The general aim of the field survey work of the expedition was to provide ground control in the form of a triangulation network with heighting. Based on this, detailed topography could be plotted in from the US Navy Trimetrogon photos ,and our photo-theodolite panoramas. Before entering the field, it was known that the points visible from our survey stations would include intersected points of the US Geological Survey Tellurometer Survey.
We proposed to use these points, to fix our triangulated network. In addition we proposed to make astro observations at a limited number of glacier stations to provide an independent fix. The triangulation network was to have two baselines, one on the plateau near the depot and one in the lower Pearl Harbour Glacier.
Heighting control was to be attempted aneroid altitudes from the two aeroplane landings, continued by Paulin aneroid. We also aimed to connect our triangulation network to Fitzgerald's previous survey (NZ Geological Survey Expedition 1957-58) in the lower Tucker Glacier. We hoped that from the plateau we could occupy peaks as high as any in the area, thus establishing our survey over an area large relative to the distances travelled.
