External Complaint Tracking System
(Data are collected from the entire population of interest)
Data Scope
Data for XTRAK (External Complaint Tracking System) will cover all complaints
filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT) which involve allegations
of discrimination by an entity that received DOT funding, or in situations
where DOT has statutory enforcement authority. Valid bases for allegations
of discrimination include: age, color, disability, ethnicity, national
origin, race, religion, and sex.
Data Collection
Method - Upon receipt of information alleging discrimination,
data will be entered by DOCR staff and DOT Civil Rights office personnel.
Schedule - Data will be entered continuously by DOCR as cases
are filed and as the responsible DOT Civil Rights office conducts case
processing.
Response Rates - XTRAK will include all allegations of discrimination
filed with DOT.
Nonsampling Errors
The XTRAK system has been developed with the elimination of nonsampling
error as one of its major design goals. Possible nonsampling errors could
include, but are not limited to, errors made in collection or recording
the data. Mechanisms to eliminate these errors are being built into the
system. For example: date fields will be entered using a calendar control
to ensure the entry is a date; edit checks will be designed to verify that
the date value is reasonable; cross-referencing and "pick lists" will be
utilized to standardize names of respondent organizations; and lists of
respondent organizations and applicable statutes will be OA-specific. As
unforeseen nonsampling errors become known, measures to eliminate them
will be implemented.
Duplicate Entry Error - It is possible that a single complaint
filed with multiple OA civil rights offices could generate multiple cases
within the system. The system includes search mechanisms designed to eliminate
this problem.
Missing Data - Data could be missing from the system due to non-entry
by DOT personnel.
Response/Measurement Error - It is possible that a complainant
may provide incorrect data or be unwilling or unable to provide some information.
Coding/Recording Error - Coding errors could occur when recording
data.
Verification and Validation
Data verification and validation occur mainly through use of the data
by personnel in DOT civil rights offices while processing cases. Data elements
which are used for reporting performance measures will be verified in the
process of report verification. For example, if a manager suspects that
a statistic in a report is invalid and the report’s calculations have been
verified, then the data could be sorted to identify possible errors. Steps
to eliminate these errors can then be built into the user interface or
the database.
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