ISO 17123-5:2018 specifies field procedures to be adopted when determining and evaluating the precision (repeatability) of coordinate measurement of total stations and their ancillary equipment when used in building and surveying measurements. Primarily, these tests are intended to be field verifications of the suitability of a particular instrument for the immediate task at hand and to satisfy the requirements of other standards. They are not proposed as tests for acceptance or performance evaluations that are more comprehensive in nature.

These field procedures have been developed specifically for in situ applications without the need for special ancillary equipment and are purposely designed to minimize atmospheric influences.