Definition: In surveying, the latitude and departure of a line refer to the horizontal components of a line's length and direction. The latitude represents the north-south component, while the departure represents the east-west component.


The latitude of a line is the north-south distance between the starting point (P) and the ending point (Q) of the line. It is denoted by the letter L and is represented as a positive value if the line is in the northern hemisphere and as a negative value if it is in the southern hemisphere.

In the given problem, the latitude of line PQ is 89m. Since the latitude is positive, it indicates that line PQ is in the northern hemisphere.


The departure of a line is the east-west distance between the starting point (P) and the ending point (Q) of the line. It is denoted by the letter D and is represented as a positive value if the line is in the eastern hemisphere and as a negative value if it is in the western hemisphere.

In the given problem, the departure of line PQ is -49.4m. Since the departure is negative, it indicates that line PQ is in the western hemisphere.


The whole circle bearing (WCB) of a line represents its direction with respect to the north direction. It is measured clockwise from the north direction and is expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

To calculate the WCB of line PQ, we can use the following formula:

WCB = arctan(D / L)

where arctan is the inverse tangent function.

Using the given values, we have:

WCB = arctan(-49.4 / 89)

Calculating this value using a calculator, we find that the WCB of line PQ is approximately -28.94 degrees.

Therefore, the whole circle bearing of line PQ is approximately -28.94 degrees.


- Latitude represents the north-south component of a line's length and is positive in the northern hemisphere.
- Departure represents the east-west component of a line's length and is negative in the western hemisphere.
- The whole circle bearing represents the direction of a line with respect to the north direction and is measured clockwise in degrees.