What are the disadvantages of using total station?

Answer 1

Cumulaitve error is a disadvantage. Human and machine error is addative with optical work. With each setup and stationing error is imarted to the measurements and subsequent setups and measurements accumulate the errors of previous setups. If you have a 5" gun, as much as 2.5" of angular error is inherent to every shot. The error in gps in not cumulative. Each shot has a "knowable" sphere of error that does not add up from shot to shot to shot.

The second disadvantage is that measurments are not geodetic. An estimated scale factor and correction for earth curvature is necessary to make measurements relative to the ellipsoid, which is the basis of the UTM/State Plane grids