Flori Mihai

Manager Data Planning and Standards Main Roads WA

Content OutlineNational Transport Policies: Australia

Transport Council (ATC)

Strategic Research and Technology: purpose and deliverables

National Transportation Data Quality Framework

Challenges/Opportunities

ATC PoliciesA national transport policy, seamless national transport

system, national reform addressing:

Economic Framework for Efficient Transportation Market Place – single national registration scheme for trucks and single driver licence for truck drivers, a key step to introduce the principle of ‘the money following the truck’ - Intelligent Access Program (IAP)

Infrastructure Planning and Investment - interrelationship between land use planning and the passenger transport task in the planning stage of transport infrastructure investments.

ATC Policies (cont.)Urban Congestion -improving the quality of

information and transport and land use modelling, enhancing integration of transport and land use planning

Supply Chain - 12 supply chains which are of national significance: coal, iron ore, livestock and meat, copper, grain, seafood, processed foods (including dairy), wine, forestry automotive, petroleum and general freight (including containers) , need good intelligence on the demand for transport services

ATC Policies (cont.)Road Safety - In-vehicle and at-roadside technology, including

the digital tachograph technology and other potential solutions that use global positioning systems (GPS); Investigation of a national ‘stars on cars’ program to provide consumers with safety ratings on new light vehicles

Climate Change - A mandatory CO2 emissions standard for cars, light commercial vehicles and sports utility vehicles; research and development of low emissions fuels and transport technologies

Strategic Research and Technology (SR&T) – National collaborative strategic research and technology agenda that looked beyond a modal focus; harmonising national transportation data. 

SR&T: National Transportation Data Action Plan1. Identify strategically important national transportation data

2. Identify data gaps (incl. analysis gaps) and data procurement methods - by Oct. 2009

3. Define “level One” metadata attributes and “desirable” metadata attributes - by Oct. 2009

4. Improve the institutional environment for managing transportation data - by October 2009

5. Improve the visibility of the data through a web portal - by Oct. 2009

National Transportation Data Quality Framework (QF)Based on Australia Bureau of Statistics QF – six elements; can be

used for each data set but also for strategic purposes to assess how existing transportation data meets national policy needs

1.Relevance

Reflects the degree to which it meets the real needs of clients Described in terms of key user needs, key concepts and the scope

ofthe collection including the reference period. These components are then compared against specific user needs to assess relevance

Lack of coordination between user needs and available data, or in other words data not relevant to the needs, indicate data gaps

National Transportation Data QF (cont.)2. Coherence

Reflects the degree to which it can be successfully brought together with other statistical information within a broad analytic framework and over time

Coherence encompasses the internal consistency of a collection as well as its comparability both over time and with other data sources

The use of standard concepts, classifications and target populations, coverage information and data presentation standards promote coherence, as does the use of common methodology across same type surveys

National Transportation Data QF (cont.)3. Accuracy

The degree to which the information correctly describes the phenomena it was designed to measure

Usually characterised in terms of error in statistical estimates and is traditionally decomposed into bias (systematic error) and variance (random error) components

It may also be described in terms of major sources of error that potentially cause inaccuracy (e.g. sampling, non-response)

National Transportation Data QF (cont.)4. Currency/timeliness

Refers to the delay between the reference point (or the end of the reference period) to which the information pertains, and the date on which the information becomes available

Also refers to data collection frequency

National Transportation Data QF (cont.)5. Institutional Environment

Refers to the data provider and includes institutional and organisational factors that have a significant influence on the effectiveness and credibility of the agency producing the data

Examples of the information that may be contained within this dimension are professional independence, mandate for data collection, adequate resources, quality commitment, statistical confidentiality, impartiality and objectivity

In a broader context, it can be applied to data governance structures

National Transportation Data QF (cont.)6. Accessibility

Includes the ease with which the existence of information can be ascertained

The suitability of the form or medium through which the information can be accessed such as file format, compression and exchange protocols

The cost of the information may also be an aspect of accessibility for some users

…In a nut shellRelevance - title and description of the dataset and

why was created, what is its purpose?Coherence - providing information on time series

and dataset comparability, logical consistencyAccessibility - how to access information, contact

details, data formats available, if any constraints on use

Institutional Environment - who created the dataset, which organisation?

Accuracy - including a description of collection method, quantify sampling error and coverage, and describing accuracy of administrative data

Timeliness and Currency - what is the reference period for the dataset?

Comparison with ANZLIC Metadata Guidelines400 metadata elements (24 core elements for

geographic data?) fit into the 6 broad attributes, for example:

Quality described by: Lineage Positional accuracy Attribute accuracy Logical/conceptual consistency Completeness/omission

Currency: Beginning Date End Date Maintenance and update frequency

Challenges/OpportunitiesRight balance between usefulness of the

metadata information for the user and the burden on the metadata provider (processes, systems, time, $)

Harmonisation of metadata requirements, start with minimum requirements

Visibility of the data and metadata