An important problem for an astronomical research program is examined for observers traveling to poorly mapped areas to monitor rare phenomena such as solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and occultations but who require accurate knowledge of the geodetic coordinates of observing sites whose true locations are not known. This study uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software to address the problem and provides guidelines for determination of ground truth by utilization of hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers.