A TRB conference, Using Census Data for Transportation, was conducted on October 25—27, 2011, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies in Irvine, California. The conference was supported by AASHTO, Census Transportation Planning Products; FHWA, Office of Planning; FTA; and TRB. TRB assembled a planning committee appointed by the National Research Council (NRC) to help organize and develop the conference program. The planning committee was chaired by Jonette Kreideweis, from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (retired). Committee members provided expertise in transportation planning, data analysis, census data, private- and public-sector data, and education and training. The planning committee was solely responsible for organizing the conference, identifying speakers, reviewing submitted abstracts, and developing topics for the breakout group discussions. Katherine Turnbull, from the Texas Transportation Institute, served as the conference rapporteur and prepared this document as a factual summary of what occurred at the conference. The conference brought together approximately 115 individuals from across the transportation communities at the national, state, regional, and local levels, and from the public and private sectors and academia. The conference focused on the critical role of census data in a wide range of transportation planning applications. The conference provided a forum for participants to share experiences with the use of census data in transportation planning and decision making. Participants also learned about recent and forthcoming census products. The conference further provided the chance to discuss opportunities, limitations, and challenges involved in using census data, data available from the private sector, and data from global positioning systems and other technologies. Finally, participants were able to discuss research and training needs associated with applying census data and data from other sources to transportation planning and decision making. This conference summary report follows the conference agenda. The presentations made in each session are summarized. The conference began with general sessions highlighting activities at the Census Bureau; data at the federal, state, and local levels were used. Breakout sessions included presentations on the use of census data and data from other sources for a wide range of transportation applications. Two breakout discussion group sessions allowed participants to share their ideas and experiences, discuss challenges and opportunities, and identify research and training needs. In addition, there were five discussion groups focused on different topics. The five topics were content specification; integration with other sources and private-sector data; data dissemination and data access, tools, and models; funding and institutional arrangements relating to the census and alternative sources; and research and professional development. The final general sessions included an update on research activities and a data power user’s forum. The discussion group leaders highlighted key points and common themes in the closing session. The views expressed in this summary are those of individual conference participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all conference participants, the planning committee, TRB, or the NRC. This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC Report Review Committee. The purposes of this independent review are to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for clarity, objectivity, and responsiveness to the project charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting