Color-hillshade relief GeoTIFF image of the Potomac River/Chesapeake Bay Area (CLRHSHD_POTO.TIF, UTM, Zone 18, NAD83)

The metadata accompanying the NED dataset does not specify a vertical accuracy. However, the website indicates the vertical accuracy of the National Elevation Dataset (NED) varies spatially because of the variable quality of the source digital elevation models (DEMs). As such, the NED inherits the accuracy of the source DEMs. The most recently published figure of overall absolute vertical accuracy expressed as the root mean square error (RMSE) is 2.44 meters. The estuarine bathymetry metadata indicates the vertical RMSE statistic is used to describe the vertical accuracy of a DEM. It encompasses both random and systematic errors introduced during production of the data. The RMSE is encoded in element number 5 of record C of the DEM. This accuracy estimate includes components related to quantization of the source soundings (1.3 to 0.15 m), the systematic editing of the source data (1percent or 0.10m), un-sampled bathymetric features (estimated at less than 5 percent of depth), time related changes (erosion, deposition, and seismic shifts), and dredging operations (cut and fill). It is estimated that the accuracy of the Bathymetric DEMs is 2 percent of depth or 1 meter for depths grater than 20 meters and 2 percent of depth or 0.20 meters for depths shallower than 20 meters. THESE DEMs SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. The two datasets used to create this merged product are referenced to different vertical datums. The NED data use a vertical datum of NAVD88 while the estuarine data simply specifies the vertical datum as referenced to the local tidal datum at the time of the hydrographic survey. No adjustment was made to the individual datasets to attempt to eliminate this discrepancy. The user needs to refer to the original datasets to establish the details of the data and their estimates of accuracy.