) |…NAT · +1 marks · Easy
  5. Set 2 Q43A camera with a focal length of 20 cm20\text{ cm} fitted in an aircraft is used for taking vertical aerial photographs of a terrain. The average elevation of the…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy

GATE CE 20184 questions

  1. Set 1 Q45The following details refer to a closed traverse: | Line | Northing (m) | Southing (m) | Easting (m) | Westing (m) | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | |…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  2. Set 1 Q46A square area (on the surface of the earth) with side 100 m and uniform height, appears as 1 cm2^2 on a vertical aerial photograph. The topographic map shows…MCQ · +2 marks · Medium
  3. Set 2 Q46A level instrument at a height of 1.320 m has been placed at a station having a Reduced Level (RL) of 112.565 m. The instrument reads −2.835-2.835 m on a levelling…MCQ · +2 marks · Easy
  4. Set 2 Q65An aerial photograph of a terrain having an average elevation of 1400 m is taken at a scale of 1:7500. The focal length of the camera is 15 cm. The altitude of…NAT · +2 marks · Easy

GATE CE 20173 questions

  1. Set 1 Q18The accuracy of an Electronic Distance Measuring Instrument (EDMI) is specified as ±(a mm+b ppm)\pm (a\text{ mm} + b\text{ ppm}). Which one of the following statements is…MCQ · +1 marks · Easy
  2. Set 1 Q19The number of spectral bands in the Enhanced Thematic Mapper sensor on the remote sensing satellite Landsat-7 isMCQ · +1 marks · Medium
  3. Set 1 Q35The observed bearings of a traverse are given below: | Line | Bearing | Line | Bearing | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | PQ | 46∘15′46^\circ 15' | QP |…MCQ · +1 marks · Medium

Other GATE CE topics

Structural Engineering(347)General Aptitude(260)Engineering Mathematics(253)Geotechnical Engineering(231)Water Resources Engineering(217)Environmental Engineering(171)Transportation Engineering(166)

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