What does trilateration mean?
Trilateration is the process of finding an unknown position by calculating its distances from known reference points. In traditional two-dimensional surveying, three non-collinear control points provide enough distance measurements to determine the position of the target. The method is used in land surveying, navigation, geophysics, and satellite-based positioning systems, where it may be adapted to locate points in three dimensions. It differs from triangulation because it relies on measured distances rather than measured angles. Although the technique is highly specialized, the underlying principle is straightforward: if an object’s distances from several fixed locations are known, its location can be calculated. Modern applications include determining a receiver’s position from signals associated with navigation satellites and establishing coordinates for remote or inaccessible landmarks.
nounThe process of determining the position of a point by measuring its distances from known reference points. In two-dimensional surveying, distances from three non-collinear points can be used to establish an exact location.
- The determination of a point’s position from its distances to known reference points.
"Using trilateration, the survey team determined the transmitter’s position from signals received at three towers."
"The satellite receiver calculated its location through trilateration."
"Surveyors used trilateration to establish the coordinates of an inaccessible landmark."
The plural is grammatically possible but rarely used because trilateration is normally treated as a mass noun.
"The study compared several independent trilaterations of the beacon."
Three measured distances can turn an unknown point on a map into an exact location.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trilateration come from?
Trilateration combines the Latin numeral prefix tri-, meaning “three,” with the Latin latus, meaning “side,” and the Latin-derived suffix -ation. The formation reflects the method’s relationship to lateral positioning and parallels words such as bilateral and multilateral. The term entered English as a technical term during the nineteenth century.
How trilateration is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in surveying, navigation, geomatics, and positioning systems. It is understood in both British and American English and is normally treated as a mass noun.
Easily confused with trilateration
Trilateration determines position from measured distances to known points, whereas triangulation determines position by measuring angles and forming triangles.