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SpatialNews.com Press Release
BTS Releases NTAD 2003 Geographic Databases;
First Time MPO Boundaries Are Included in a National Database
Get Your Own Copy of NTAD at ESRI Booth #618
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released the 2003
edition
of the National Transportation Atlas Databases (NTAD), the first
complete national database to be developed and distributed that describes
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) boundaries.
NTAD 2003, introduced at the Environmental Systems Research Institute
User Conference in San Diego, contains four new databases that add
significant value to this signature BTS product. The information on MPO
boundaries is significant because these organizations play a major role in
decisions regarding federally funded transportation projects within
their boundaries.
*BTS and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have developed a
national geographic database that brings the potential power and promise
of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as the ultimate visual and
spatial transportation planning tool one step closer to reality,* U.S.
Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta said. *NTAD 2003 will be a
powerful aid for transportation decisionmakers in both government and the
private sector.*
BTS and its partners throughout the U.S. Department of Transportation
and other federal government agencies worked together in compiling NTAD
2003. NTAD is a collection of geographic databases containing
information on nationwide transportation facilities, transportation networks,
and associated infrastructure @ supporting research, analysis, and
decision-making across all modes of transportation. It consists of 23
separate datasets, 14 of which have been updated in the 2003 edition.
NTAD 2003 also includes:
Intermodal Terminals: This terminals database updates BTS* 1997-98
version and continues improvements in the use of current data and spatial
accuracy. This database will be useful to multimodal surface
transportation analysis and planning efforts throughout the public and private
sectors.
National Freight Road Network: These data are from the Freight
Analysis Framework (FAF), developed by FHWA, designed for use in analyzing the
spatial characteristics of national highway freight flows at the
state-to-state level. FAF data tables can be linked to this database for
analysis. These components will allow a user to identify improvements in
the efficiency of freight movements along the nation*s transportation
infrastructure.
Transit Rail Lines and Stations: This preliminary version of the
transit geodatabase is being distributed with the 2003 NTAD and contains
data on the locations of transit rail lines and stations. This transit
database was a collaborative effort of BTS, the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA),
as data were collected directly from transit agencies and MPOs
nationwide. This initial release contains all transit data collected by BTS as
of Spring 2003. A final database will be available in fall 2003.
Due to popular demand, NTAD 2003 is again provided in shapefile
format, which is compatible with most GIS software. As in 2002, the product
is being offered in dual CD-ROM set.
To order a copy of the CD-ROM set, contact BTS by phone at
202-366-DATA, by fax at 202-366-3197, by e-mail at orders@bts.gov or by mail sent
to Product Orders, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, USDOT, 400
Seventh Street, S.W., Room 7412, Washington, DC 20590.
The datasets may be accessed via the Mapping Center at TranStats on the
Internet at http://transtats.bts.gov/mappingcenter.asp (select the
*Geospatial Data* link). Additionally, the CD-ROMs may be ordered at
http://www.bts.gov/btsprod (select the *Geospatial Information and
Maps* link). For technical information, contact Matt Sheppard at
202-309-0936.
Related Weblinks:
www.bts.gov
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