TRANSPORTATION DATA NEEDS: PROGRAMS FOR A NEW ERA - IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE DOTS AND MPOS. PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, MAY 27-29, 1992. PANEL ON DATA NEEDS FOR TRANSPORTATION POLICY, FINANCE, AND EVALUATION: WORKSHOP REPORTS

This workshop report summarizes the findings on data needs for transportation policy, finance, and evaluation. Ms. Jeff discusses the relationship between metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state departments of transportation (state DOTs), as it existed prior to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and now with the ISTEA. She points out the importance of how we translate data into usable statistics and in turn translate that into information, and the need that exists to broaden the perspective under which we look at the data. She points to the importance of tradeoffs, and examines the workshop discussion on the question of a research agenda. Mr. Goodman comments on the need for forecasts. He points out that one of the weakest items in the development of a financial program is determining the cost of different types of projects, and that some tracking mechanism needs to be established for this purpose. Another element he examines is the education of staff. He points to the need for research on land use forecasting, for alternative land use plans, for more household surveys as well as employer-based surveys, and for geographic information systems (GIS).