Submit GPS observations to NGS OPUS and interpret the results
domain: ngs.noaa.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Collect static dual-frequency (L1/L2) GNSS data from a stationary antenna for a minimum of about 2 hours (longer sessions generally improve solution quality) and export it in RINEX format (OPUS accepts compressed RINEX too).
Go to the OPUS tool at ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS/ and upload the RINEX file, then enter your antenna model and the measured antenna height above the mark.
Choose a processing mode (OPUS-Static for single sessions using nearby CORS, or OPUS-Projects/OPUS-Share for networked/repeat-visit projects) and supply an email address for results.
Review the emailed solution report: check the reference frame/epoch used, the peak-to-peak and RMS error values, the number of CORS stations used, and the observation-to-fixed-ambiguity ratio as quality indicators before accepting the coordinate.
If submitting for inclusion in the National Spatial Reference System as new/updated control, be aware NGS has set a submission deadline of January 13, 2027 for OPUS Projects and leveling data tied to the current NSRS before the modernized reference frames take over — verify this deadline is still current on ngs.noaa.gov before relying on it.
Known gotchas
OPUS only accepts RINEX-format static data from a stationary antenna, not kinematic/RTK logs — rover data won't process correctly.
Solutions near the edge of the CORS network or with few usable reference stations produce degraded accuracy; check which CORS stations were used and their distances in the report.
The NSRS is mid-modernization — coordinates you get today are still tied to legacy NAD 83/NAVD 88 realizations; don't assume OPUS output is already in the new NATRF2022/NAPGD2022 frames without checking the datum note in the report.
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