The quality of a DEM can influence the accuracy of terrain measures including slope and aspect. The USGS offers a nationwide coverage of elevation data through the National Elevation Dataset (NED) in three resolution: I arc-second (30 meters), 1/3 arc-second (10 meter), and 1/9 arc-second (3 meters) (Chapter 4). Based on the root mean square (RMS) error, a statistic used for the National for Spatial Data Accuracy (Chapter 7), a recent report from the USGS suggests that absolute vertical accuracy of NED 1/3 arc-second ranges from 2.03 to 4.66 meters, depending on the production method, with an average of 2.44 meters (Gesch 2007). This statistic was derived by comparing DEM data with more than 13,000 high-precision survey point across the conterminous United States. The absolute vertical accuracy accounts for the combined effects of systematic and random errors. Relative accuracy, on the other hand, measures only random errors. The overall relative vertical accuracy of NED l arc-second is reported to be 1.64 meters. As the NED is continually upgraded with new acquisitions of high-resolution data, the USGS expects improvement of the vertical accuracy of NED DEMs.