2018 Whatcom County, Washington, Regional Transportation Study

The 2018 Whatcom Regional Transportation Study in Washington state collected demographic and travel behavior data to inform transportation planning and modeling efforts in the Whatcom Council of Governments planning area.

Data Collection Agency

RSG conducted the survey for the Whatcom Council of Governments in Whatcom County, Washington.

Survey Methodology

Data were collected Sept. 25, 2018–Oct. 29, 2018, via an app made by RSG.

The study used representative sampling methods to decrease the nonresponse bias from low-income households and increase the share of responses from college students. It also used innovative data-collection methods—leveraging smartphones to capture most of the travel data—resulting in higher and more accurate trip rates and more precise trip times, distances, and person-miles traveled.

Survey Records, Data, and Documentation

Survey records include 3,000 participants from 1,451 households with access to 2,562 vehicles. More than 1 million location points provide geospatial data for the greater than 60,000 linked and unlinked trips across 13,107 person-days.

Survey results are split into seven different files, each providing data about a specific aspect of the survey: households, people, vehicles, days, linked and unlinked trips, and locations. Each file also contains other relevant information pertaining to demographics, vehicle descriptions, travel modes, and trip purposes.

For the study's latitude and longitude data, learn how to access the spatial data.

How To Cite the Data

If you use TSDC data in a publication, please contact us and include a citation in your publication consistent with the following format:

"Transportation Secure Data Center." [(year)]. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Accessed [date]: www.nrel.gov/tsdc.

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