Topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2012

A series of benchmarks with known coordinates were established adjacent to the study area to provide geodetic control for the bathymetric and topographic surveys. The positions of the benchmarks were derived from a minimum of two static GNSS occupations. The equipment for the static occupations consisted of a dual frequency Trimble R7 GNSS receiver, a fixed-height tripod, and Trimble Geodetic Model 2 antenna. The static observations were recorded internally in the receiver and the raw observations were processed using the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Online Positioning User Service (OPUS, https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS/). Estimated uncertainties in the horizontal position of the individual GNSS occupations were provided by OPUS and ranged between 0.006 m and 0.06 m with an average horizontal uncertainty of 0.02 m. The processed positions from each occupation were averaged to obtain the final reported position of the benchmark. All final positions of the GNSS backpacks were determined using differential corrections from the base station receivers. Manufacturer reported accuracy for the differentially corrected horizontal positions for the Trimble R7, R8, and R10 receivers used in the survey is 0.8 cm + 0.5 ppm. Baselines from the GNSS base station were typically less than 5 km, suggesting a horizontal accuracy of backpack positions to be 0.825 cm relative to the base station. The combined horizontal uncertainty from the base station coordinate solutions and rover trajectories is therefore approximately 3 cm. Uncertainty in the horizontal positions associated with variable posture during data collection of the surveyors is unknown.