Total station
![Archaeological survey using a Leica TPS1100 total station on an Iron Age dwelling in Ytterby, Sweden.](/Images/godic/202501/11/GPS-mätning_på_järnåldersboplats_i_Ytterby_sn,_Bohuslän,_den_28_april_2006._Bild_12652.JPG")
![A typical prism with back target. Used with survey and 3D point monitoring systems to measure changes in elevation and position of a point.](/Images/godic/202501/11/Prism_Target_used_with_survey_equipment2652.jpg")
A total station or TST (total station theodolite) is an electronic/optical instrument used in modern surveying and building construction. The total station is an electronic theodolite (transit) integrated with an electronic distance meter (EDM) to read slope distances from the instrument to a particular point.