Integrating Data Sources

• Activity Number: 333
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Joy Sharp*+ and Kenneth Steve*+ and Elaine Murakami*+
• Companies: Bureau of Transportation Statistics and U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration
• Keywords: integrating data ; administrative records ; survey data ; transportation

Abstract

The Integrating Data panel will stimulate discussion on how various researchers are integrating data sources in the context of transportation. Utilizing and combining data from different sources, such as combing survey data with administrative records, can provide users with a much richer, more useful dataset for uses in sampling, quality control, and analysis. Experiences in using multiple data sources for a myriad of purposes is presented, with the hope that exchanging knowledge and methods will lead to the increase and improvement of future data integration. The following will be discussed: (1) how critical transportation data from the economic census forms derivative data products; (2) the need of additional data sources to leverage and produce the National Census of Ferry Operators database; (3) the utilization of electronic on-board technology in commercial motor to study safety-related issues such as driver fatigue, hours of service, and carrier performance; and (4) how collective non-motorized transportation data measures travel behavior to better understand energy consumption, reducing vehicular congestion, urban development patterns, and promotion of healthier lifestyles.