Abstract:A research was made on the application of intelligent total station to piling position of near-shore,and a new practical model for piling position is introduced.Azimuth and tilt of piling can be obtained by an equipment on ship.For circle piling position,the tangential direction of the piling side (including horizontal angle and vertical angle) and the three-dimensional coordinates of one point on piling surface have to be surveyed.For square piling position,only one point on piling edge needs a survey.According to the mathematical model,the software is realized based on the EVC and the WinCE-based Topcon GPT-7502 intelligent total station.Observations can be transmitted to the ship by radio.Personal digital assistant(PDA) at ship receives the data and shows it by graphic,which can guide the movement of the piling ship.Field test on practical project verifies the correctness of the model and methods.