Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Transportation Data for a Nation on the Move Bureau of Transportation Statistics Research and Innovative Technology

Bureau of Transportation Statistics:Transportation Data for a Nation on the Move

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

United States Department of Transportation

April 25, 2011

2U.S. Department of TransportationResearch and Innovative Technology Administration

Outline

History and OverviewPrograms and Activities

□Data Collection▪ Airline▪ Economics▪ Freight▪ Passenger▪ Safety

Publications and Data AnalysisSpecial StudiesWeb Tools to Access Data


History and Overview

■ In 1992, the

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)

created BTS as a federal statistical agency to:□ administer data collection, analysis, and reporting; and □ ensure the most cost-effective use of transportation-

monitoring resources. ■ BTS is one of the 13 statutorily recognized Federal Statistical Agencies.

As such, BTS□ is policy-neutral objective broker for the facts,□ does independent data collection and analysis, but assists all the other modes

to be more effective and efficient,□ sets standards for transportation data, and□ has special statutory protections for the confidentiality of data.


Overview (Continued)■ In 2005, BTS became a part of the

Research and Innovative Technology

Administration.

■ Stakeholders include:□ Congress□ DOT□ Other Federal agencies□ State governments□ Metropolitan Planning Organizations□ Local governments□ Universities□ Private sector□ General public

Budget and Size□ SAFETEA-LU authorizes $27

million each year annually; Airline program

$4 million; Approximately 55 staff


BTS Aviation Program Collects the Most Comprehensive Data on the Industry.

■ Authorized under legislation enacted

when the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB)

was terminated.■ Collects data on:

□ Traffic from origins to destinations Passenger flow Freight/Mail flow Capacity between OD pairs Operational Statistics – departures and

aircraft hours

□ Finance and Costs Revenue Operating expenditure Employment profile Fuel cost and fuel consumption

□ Performance On-time arrival Causes of delay


An Example of BTS Airline StatisticsDomestic Jet Fuel Prices (Monthly Data, Not Seasonally Adjusted)


BTS Airline Data Show No Tarmac Delays Longer Than Three Hours In February 2011.


Complete Airline Data Available At:

■http://www.bts.gov :Scheduled Product Releases are available for download as datasets

■http://www.transtats.bts.gov/□ Traffic □ Financial□ On-Time Flight Performance/Flight

delays□ Origin-Destination (OD) of Passenger flows□ Fares between OD pairs

■http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/


The BTS Transportation Services Index Measures the Outputs of the Transportation Industry.

■Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles

■Released each month and serves as national economic indicator

■The latest freight TSI fell 1.5% between January 2011 and February 2011.

■Available at: http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml


Government Transportation Financial Statistics

Summary of Transportation Revenue and Expenditure(Thousands of Current Dollars)

■Contains statistics on transportation-related revenues and expenditures of the federal, state and local governments for all modes of transportation;

■Also contains federal budget authority and obligations, and grants to state and local governments.

11U.S. Department of TransportationResearch and Innovative Technology Administration 11

Statistics on the American Recovery and Reinvestment ActData on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds are updated continuously and displayed in a thematic map.


Commodity Flow Survey (CFS): Primary Source of U.S. Domestic Freight Shipments.

■The CFS is a shipper-based survey and is conducted every five years.

■It provides a modal picture of national freight flows.

■The CFS was conducted in 1993, 1997, 2002, and most recently in 2007.

■Data are provided on the types, origins and destinations, values, weights, modes of transport, distance shipped, and ton-miles of commodities shipped.

■The 2007 CFS is available at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/commodity_flow_survey/factfinder.census.gov/

■Planning for the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey is under way.


CFS Estimates Distances Shipped By Mode and Commodity With GeoMiler.

Highway network

Highway network

Rail network

TRUE ORIGIN

TRUE DESTINATION

Truck-Rail transfer facility

Truck-Rail transfer facility

Modal spatial joins

Modal spatial joins


GeoMiler Example: Modes and Distances for a Shipment from Riverton, WV to Sudbury, MA.


International Freight Data System (IFDS)

■The Safe Port Act requires agencies with import and export missions/responsibilities to

participate in the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Automated Commercial

Environment/International Trade Data System (ACE/ITDS).■ ACE/ITDS is an effort to re-engineer import and export data collection for the

International Freight Data System (IFDS). ■IFDS will be the data warehouse to interface with CBP for detailed international freight

transportation data – first phase to be completed in 2012.■Participating agencies include:

□ BTS. □ Federal Highways Administration (FHWA), □ Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA), □ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), □ Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), □ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and □ Maritime Administration (MARAD).

■DOT agencies expect to link e-manifest (all modes) data with entry and entry summary

data for better geographic representation of imports followed by exports


TransBorder Freight Database

■Represents official U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico for shipments that entered or exited the United States by surface modes of transport (other than air or maritime vessel).

■Specifically, it contains freight flow data by commodity type and by mode of transportation (rail, truck, pipeline, air, vessel, and other) for U.S. exports to, and imports from, Canada and Mexico.

■It has been used to monitor freight flows and changes since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by the United States, Canada and Mexico in December 1992.


Surface Transportation Trade Between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico

Trade Was 19.5 Percent Higher in January 2011 Compared to January 2010, Reaching $67.7 billion


TransBorder Freight Database can be queried at BTS website


National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO)

■First conducted in 2000 and resumed in 2006 on a biennial basis as mandated in the SAFETEA-LU.

■In 2007, 190 ferry operators provided service to an estimated 106 million passengers through nearly 500 terminals in 37 States and 3 U.S. Territories, using a fleet of almost 700 active vessels with capacity to carry as many as 6,000 passengers at a time, or as few as 2. Service was provided on nearly 350 different route segments, covering 7,877 route miles

■2010 National Census of Ferry Operators is currently underway

Intermodal Connectivity at Ferry Terminals (2007)


Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database

Web Mapping Application Example: Chicago, Illinois

A nationwide database of passenger transportation terminals, with data on:

□ availability of connections among the various scheduled public transportation modes at each facility

A web tool is under development to facilitate data retrieval and display on:

□ Facility type□ Type and connecting mode□ Type and number of connecting

modes The web tool can retrieve

information (by facility type) for all selected facilities

□ Information displayed in “Feature Grid” tab at bottom of screen

□ Zoom/pan to facilities on the map


Confidential Close Call Reporting to Improve Rail Operational Safety

■ A 5-year demonstration project that allows railroad employees to voluntarily and confidentially report "close call" events or unsafe conditions that could have resulted in an accident but did not.

■ Federal Railroad Administration Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) Project is to collect data to analyze operational safety and develop methods and tools to help railroads better identify hazards and manage risk.

■ BTS' statutory authority protects the confidentiality of information collected for statistical purposes.


Publications

Transportation Statistics Annual Report

■Presents transportation statistics on the extent, connectivity, and condition of the U.S. transportation system.

■ Addresses information quality and efforts to improve statistics.

Pocket Guide to Transportation

■Summarizes key transportation statistics in pocket size format


Key Transportation Indicators Web Publication

■Provides timely and easily accessible information for the transportation community about:

□The economy and society in which transportation functions, and other aspects of transportation.

■These indicators are either transportation-wide in scope or apply to a specific aspect of the transportation system.

■Updated bi-monthly

■Available at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/key_transportation_indicators/


National Transportation Statistics (NTS)

■Presents a comprehensive compilation of statistics on the U.S. transportation system,

■Topics include:□ The Transportation System□ Safety□ Transportation and the

Economy□ Transportation, Energy, and

the Environment

■Updated quarterly online

■Available at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/


State Transportation Statistics

■Presents a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia

■Updated continuously based on source data releases

■Web application interface being developed

■Available at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/


National Transportation Atlas Database

■Originally mandated in ISTEA and included in each subsequent legislation

■Represents the Transportation Theme of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)

■Produced annually since 1995

■Contains data from throughout USDOT and from several partner agencies

■Distributed through the annual release of the NTAD DVD□ Approximately 3,000 distributed each year

■All databases also available for download via the BTS web site□ Over 60,000 accesses/downloads annually


Examples of Special Studies■ Transportation Satellite Accounts (TSAs)

□ Measure transportation services’ contribution to the economy by Expanding upon the basic input-output accounts produced by the Bureau of

Economic Analysis (BEA) so as to provide a more complete measure of the role of transportation in the economy

Providing detailed inputs of services and commodities used in the transportation sector by mode

■ Rural Population’s Access to Transportation□ 1 in every 25 rural Americans lost access in last 5 years

□ Rural population in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut have the best access to intercity services compared to the rest of the country.


Multi-Pronged Approach to Transportation Data and Knowledge

■National Transportation Library□Physical□Digital

■Transportation Knowledge Networks■Community Development on TR.gov■Social Media Outlets■Public Affairs


National Transportation Library (NTL)

Provides reference services (via email, web, phone requests)

□In FY2010, NTL Reference Team handled over 24,000 requests for information about transportation regulations, policy, statistics, and research.

Responds to requests from Congress, all other levels of government, the media, academia, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and the general public.

Provides information resources (print and electronic)□In FY10, full-text downloads from the NTL Digital Repository totaled over 4 million

Maintains a physical collection of 100,000+ items on technical and law

Provides access to over 100 electronic databases and 300 journal subscriptions for USDOT employees


Reference services□ USDOT “Contact Us”; RITA/BTS Answers Team□ USDOT and TIGER FAQs□ User training sessions□ Traditional reference and research services

Collections and resources□ 40,000-item digital repository□ 100,000+ item physical collection (technical and law)□ 100 electronic databases□ 300 journal subscriptions

Networking activities□ Transportation Knowledge Networks□ Transportation Librarians Roundtable□ Transportation Research Thesaurus□ TLCat□ Science.gov

Information Services Provided by NTL


Transportation Knowledge Networks (TKNs)

The National Transportation Library’s networking activities include partnering with transportation information centers across the US to share resources, hosting monthly webinars to share best practices, and partnering to make NTL resources more available, through tools like www.worldwidescience.org.

In fiscal year 2010, TKN facilitated the Development of Strategic Implementation Goals for a National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN)


Other Uses of BTS Information Respond to Congressional Inquiries

Respond to Press Inquiries □ E.g., Associated Press, Bloomberg News, New York Times, Wall St. Journal, Los

Angeles Times, USA Today, CNNMoney, ABC Radio, Chicago Tribune

Issue Press Releases on current transportation matters□ “January 2011 Airline System Traffic Up 2.2 Percent from January 2010”□ “January 2011 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 19.5 Percent from

January 2010, reaching $67.7 billion”□ Clips: Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Associated Press and Dow

Jones Newswires

Social Media and Newsletters□ Subscribe for BTS News and Updates: http://www.bts.gov/press_room/□ Find BTS on:

Delicious: www.delicious.com/nationaltransportationlibrary Twitter: www.twitter.com/natltranslib and www.twitter.com/TransportStats Facebook: www.facebook.com/nationaltransportationlibrary and

www.facebook.com/DOTRITA for slide #32


BTS Webinar Series

■Airline Data Overview: June 16th

■International Data Overview: July 28th

■National Census of Ferry Operators: Date TBD■Omnibus Household Survey: Date TBD■Transportation Services Index: Date TBD■Transportation Statistics Overview: Date TBD


Contact Information

Steven K. Smith

Deputy Director

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

U.S. Department of Transportation

[email protected]

(202) 493-0145

RITA Contact Information:

[email protected]

800-853-1351

Documents

Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Transportation Data for a Nation on the Move Bureau of Transportation Statistics Research and Innovative Technology