BTS Releases Three New Products on CD-ROM

Contact DOT 38-96 Kevin Cross 202-366-8869

Monday, February 12, 1996 -- The Department of Transportation s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today announced the availability of three new products on CD-ROM. These include Transportation Data Sampler-3, the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey: 1983 and 1990, and TransBorder Surface Freight Data April 1993-March 1995.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics continues to perform a valuable service for transportation data users around the country, Secretary Peña said. Accessibility to transportation data is vital to the transportation community.

The Transportation Data Sampler-3 (TDS-3) is a compendium of information resources available from DOT and its allied agencies. It is a sequel to TDS-2 released by BTS in January 1994. TDS-3 contains several new information resources including the 1992 Truck Inventory and Use Survey (TIUS) with the National Center for Health Statistics Statistical Export and Tabulation System (SETS) on-disc software; the 1991, 1992, and 1993 Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents database; the Worldwide Transportation Directory; and the Air Travel Consumer Report, as well as updates to a number of files contained on the TDS-2. As with the previous releases, TDS-3 contains information in a variety of file formats, including several Macintosh-accessible resources, and related software.

The Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) CD-ROM contains statistics from the 1983 and 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Surveys which measure daily travel patterns of individuals by economic, demographic, and other characteristics, representing a sample of approximately 6,500 households in 1983 and 22,000 households in 1990. This is a joint effort of BTS and the Federal Highway Administration.

The disc also contains SETS software (described above) which allows data users to browse and search the NPTS data and documentation, create customized tabulations; and export user- defined subsets of NPTS data to spreadsheet, database, and statistical software applications. This is the first time that these data are available in their entirety in PC-accessible format. A subset of the 1990 NPTS was made available on diskettes by the Volpe Center.

The TransBorder Surface Freight Data CD-ROM contains statistics detailing U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico, and U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico from April 1993 through March 1995. The CD-ROM also contains software which allows data users to access and browse the documentation and data; download the data and documentation; and print or copy technical documentation and associated files. BTS and the Federal Railroad Administration jointly produced this product.

Dr. T. R. Lakshmanan, director of BTS, stated The development of these CD-ROMs is another illustration of the Bureau s commitment to providing accessibility to transportation information.

To order any of these products, or for further information, contact the Bureau of Transportation Statistics at (202) 366-DATA or by fax at (202) 366-3640.