Supply Chain–Related Data Sources

One of the lessons learned from the workshop discussions is that any attempt to assemble a new data source for supply chain data, for example something similar to the Commodity Flow Survey data, would be ineffective considering the complexity and diversity of supply chains, their very dynamic nature, the fact that there is no single source for all the elements of the supply chain, and technological limitations in capturing, storing and mining the voluminous data from all required sources. However, there are several existing data sources that capture elements of supply chain related data that could be leveraged more by public agencies for infrastructure planning and economic development initiatives as well as for quantifying the risks involved in making long-term investment decisions.