This initial effort to present nationally consistent statistics on port throughput and capacity demonstrates that existing measures fall short of providing a complete picture of national port performance. Available time and resources precluded BTS from developing additional measures for this first Annual Report, but the experience of preparing this report and the recommendations delivered by the Working Group to the BTS Director on December 4, 2016, point to a number of improvements that may be made in the near future.

As discussed with the Working Group, BTS must consider six basic questions when considering development of a new measure for port performance (or any other topic in the Bureau’s domain):

• Is the proposed statistic relevant to capacity and throughput?
• Is the statistic nationally consistent?
• Is the statistic reasonably accurate, timely, and verifiable?
• Are data collection and estimation methods transparent?
• Is the statistic based on data that are affordable to collect or obtain?
• If data collection is required, is the respondent burden kept to a minimum?

The evolving nature of the port industry and of data collection itself presents BTS with both challenges and opportunities in further developing this program. USACE collected extensive data on port infrastructure for many years through on-site surveys by its staff. The resulting information was compiled into a database. This database contained information on load capacity, mechanical handling facilities, berth space, and apron width, among other details. The information was compiled for piers, wharves, and docks at principal ports. However, the collection of these detailed characteristics was discontinued in 2008 due to budget constraints, and a significant portion of the information is now a decade or more old.

Some of the key information formerly collected in this legacy program may be extracted from overhead photography. In the past, aerial photography typically required expensive arrangements with specialized aviation firms. Satellite imagery with adequate resolution is now available at lower cost and greater frequency. BTS will explore ways to extract additional measures on port capacity from satellite imagery for future editions of this Annual Report.

Vessel and truck tracking systems may offer a low-cost source of information on port capacity or throughput. The U.S. Coast Guard Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracks the locations of individual ships for navigation management and the Federal Highway Administration National Performance Management Research Data Set provides truck location data that trucking companies use to manage dispatching and meet other operational needs. BTS will explore these and other sources in an effort to expand and improve the Port Performance Freight Statistics Program.

BTS recognizes that some desired statistics might require data collection through surveys of port administrators, terminal operators, or other members of the port community. BTS also recognizes that such data collection will be complex given the variety of organizations involved in port governance. Whether data are collected through surveys or administrative records, BTS recognizes the need to continue to work with the varied organizations and interests represented in the Working Group to develop standard definitions for the units being measured.

In the months ahead, BTS will review the recommendations of the Working Group and stakeholders’ reactions to this first Annual Report, and will develop strategies for improving and expanding statistics on port throughput and capacity. BTS will work with USACE, MARAD, and the other principal Federal statistical agencies to develop and implement those strategies, as resources allow. BTS looks forward to comments on this first Annual Report and ideas for future improvements. Comments and ideas should be sent to PortStatistics@dot.gov or to the Port Performance Freight Statistics Program, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC, 20590.