Data for Decisions Requirements for National Transportation Policy Making -- Special Report 234 (1992) / Chapter Skim
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1991 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman: C MICHAEL WALTON, Bess Hams Jones Centennial Professor of Natural Resource Pol- icy Studies and Chairman, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Vice Chairman: WILLIAM W
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Special Report 234 Data for Decisions Requirements for National Transportation Policy Making Transportation Research Board National Research Council Washington, D.C.
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Transportation Research Board Special Report 234 Subscriber Categoty IA planning and administration Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering directly from TRB. They may also be obtained on a regular basis through organizational or individual affiliation with TRB; affiliates or library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts.
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Committee for the Study of Strategic Transportation Data Needs LILLIAN C LIBURDI, Chair, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York, New York BRIAN J
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Preface Data provide critical input for informed decision making, but they rarely have a champion. Because they are viewed as support for other essential activities, data are often not accorded high visibility or priority in budget allocations.
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liaisons and the following special representatives of the DOT operating administrations and Statistics Canada: Jane H Bachner, Federal Railroad Administration; Patricia S
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Contents Executive Summary 1 The Role of Data 13 Scope of Study, 13 Overview, 14 Role of Data in the Policy Process, 19 Organization of Report, 22 2 Data Requirements: A National Transportation Performance Monitoring System 25 Strategic Planning Context, 26 Elements of NTPMS, 29 Biennial Performance Report, 40 Findings and Recommendations, 41 3 Meeting Data Needs 45 Major Sources of National Transportation Data, 45 Data Deficiencies, 48 Private Provision of Data: Issues and Opportunities, 63 New Technology, 66 Findings and Recommendations, 68 4 Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 77 Overview, 77 Federal Statistical Agencies -- A Model for DOT, 82 Concept of a Transportation Data Center, 84 Functions of TDC, 85 Operation of TDC, 88 Findings and Recommendations, 91
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5 Next Steps 97 Immediate Steps, 97 Short-Term Steps, 98 Long-Term Steps, 99 Conclusion, 100 Appendix A Summaries of Major National Transportation Data Programs 103 Appendix B New Technologies for Transportation Data Collection and Analysis: Opportunities and Applications 153 Study Committee Biographical Information 163
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Executive Summary The safe and efficient performance of the U.S. transportation sys-tem is critical to economic growth, national security, and the mobility of all citizens.
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DATA FOR DEcisioNs point for the compilation and integration of systemwide transportation data; Development of a national transportation performance monitoring system (NTPMS) by the center to track key indicators of the nation's transportation system and its environment from the viewpoint of markets and users; Preparation of a biennial report by TDC on the state of the nation's transportation system, containing a summary and analysis of trends in system performance and impacts; and Annual funding of $20 million initially to support a qualified director, full-time professional staff, and start-up for the activities of TDC, including national surveys of passenger and freight flows; and sustained long-term funding to ensure continuity of data for monitoring and policy analysis.
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Executive Summary the context in which the department operates today. Passenger and freight travel are becoming increasingly intermodal as travelers and shippers search for the safest, most efficient and reliable combination of transport modes.
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DATA FOR DECISIONS tial rail traffic, but would also degrade the safety of highway travel. The information needed to evaluate these positions -- trend data on the safety of truck travel by truck type and road class -- are simply not available.
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Executive Summary and the costs of alternative modal investments, the department cannot evaluate the merits of alternative ways of meeting intercity travel demand or the implications for federal investment policies. Congestion has become a major concern of city and suburban dwellers in most large urban areas.
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DATA FOR DECISIONS (c) performance, which includes information on the value of the system to users, including its safety; accessibility; level, efficiency, and quality of service; and cost; and (d)
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Eiecutive Sum,nary collection activity for NTPMS. Although national level data will not provide the detailed information for some safety, environmental, and energy analyses, additional sampling in major transportation corridors and urban areas should provide adequate detail for national monitoring and analysis purposes.
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DATA FOR DECISIONS Gathering data on how the transportation system affects other national policy objectives will require joint action with other federal agencies and, in some cases, other levels of government. Priority areas are those for which DOT has primary mission responsibility: measures for calculating the contribution of the transportation sector to economic growth (DOT, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Bureau of Labor Statistics)
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Executive Summary center -- to take responsibility for these tasks. The primary role of TDC would be to provide a focal point for the compilation and integration of systemwide transportation data and a key link among the operating administrations, other federal agencies and levels of government, and the private sector to ensure that these data are made available on a consistent, reliable, and continuing basis.
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10 DATA FOR DECISIONS the long-term strategic issues that are likely to shape the data collection requirements of TDC. The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (VNTSC)
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Executive Summary 11 process, providing a blueprint for future data gathering and analysis activities. Over the longer term, TDC should broaden its activities: establish common definitions and survey standards to improve the consistency and comparability of existing data programs, working closely with the operating administrations and a technical advisory committee of experts in transportation statistics and analysis; develop memoranda of understanding with other federal agencies to set interagency data col-.
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1 The Role of Data In 1989 the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
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14DATA FOR DECISIONS Identified the data requirements and key elements of a data system to support national transportation policy making; Determined how these requirements could be met by modifying existing data programs, supplying missing data, collaborating with the private sector in data collection, and taking advantage of advances in information systems technologies to reduce the cost and burden of data collection; Examined institutional changes that are needed within DOT to improve the coordination and management of data collection to inform policy; and Recommended an implementation strategy. The primary audience for the study is DOT; the main focus is data for national policy making.
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The Role of Data 15 purchases support slightly more than 10 percent of the U.S. work force in transportation or transportation-related jobs.
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16 DATA FOR DECISIONS the existing system and related strategies for system preservation and rehabilitation. Another major policy initiative at this time was dereg- ulation of the aviation, interstate trucking, rail, maritime, and intercity bus industries.
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The Role of Data 17 expenditures of U.S. travelers abroad for the first time (Frechtling 1990, A-13)
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18 DATA FOR DEcisioNs tees. In this decentralized environment, the data are not structured to address broad policy questions that cut across specific modes.
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The Role of Data 19 ROLE OF DATA IN THE POLICY PROCESS In today's complex, rapidly changing environment, the Secretary of Transportation, as chief adviser to the President and advocate before the Congress on national transportation policies, must have the capability to anticipate problems and devise policies to shape the transportation system of the future. This role requires strategic thinking, data to track performance, and analysis to convert data to information useful for policy.
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20 DATA FOR DecisioNs facilities can contribute to economic growth and international competitiveness, or to compare the impacts of alternative investments. The transportation system must accommodate both commercial and defense needs.
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The Role of Data 21 tions. However, comprehensive data on commuting delays or freight delivery times, consistently collected, summarized, and reported for major urban areas, are lacking.
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22 DATA FOR DECISIONS needed, that is, when a policy issue arises and a response is required. This arrangement is a major liability in a rapidly changing environment.
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The Role of Data 23 tation service trends under then current policies and highlighting the choices likely to face national policy makers (DOT 1977, iv, v)
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2 Data Requirements: A National Transportation Performance Monitoring System The Statement of National Transportation Policy (NTP) represents the first step in building a more forward-looking, strategically oriented, multimodal approach to national transportation decision making at the U.S.
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26 DATA FOR DECISIONS NIP PHASE 1 HIP PHASE 2 Eni t - j -- it Mandates including [~~j ..I _u ton and IL:Sy! t::T:_:::II / K it in EerHAiicJ -- - - - - - - - -- -- - FIGURE 2-1 Overview of the strategic transportation planning process.
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Data Requirements 27 Suggested in the NTP are the types of policy issues that a performance monitoring system should address. Strategic planning is geared to identifying and resolving issues that are national in significance, systemwide in focus, and long-term in view.
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28 DATA FOR DECISIONS ILLUSTRATIVE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY QUESTIONS What are the geographical and temporal patterns of transportation demand? -What kinds of goods are moved?
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Data Requirements 29 system's ability to perform, and measure the impacts of the system on this external environment. Second, NTPMS would provide an early alert to problems and issues as they emerge.
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30 DATA FOR DECISIONS Transportation Markets (Demand Components) Transportation System (Sopply Elements)
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Data Requirements 31 NTPMS DATA ATTRIBUTES AND DESCRIPTORS Supply System General characteristics, Coverage, Physical condition, Capacity, Fare or fee structure, and Elasticity of supply. Providers General characteristics and Financial condition.
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32 DATA FOR DECISIONS measured by such factors as the safety of transportation services; the access and mobility they provide; the level, efficiency, and quality of service they offer; and their cost. The transportation system functions in and affects a broader environment.
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TABLE 2-1 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM INDICATORS Data Attribute and Descriptor Indicators Supply System General characteristics Inventory information (e.g., miles of system) Coverage Unit of system per land area or population Physical condition Index of condition (e.g., pavement serviceability rating)
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34 DATA FOR DECISIONS TABLE 2-1 (continued) Data Attribute and Descriptor Indicators Level Frequency (e.g., runs per hour/day)
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Data Requirements 35 performance of individual modes. For example, by examining the transportation needs of domestic intercity travel markets, policy makers might find that performance could best be improved by upgrading weak links between modes (e.g., improving highway or transit connections to airports)
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36 DATA FOR DEcIs! oNs to different transportation modes, the safety of these modes, and the quality of the service they provide, policy makers should be in a better position to identify appropriate modal regulatory and investment options, assess their likely consequences on modal shifts and demand for transportation services generally, and examine their impacts on other national objectives (e.g., national security implications of service elimination or abandonment of substantial portions of existing network facilities, degradation of urban air quality and increased energy use from a significant expansion in freight traffic)
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Data Requirements 37 ment and regulatory policies and evaluating the likely outcomes of proposed policy changes. Data Sources, Coverage, and Comprehensiveness The primary sources for NTPMS are data collected directly from business establishments and individuals [through surveys of company executives and heads of households (i.e., the reporting units)
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38 DATA FOR DECISIONS are probably adequately summarized at the regional and national level. Finding an appropriate balance of data that are highly aggregated yet sufficiently detailed for national monitoring and policy-making purposes is an important challenge in the development of NTPMS.
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Data Requirements 39 priorities (TRB 1991)
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40 DATA FOR DEcisioNs (Dueker 1990, 20)
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Data Requirements 41 sumption of energy resources. Budget constraints, however, limit the value of the report as an adequate source of multimodal data for strategic policy making.5 For example, performance data are focused on readily available indicators, which do not include measures of service quality.
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42 DATA FOR DECISIONS A major product of NTPMS should be a mandated biennial report on the state of the nation's transportation system. This report, which would be made available to policy makers, analysts, and researchers, both within and outside DOT, should provide summary benchmark data from selected indicators on the performance and impacts of the transportation system.
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Data Requirements 43 DOT.
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3 Meeting Data Needs Substantial data exist about the transportation system, but fall short of providing the information needed to inform policy makers about the strategic issues facing the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
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46DATA FOR DECISIONS TABLE 3-1 MAJOR SOURCES OF NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION DATA Organization Type Agency Data Focus U.S. Department of Office of the Secretaiy International, aviation Transportation Office of Commercial Space transport Space Transportation Research and Special Aviation, hazardous Programs materials, pipelines, Administration multimodal Federal Aviation Aviation Administration Federal Highway Highways Administration National Highway Highways Traffic Safety Administration Urban Mass Public transportation Transportation Administration Federal Railroad Rail Administration Maritime Administration Water U.S.
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Meeting Data Needs 47 tional transportation policy making was largely centralized within DOT, these major transportation data activities remained outside the department. With deregulation, some of these activities were reduced (e.g., ICC transportation data programs)
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48 DATA FOR DECISIONS These include, for example, HPMS and other FHWA statistical programs, the Section 15 reporting requirements for Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) grant recipients, and FAA reporting requirements for airports.
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Meeting Data Needs 49 measure and collect; these areas are described in the following discussions of each data categoly. Data on Supply and Demand The biggest gap in DOT's multimodal data programs is in flow data.
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TABLE 3-2 ILLUSTRATIONS OF KEY DATA DEFICIENCIES Agencies Involved in Data Category Data Deficiency Data Compilation National Policies Served Supply and demand Passenger and commodity flow data DOT; Bureau of the Congestion alleviation; investment Census decisions; system capacity for civilian and defense needs Performance Safety and personal security Exposure data Reporting of injuries and nonfatal accidents Measures of system security DOT Identification and monitoring of major system safety and security problems; evaluation of alternative safety regulations Access Measures of availability, use, and cost of transport services in rural and small urban areas and for handicapped, elderly, and lowincome populations Service delivery Measures of service quality Measures of intermodal performance Impacts on other national objectives Economic growth Measures of transportation impacts on industrial profitability Expanded data on specific transportation service sectors and their relative contribution to productivity of the sector as a whole DOT; DOA; DHHS Investment decisions and development strategies; evaluation of costs and benefits of alternative service delivery mechanisms DOT Investment decisions; identification DOT; Bureau of the of impediments to transportation Census; U.S. performance affecting economic Customs Service growth and international trade DOT; BLS; BEA; Articulation of value of Bureau of the Census transportation to economic growth; investment policies to support U.S.
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National security Location, condition, and use of DOT; DOD Investment strategies for improved transportation facilities military deployment; economic impacts of alternative levels of demand Environmental VMT, speed data, and other DOT; EPA; DOE; Evaluation of environmental impacts quality/land use measures of transportation impacts states; other agencies of alternative transportation on air quality with environmental investments. Measures of transportation impacts missions Identification of magnitude and on global warming, wetlands effects of transportation impacts degradation, water and noise on the environment; development pollution, and other environmental of policies to mitigate adverse concerns impacts Energy use Improved measures of vehicle fuel DOT; DOE Evaluation of energy performance of efficiency alternative transportation modes; monitoring energy performance of the transportation sector NOTE: VMT = vehicle miles traveled; DOT = Department of Transportation; EPA = Environmental Protection Agency; DOE = Department of Energy; DOD = Department of Defense; DOA = Department of Agriculture; DHHS = Department of Health and Human Services; BLS = Bureau of Labor Statistics; BEA = Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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52 DATA FOR DECISIONS out requiring a large sample at a high cost. Supplementing national and regional data with more extensive sampling in selected transportation corridors and major urban areas should provide sufficient detail for national monitoring and analysis purposes.
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Meeting Data Needs 53 lection for all modes; data on accident and fatality rates and the absolute numbers of accidents and fatalities are needed to track safety performance adequately. Development of the data is an ambitious undertaking, which will require a long-term cooperative effort among the DOT operating administrations, as well as the states, local governments, and others that monitor transportation activity.
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54 DATA FOR DEcisioNs to track aviation safety on a consistent basis and provide an early warning of potential problem areas or emerging issues (FAA 1989, 1-1)
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Meeting Data Needs 55 tion on passenger rail service in rural areas, but data on freight rail service are lacking, except for the largest carriers.9 Data on other public and private carriers, such as public transit and intercity bus, are limited. The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)
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56 DATA FOR DEcisioNs Service Delivery Several of the operating administrations prepare reports on the condition and performance of modal systems, yet together, they do not provide an understandable and reliable basis for comparing the efficiency or quality of service delivered by individual modes or assessing the performance of the system as a whole (OTA 1991a, 18)
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Meeting Data Needs 57 measures of the quality of service -- speed, reliability, frequency -- are lacking for nearly every mode, with the exception of aviation and inland waterways, where some measures of delay are available. 12 Because of the importance of performance to users and the prevalence of congestion, such measures should be developed, with some degree of standardization among the modes.
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58 DATA FOR DECISIONS Economic Growth Transportation is a service industry; it provides inputs to other industrial sectors (Helfand et al.
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Meeting Data Needs 59 nual surveys (see Appendix A, pp.
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60 DATA FOR DECISIONS needed for strategic defense transportation planning and policy making. The National Highway Network data base, which contains information on the Strategic Highway Corridor Network -- a network of highways considered most critical for defense transportation purposes, is the most advanced element of the system (Lewis 1990, 1)
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Meeting Data Needs 61 1991, 18)
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62 DATA FOR DEcisioNs Energy Transportation also has a major impact on energy use. The transportation sector accounts for more than one-fourth of all energy consumed and almost two-thirds of all petroleum consumed in the United States (Greene et al.
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Meeting Data Needs 63 States is the greater energy efficiency of rail compared with competing air and automobile travel and the cleaner energy source used to power the system (i.e., electricity versus fossil fuels)
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64 DATA FOR DECISIONS reported by the private sector. Federal paperwork reduction measures have been focused on reducing reporting burdens.
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Meeting Data Needs 65 confidentiality of these data. DOT should develop a policy that addresses confidentiality and data access issues as part of the development of NTPMS, a topic that is discussed more fully in Chapter 4.
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66 DATA FOR DecisioNs confidentiality that will not breach the arrangements under which the initial data were collected. Joint public-private data collection efforts offer another way for DOT to obtain data in the form it needs at a reasonable cost and with a minimum of burden on private providers.
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Meeting Data Needs 67 be directly uploaded to state computers, both speeding data processing time and reducing multiple data entry and potential for error. These technologies are available and in use; their potential for enhancing the speed and quality of data collection has been demonstrated.
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68 DATA FOR DECISIONS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Transportation data are plentiful, but inadequate for national policy making. The biggest gap in DOT's multimodal data programs is in passenger and freight flow data.
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Meeting Data Needs 69 integration of data into GIS for analysis, should be carefully investigated. Acting on these opportunities requires a focal point within DOT for taking lead in making these data available.
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70 DATA FOR DECISIONS sponsorship of the motor carrier industry, which provides considerable supplementaiy detail on the vehicle, driver, and carrier through merging of motor carrier accident reports and selected follow-up interviews. The annual survey of regional and short-line railroads conducted by the Association of American Railroads does not contain origin and destination information.
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Meeting Data Needs 71 REFERENCES ABBREVIATIONS DOT U.S. Department of Transportation FAA Federal Aviation Administration FHWA Federal Highway Administration GAO General Accounting Office IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 0MB Office of Management and Budget OTA Office of Technology Assessment TRB Transportation Research Board Carey, J
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72 DATA FOR DECISIONS Helfand, S
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Meeting Data Needs 73 TRB. 1992 (forthcoming)
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TABLE 3-A FUNDING FOR DOT MAJOR STATISTICAL PROGRAMS, FISCAL YEARS 1974-199 1 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990a 1991 Office of the Secretaxy (OST) I Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA)
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TABLE 3-B FUNDING FOR DOT MULTIMODAL DATA PROGRAMS, FISCAL YEARS 1974-199 1 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Commodity Transportation Survey 0550 620 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0250 National Travel Survey/ Nationwide Personal Transportation Study 0 200 567 1,195 1,751 0 0 150 800 495 270 0 80 250 750 80 230 305 Journey-to-work 0 165 870 715 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Inland U.S. foreign trade 0 158 354 375 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Foreign trade 150 150 150 159 150 150 150 150 150 150 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 OST and RSPAb National transportation policy 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Information management 0 0 0 100 150 200 300 150 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 National Transportation Statistics, Transportation Safety Information Report, etc.
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11 Organizational Issues: Managing the Data The need for more effective and permanent institutional mecha-nisms within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
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78DATA FOR DECISIONS lion proposal to Congress in 1969 to establish a 5-year program to meet critical transportation information needs (DOT 1969, vii)
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SECRETARY DEPUTY SECRETARY EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF BOARD OF & DISADVANTAGED COMMERCIAL SPACE • INTELLIGENCE AND I I OFFICE OF SHALL I OFFICE OF I OFFICE OF SECRETARIAT CIVIL RIGHTS I CONTRACT APPEALS BUSINESS UTILIZATION TRANSPORTATION I SECURITY IASSISTANT SECRETARY1 (ASSISTANT SECRETARYI I SECRETARYI rFOR SISTANT SECRETARY' IASSISTANT SECRETARY IOFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL I FOR POLICY & I I FOR BUDGET I II FOR GOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS INSPECTOR GENERAL INTBIATI4AL AFFA0 AND PROGRAMS AFFAIRS FEDERAL AVIATION I FEDERAL HIGHWAY I FEDERAL RAILROAD I MARITIME RESEARCH AND I U.S. COAST GUARD __________________ ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION TRAFFIC SAFETY I TRANSPORTATION I SEAWAY OEVELCWMENTI ADMINISTRATION I I I S I PECIAL PROGRAMS ii I J J ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION CORPORATION J II ADMINISTRATION I FIGURE 4-1 DOT organization chart, 1991.
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C 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 80 DATA FOR DECISIONS to about $400,000 annually by the end of the decade (Figure 4-2 and Table 3-13)
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 81 Modal 91% Modal 98% Multimodal Mulumodal 2% 1974-1981 1982-1991 FIGURE 4-3 DOT funding of multimodal and major modal data programs, fiscal years 1974-1981 and 1982-1991 [modal data compiled by RSPA's Center for Transportation Information from 0MB (1988-1991) ; multimodal data compiled from OST and RSPA budget documents]
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82 DATA FOR DECISIONS NTPMS. This approach would also avoid previous objections by the operating administrations and others to the concept of a central statistical unit within DOT that might centralize all departmental data collection activities.
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 83 forthcoming for a Bureau of Transportation Statistics proposed by the Senate in the surface transportation bill must await passage of the final legislation. Independence The independence of a central statistical agency is essential to establish the credibility of its data and products (CNSTAT 1991)
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84 DATA FOR DECISIONS D.C. university and fund a graduate degree program in survey statistics for current and prospective federal statisticians (Executive Office of the President 1991)
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Organizational Issues.' Managing the Data 85 The new data collection activities of TDC would be limited. TDC should engage in data acquisition only when the required data fall between or transcend existing programs of the operating administrations, such as multimodal passenger and commodity flow surveys or intermodal data or when the center must supplement modal data programs to improve the comparability of data for systemwide analysis.
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86 DATA FOR DecisioNs could act as a data depository for the department, developing an electronic inventory of departmental data bases, which would provide a brief description of the available data and a point of contact regarding more detailed information about the contents of the data bases and conditions under which they can be accessed. Data Compilation New data collection activities of TDC would be limited and highly focused on multimodal surveys and intermodal data.
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 87 Data Standards and Quality Assurance A far more challenging task is improving the comparability and quality of the source data. This will require a long-term cooperative effort among TDC, the operating administrations, and other data providers.
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88 DATA FOR DECISIONS tions of the data will be recognized in interpreting the results (CNSTAT 1991)
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 89 Operating Administrations Development of NTPMS will require working closely with the operating administrations and data providers at other governmental levels, such as the states, as the primary sources for much of the data. Publication of the potentially highly visible state of the nation's transportation system report and distribution to a wide audience should offer an incentive for the operating administrations to provide quality input.
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90 DATA FOR DECISIONS and International Affairs and the Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs, who has responsibility for the newly formed DOT Office of Strategic Planning'° -- in defining the long-term strategic issues and policy questions facing the department. TDC professional staff would determine what data are needed to inform these policy concerns and put in place the data programs that are needed.
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 91 and data access as well as statistical methods of data collection. Based on its recent efforts to expand contacts with data users and respondents, the Census Bureau could assist TDC in designing a user outreach and data dissemination program.
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92 DATA FOR DEcisioNs operating administrations within DOT, other federal agencies and levels of government, and the private sector in the provision of these data. The primary role of TDC would be to conduct general purpose data activities to support broad policy needs, including development of NTPMS, management of the department's general purpose multimodal data surveys, and preparation of the required biennial report on the state of the nation's transportation system.
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 93 Programs: A Brief Historical Perspective, prepared by RSPA's VNTSC in November 1990. However, publication of National Transportation Statistics, which contains comparative statistics for all of the modes, was begun at this time.
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94 DATA FOR DECISIONS REFERENCES ABBREVIATIONS CNSTAT Committee on National Statistics DOT U.S. Department of Transportation NRC National Research Council 0MB Office of Management and Budget TRB Transportation Research Board VNTSC Volpe National Transportation Systems Center CNSTAT.
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Organizational Issues: Managing the Data 95 VNTSC.
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5 Next Steps Establishment of a transportation data center (TDC) within the U.S.
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98DATA FOR DECISIONS DOT's current funding of major statistical programs, including multimodal data programs (Tables 3-A and 3-13)
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Next Steps 99 TDC should issue an initial report on the state of the nation's transportation system no more than a year after the center is established. This report, which should be legislatively mandated, will provide a focal point for TDC's activities and a vehicle for summarizing the center's findings.
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100 DATA FOR DecisioNs CONCLUSION The long-term success of TDC will depend on the cooperation of many organizations both within and outside DOT. It will also require more resources than the initial $20 million if the center is to launch a serious effort to improve the comparability and quality of existing transportation data programs.
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Next Steps 101 REFERENCES ABBREVIATION DOT U.S. Department of Transportation Dean, A
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Appendix A Summaries of Major National Transportation Data Programs This appendix contains summary descriptions of the major na-tional transportation data programs available for strategic policy making purposes. The majority of the information was provided by representatives of the operating administrations of the U.S.
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104DATA FOR DEcisioNs scheduled departure or arrival time at an airport. The regulation requires this information to be reported for only the 31 largest U.S.
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Appendix A 105 Space Transportation Analysis and Research This data base provides information on international space transportation infrastructure and markets. Specifically, it provides information on launch vehicles, payloads (e.g., physical and operating characteristics)
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106 DATA FOR DECISIONS Form 41: Schedule T- 100(0: Foreign Air Carrier Traffic Data by Nonstop Segment and On-Flight Market is filed by foreign air carriers that provide service to and from the United States. Schedule T-100 contains traffic (e.g., passengers enpianed)
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AppenthxA 107 Form 2787: Passenger Origination and Destination Survey must be filed by certificated U.S. air carriers providing scheduled passenger service.
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108 DATA FOR DEcisioNs ment initiatives, and incident and accident data is provided; regulations and exemptions to regulations issued during the year are described; the status of the national safety program is summarized; and areas of future concentration are identified. Statistical summaries of incident and accident data indicate the condition of the hazardous materials transportation industry, and in conjunction with enforcement data, indicate the performance of that industry.
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Appendix A 109 cifically, FAA is responsible for developing the major policies necessary to guide the long-range growth of civil aviation; modernizing the air traffic control system; establishing in a single authority the essential management functions necessary to support the common needs of civil and military operations; and providing for the most effective and efficient use of the airspace over the United States. The agency is also responsible for rulemaking relative to these functions.
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110 DATA FOR DEcisioNs senger enplanements and tonS of enpianed freight (express and mail) by airport, carrier and type of operation, and type of aircraft.
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AppendixA 111 U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics is a detailed annual report containing statistics on pilots, mechanics, and other FAA-licensed aviation technicians and the number of certificates issued.
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112 DATA FOR DEcisioNs ing reported safety-related incidents and rules violations occurring in the NAS. NAIMS subsystems include the following: -Operational Errors System contains reports on occurrences attributable to elements of the air traffic control system that result in less than the applicable minimum separation distance among: (a)
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AppendixA 113 that compromised safety, or had the potential to do so. Before entry into the data base, the information is evaluated by ASRS analysts and is edited to ensure the anonymity of the reporting individuals.
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114 DATA FOR DECISIONS Hub Forecasts are detailed forecasts of major air carrier airports and all other airports within major metropolitan areas. National Outage Data Base contains down time and repair time, by cause, for airway and air traffic control facilities (e.g., radars, landing and navigational aids, etc.)
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AppendixA 115 Current Data Programs Data Collected Through States Highway Performance Monitoring System The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) is FHWA's on-going, integrated, annual data base, which consists of data on systems mileage, physical dimensions, usage, condition, performance, operating characteristics, and fatal and injuty accidents.
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116 DATA FOR DECISIONS part, based on traffic counts of the HPMS sections. On part of the HPMS samples, vehicles are classified to provide systemwide estimates of the proportion of travel by 13 vehicle types.
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AppendixA 117 and Use Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census is one source that is used to achieve a level of uniformity in preparing various estimates and summaries. Each state and the District of Columbia administers its own driver licensing system and provides data to FHWA, which provides the basis for summaries of drivers licenses by type, sex, and age.
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118 DATA FOR DECISIONS Review and Rating: Between 20,000 and 30,000 on-site reviews of carriers and hazardous material shippers are conducted annually by OMC field and state staff; reviews take place in the offices of the company and cover compliance with critical parts of the federal safety regulations. Inspections: Data are collected during the 500,000 roadside inspections of vehicles and drivers conducted annually; violations of regulations covering the driver and the vehicle, or specifically related to hazardous materials, are included.
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Appendu A 119 tion (NHTSA) , and the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA)
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120 DATA FOR DECISIONS precisely, specify links with existing data programs such as NPTS, and examine data collection methods and options. Comprehensive survey design is planned for fiscal year 1992; data collection is anticipated to begin in fiscal year 1993.
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Appendix A 121 collected from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The data provide information on the demographics of the people involved, their injuries, the types of vehicles involved, the roadway and environment, alcohol involvement, restraint usage, and the history of each driver's previous violations and accidents.
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122 DATA FOR DECISIONS for a wide variety of motor vehicle and highway safety issues to be assessed and currently contains data from 26 states. The Crash Avoidance Research Data File is currently one of the main constituents of the State Data Systems Program.
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AppenduA 123 UMTA's Grant-in-Aid programs in the early 1980s. The Section 15 Reporting System provides data on transit revenues by source; transit expenses by function and object class; nonfinancial operating data, including maintenance, employee counts, and service measures; and performance indicators, which relate measures of service outputs or use (e.g., vehicle revenue miles and passenger miles)
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124 DATA FOR DECISIONS cial assistance programs, conduct research and development in support of improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy, provide for the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service, and consolidate government support of rail transportation activities. Current Data Programs Carload Waybill Sample The annual Carload Waybill Sample contains comprehensive detailed information provided by Class I freight railroads from a 1 percent sample of rail waybills to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)
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From page 128... ...
Appendix A 125 Railroad Inspection Reporting System The Railroad Inspection Reporting System (RIRS) is used to monitor each FRA-performed inspection and record the nature of each defect uncovered and any follow-up action by the railroad to correct the deficiency.
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126 DATA FOR DEcisioNs MARITIME ADMINISTRATION Agency Mission The Maritime Administration (MARAD) administers programs to aid in the development, promotion, and operation of the U.S.
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Appendix A 127 Coast Guard and other sources. It contains information from a variety of sources on such items as container capacity, and whether the vessels are government or privately owned, were built with subsidy, have outstanding financing guarantees, or participate in the war risk binder program.
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128 DATA FOR DEcisioNs monitors the shipping activities of federal agencies, independent establishments, and government corporations. To perform this activity, MARAD maintains a computerized reporting system that processes information from more than 60,000 bills of lading annually.
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From page 132... ...
AppendicA 129 jurisdiction, covering all matters not specifically delegated by law to some other executive department or reserved to the states; develop, establish, maintain, operate, and conduct, with due regard to the requirements of national defense, aids to maritime navigation, icebreaking facilities, oceanographic research, and rescue facilities for the promotion of safety on and over the high seas and waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction; maintain a state of readiness to function as a specialized service in the Navy in time of war; and establish and maintain a coordinated environmental program and a comprehensive ports and waterways system, including all aspects of marine transportation.
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130 DATA FOR DECISIONS Seamen Documentation and Records System The Seamen Documentation System includes the marine licensing program and is located in the Office of Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection. The system, among its other functions, maintains files of shipping articles and master lists for reference in documenting service time for mariners and providing service records to mariners, the maritime community, and other interested parties.
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From page 134... ...
Appendix A 131 Environmental Response Program to generate a data base of pollution incidents. MPRS reports pollution incidents that occur within all navigable waters of the United States.
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132 DATA FOR DEcisioNs The Bureau of the Census is required by law to collect and publish general purpose data on the state of the economy and the population through censuses and sample surveys. The majority of the data are used directly by other agencies as input to their programs or to supplement other data collections to meet specialized needs such as price indexes, productivity measures, and economic development.
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Appendix A 133 other establishments of the same company are classified as auxiliary to the other units of the company that they serve. Data for auxiliaries are presented in a report issued as part of the 1987 Enterprise Statistics series, but not in the Census of Transportation.
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134 DATA FOR DECISIONS Census of Governments 1982, 1987, 1992 Coverage extends from the federal government and the 50 state governments to some 83,000 units of local government -- counties, cities, towns, school districts, and special districts. Data collected include full- and part-time employment and payrolls; revenues by type and sources, expenditure by character, object, and function (including an array of transportation-related functions)
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From page 138... ...
Appendix A 135 Decennial Demographic Census Questions on the means of transportation people use to get to work by geographic location of their work place have been included in the decennial Census of Population and Housing since 1960. In 1980, items on travel time to work and carpool occupancy during the work trip were added.
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136 DATA FOR DEcisioNs shipments, expenses, and other key measures for 18 transportation equipment manufacturing industries. Annual Government Finance Surveys provide coverage of the federal government, 50 state governments, and a sample of some 22,000 local governments -- counties, cities, towns, school districts, and special districts.
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From page 140... ...
Appendix A 137 equipment industry, including detailed information on motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, aircraft, and parts. Existing Demographic Surveys Information has been collected in the American Housing Survey (AHS)
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138 DATA FOR DECISIONS more than 24,000 additional establishments with more than 860,000 employees. General financial and employment data, and number of establishments will be provided.
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Appendix A 139 Regulatory reform has had a profound effect on the structure of freight transportation as traditional lines of delineation between arrangers of freight transportation have become blurred. All public data collection on freight forwarding ceased in 1980.
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140 DATA FOR DECISIONS This would be a voluntary survey of all state governments and a sample of individual local governments -- counties, municipalities, townships, school districts, and special districts. The financial data would cover the entire range of financial activities: revenues (motor fuel taxes, transit charges, federal revenues)
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From page 144... ...
Appendix A 141 Bus and Government Vehicle Survey Little is known about the use of the highway system by buses and government-owned vehicles. An estimated two million of these vehicles are currently in use, and they certainly could have an important impact on highway condition.
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142 DATA FOR DECISIONS The Navigation Data Center provides coordination of navigation information within USACE, the U.S. Department of Defense, all federal and nonfederal agencies, and with private partners and the general public, to ensure effective data collection and dissemination strategies.
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AppenducA 143 of commodity handled and includes location, berthing length, cargo direction, operating rate, and storage capacity for each facility. Lock Performance Monitoring Lock Performance Monitoring (LPM)
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144 DATA FOR DECISIONS fundamental shift in national transportation policy was reinforced by enactment of the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, the Household Goods Transportation Act of 1980, and the Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982. These measures provided for a sharply reduced federal role in regulating the trucking, railroad, and bus industries.
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From page 148... ...
Appendu A 145 cumulative annual basis. Only the carriers identified as Class 1 or 2 are required to provide significant reporting in the trucking sector.
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146 DATA FOR DEcisioNs only 16 in 1990 but accounted for more than 90 percent of total industry revenue. There are approximately 500 non-Class 1 carriers.
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From page 150... ...
AppendixA 147 data sources in both the public and private sectors. TMD is both a data user and a data gatherer.
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148 DATA FOR DECISIONS PRiVATE DATA SOURCES The private sector also collects national data on the transportation system primarily through surveys by industry associations or by compilation and analysis of public data. The following is an illustrative but not comprehensive list of some of the major private transportationrelated data sources organized by mode.' Trucking FREIGHTSCAN, a data base that is available from Data Resources Inc., provides annual information on commodity flows by product and mode by origin and destination pair for states and Bureau of Economic Analysis areas.
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From page 152... ...
Appendix A 149 Profiles of U.S. Railroads is a survey of non-Class 1 railroads (i.e., regional and short line railroads)
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150 DATA FOR DECISIONS Pipeline Oil and Gas Journal compiles source data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on miles of petroleum pipeline by type, operating revenue, and net income for interstate petroleum pipelines. Association of Oil Pipelines provides annual data on ton-miles of petroleum and refined products transported.
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AppendLA 151 Cook, S
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Appendix B New Technologies for Transportation Data Collection and Analysis: Opportunities and Applications ALAN E PIsARSKI Transportation data collection is a time-consuming and expensive undertaking.
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From page 156... ...
154DATA FOR DECISIONS These technologies can be divided into two classes of opportunity with respect to their data development potential: New technology-assisted data collection methods to substitute for traditional collection methods (e.g., use of hand-held computers to assist counting and inventorying functions)
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From page 157... ...
Appendix B 155 cel Service uses them for package tracking and control) , and reading of distant measurement devices (e.g., gas meters)
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From page 158... ...
156 DATA FOR DECISIONS will be required by the transportation data community to fully realize the data potential of these new technologies. On-Board Vehicle Data Systems These data systems, available in almost all surface, air, and marine vehicles, generate information for the control and management of the vehicle and its cargo.
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From page 159... ...
Appendix B 157 information on the travel patterns of the vehicles being tracked. For example, satellite tracking systems permit urban buses to be monitored on a continuous basis; buses can be rerouted when delays are apparent.
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From page 160... ...
158 DATA FOR DEcIsioNs One of the issues in the development of EDI has been agreement on protocols and standards. Distinct standards exist within industries and countries.
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From page 161... ...
Appendix B 159 survey's overall effectiveness is impeded. As the number of imports grows, a significant share of total national freight movements will be missed.
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From page 162... ...
160 DATA FOR DEcisioNs per unit of gross national product has been declining in recent years. One factor that could explain this is that the substitution of foreign imports for domestic products reduces the total transport requirement (i.e., the sum of all the ton-miles of steel, plastic, glass, etc.
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From page 163... ...
AppendLx B 161 are organized, manipulated, and displayed in spatial terms, generally maps. (Data may be represented spatially as points, lines, or areas.)
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162 DATA FOR DECISIONS How can these new technological developments help -Reduce the costs of data collection, processing, and analysis? -Speed data collection and reporting?
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From page 165... ...
Study Committee Biographical Information Lillian C Liburdi, Chair, is Director of the Port Department of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she also has served as Director of the Management and Budget Department, Acting Chief Financial Officer, and Assistant Director of the Aviation Department.
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164 DATA FOR DEcisioNs Urban Geography, Chairman of the Department of Geography, and Director of the Center for Urban Studies.
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From page 167... ...
Study Committee 165 River Associates, Dr. Fauth held several positions at Dun & Bradstreet Technical Economic Services, including General Manager, Vice President of Product Development and Management, and Director of Client Services.
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From page 168... ...
166 DATA FOR DEcisioNs George E Hall is President of the Base Line Data Corporation, a statistical consulting firm, and President of Slater Hall Information Products.
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From page 169... ...
Study Committee 167 creasing responsibility.
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From page 170... ...
168 DATA FOR DECISIONS portation Officials (AASHTO)
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From page 171... ...
The Transportation Research Board is a unit of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The- Boards purpose is to stimulate research concerning the nature and performanceof transportation systems, to disseminate the information produced by the research, and to encourage the application of appropriate research findings.
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From page 172... ...
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Key Terms
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