README for “DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present” dataset. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD); U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) [distributor] 2025-06-09 ---------------------------------------------------------------- LINKS TO DATASET ---------------------------------------------------------------- A. Dataset archive link: https://doi.org/10.21949/1403471 B. NTAD catalog dataset link (Current Year): https://doi.org/10.21949/1522192 ---------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY OF DATASET ---------------------------------------------------------------- The DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present dataset is from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), and is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics’s (BTS's) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). This dataset depicts the geographical boundaries of MARAD's nine Gateway regions. MARAD offices located within each region provide critical marine transportation outreach activities at major U.S. gateway ports located on the West, East, and Gulf coasts, as well as on the inland river system and the Great Lakes. All gateway regions contain one office except the Inland Gateway Region which has two. See https://www.maritime.dot.gov/about-us/gateway-offices/gateway-offices for more information. ---------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------- A. General Information B. Sharing/Access & Policies Information C. Data and Related File Overview D. Methodological Information E. Data-Specific Information for: DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present [datasets] F. Update Log ---------------------------------------------------------------- A. GENERAL INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 0. Title of Dataset: DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present [dataset] 1. Description of Dataset: The DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present dataset is from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), and is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS's) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). This dataset depicts the geographical boundaries of MARAD's nine Gateway regions. MARAD offices located within each region provide critical marine transportation outreach activities at major U.S. gateway ports located on the West, East, and Gulf coasts, as well as on the inland river system and the Great Lakes. All gateway regions contain one office except the Inland Gateway Region which has two. See https://www.maritime.dot.gov/about-us/gateway-offices/gateway-offices for more information. 2. Dataset archive link: https://doi.org/10.21949/1403471 3. Authorship Information: Principal Data Creator or Data Manager Contact Information Institution: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Address: 1200 New Jersey Ave SE, Washington D.C. 20590 Contact: jake.tsubota@dot.gov Data Distributor Contact Information Name: National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD) Institution: U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of Spatial Analysis and Visualization (OSAV) Address: 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington D.C. 20590 Email: ntad@dot.gov 4. Date of data collection and update interval: This dataset is updated as needed. This dataset is updated as needed. Dataset Manager is contacted to verify changes to data resulting in NTAD update. The metadata is updated in the same manner. For the most recent data, please visit the NTAD catalog at https://doi.org/10.21949/1522192 5. Geographic location of data collection: United States of America 6. Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ---------------------------------------------------------------- B. SHARING/ACCESS & POLICIES INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 0. Recommended citation for the data: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) [distributor]. DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present [datasets]. 1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: These data are in the Public Domain. 2. Was data derived from another source?: No. 3. This document was created to meet the requirements enumerated in the U.S. Department of Transportation's 'Plan to Increase Public Access to the Results of Federally-Funded Scientific Research' Version 1.1 << https://doi.org/10.21949/1520559 >> and guidelines suggested by the DOT Public Access website << https://doi.org/10.21949/1503647 >>, in effect and current as of December 03, 2020. ---------------------------------------------------------------- C. DATA & RELATED FILE OVERVIEW ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. File List for the DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present dataset A. Filename: bts_NTAD_MARAD_Regions_DMP_20250609.pdf Short description: A PDF file containing the Data Management Plan that was created for current and future management of the data and associated files. B. Filename: bts_NTAD_MARAD_Regions_README_20250609.txt Short description: The README.txt file that includes human-readable information about the data, variable definitions, contact information, and other contextual information. The file you are reading now. C. File List for the DOT_MARAD_Regions_NTAD2023_Present.zip collection. Ca. File List for NTADXXXX_GDB_Final_DOT_MARAD_Regions_XXXX_XX_XX.zip collection Ca 1. Filename: NTADXXXX_GDB_Final_DOT_MARAD_Regions_XXXX_XX_XX.gdb.zip (Folder) Short description: Compressed file folders containing the geospatial data for DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways 2023-Present dataset. File folders are classified by NTAD publication year and data vintage year or date respectively. Geodatabase (GDB) folders contain all the necessary components to view and otherwise interact with their data. Ca 2. Filename: MARAD_Offices.xml and MARAD_Regions.xml Short description: Extensible Markup Language (XML) files containing key metadata and documentation information such as methodology, procedures, etc. Ca 3. Filename: MARAD Offices.xlsx and MARAD Regions.xlsx Short description: Excel spreadsheet containing the dataset's data dictionary including attribute field names and definitions for fields and applicable values. ---------------------------------------------------------------- D. METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data: This layer was created to replicate the US Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) gateway offices’ static map on MARAD’s website (https://www.maritime.dot.gov/about-us/gateway-offices/gateway-offices), using ESRI’s ArcGIS pro software. The layer was created by going through the description in each webpage for a gateway office to understand the list of States that a gateway office encompasses. If an office encompasses a portion of the State only, then the boundary details were gathered by consulting MARAD subject matter experts. Polygons were created using MARAD’s description by either snapping to the existing State boundary files from Census and/or drawing by closely following geographical boundaries such as river/lakes/locks from the Esri Hydro Reference Overlay Map Service (https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/P3ePLMYs2RVChkJx/arcgis/rest/services/Esri_Hydro_Reference_Overlay/MapServer). A set of tools within ArcGIS pro were used to create the Gateway layer, such as create features, edit vertices, and snapping. For the Inland Waterways Gateway (St. Louis, MO) Gateway, specifically for the area around the Columbia River that acts as the border between Washington and Oregon, a 1 mile buffer using the buffer tool in the Analysis toolbox within ArcPro, was created around the Columbia – Snake River System (CSRS) from visual identification using the ESRI Hydro Reference Overlay Map Service from the Idaho- Washington border to the Bonneville Dam. The Bonneville Dam was visually located by following the Columbia – Snake river on the basemap. Attributes for this feature layer were based on the description of each gateway office which were represented in each row with exception of the Inland Waterway Gateway. The Inland Waterway Gateway was represented as a single polygon for both the St. Louis, Missouri office and Paducah, Kentucky office as each of these offices share the polygon. MARAD subject matter experts validated and updated these polygons to match the present situation. 2. Instrument- or software-specific information needed to interpret the data: File geodatabase data can only be opened with Esri ArcGIS. The documentation files can be opened with any basic text editor. ---------------------------------------------------------------- E. DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. DOT Regions - Maritime Administration (MARAD) Gateways data table Due to the size of the data, it is not described in detail here. Review the data dictionary present in the data folders for information on the data table. A. Number of variables (columns): The data dictionary found in MARAD_Offices.xlsx or MARAD_Regions.xlsx provides definitions for the variables B. Data Dictionary/Variable List: Because of the large number of variables, please refer to the Data Dictionary found within the file MARAD_Offices.xlsx or MARAD_Regions.xlsx for names, definitions, and formats of variables. C. Missing data codes: None ---------------------------------------------------------------- F. UPDATE LOG ---------------------------------------------------------------- This bts_MARAD_Regions_20250609_README.txt file was originally created on 2025-05-28 by Dominic Menegus, Geographer, dominic.menegus@dot.gov [Note changes or update to the readme.txt file, e.g.:] 2025-06-09: Original file created 2025-12-03: DOI added