International Trade Data System (ITDS)

The International Trade Data System (ITDS), as described in section 405 of the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (the "SAFE Port Act") (Public Law 109-347), is an electronic information exchange capability, or "single window," through which businesses will transmit data required by participating agencies for the importation or exportation of cargo.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) component of the ITDS is an import and export monitoring system designed to improve the efficiency and accuracy of NMFS trade monitoring programs by utilizing the data and services provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) via the national ITDS architecture.

NMFS trade monitoring programs supported by the NMFS ITDS include, the Tuna Tracking Verification Program (TTVP), the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) program, the Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) program, and the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP).

The NMFS ITDS is also integrated with the NMFS National Permit System (NPS) to provide international trade permit data to NMFS trade monitoring programs and to CBP.

Today seafood traders must submit information to multiple agencies multiple times through processes that are largely paper-based and manual. Under ITDS, traders will submit their import and export data only one time to a single electronic system. This will reduce the costs of documenting shipments for both the private sector and government agencies.

In addition, U.S. consumers will have even greater confidence that their seafood is legally caught as ITDS will allow NOAA Fisheries to identify and stop shipments of illegally caught seafood faster and more effectively. In line with the President's National Export Initiative, ITDS will also facilitate the flow of U.S. seafood exports thus strengthening the economy and supporting U.S. jobs.

This metadata record is intended to provide current, summary information on the International Trade Data System (ITDS). As the system continues to evolve, each production release of ITDS will have a child metadata record within this parent record (see "Child Items" below). This metadata record will be updated over time to reflect any major changes to the system. Minor changes and release specific information will be documented in the children, release specific metadata records.

On February 19, 2014, President Barack Obama signed executive order 13659 ("Streamlining the Export/Import Process for American Businesses"). The order established policy principles and an implementation plan for the development of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) and to improve supply chain processes and identification of illicit shipments.

The ITDS, as described in section 405 of the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (the "SAFE Port Act") (Public Law 109-347), is an electronic information exchange capability, or "single window," through which businesses will transmit data required by participating agencies for the importation or exportation of cargo.

The Census Bureau is responsible for collecting, compiling, and publishing international trade statistics for the United States under the provision of Title 13, United States Code (USC), Chapter 9, Section 301. Every month, the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis jointly release the U.S. Trade in Goods and Services, FT-900. The FT-900 report provides detailed information on import and export by commodity and end-use categories. The Census Bureau provides detailed information on more than 9,000 export commodities and 18,000 import commodities. This information assists U.S. businesses in making informed decisions by tracking the global marketplace for their product and identifying possible opportunities to expand to new markets.

The Automated Export System (AES) is the primary instrument used for collecting export trade data. Through the AES, the Census Bureau collects Electronic Export Information (EEI), reported pursuant to Title 15 Code of the Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 30. The Census Bureau’s data collection process has been integrated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since the days of paper Shipper’s Export Declaration. Census and CBP worked closely on the incorporation of the AES into the ITDS.

On the import side, the Census Bureau uses information collected by CBP including the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), Automated Commercial System (ACS) and the e214 and their paper equivalent. The vast majority of the information is captured electronically, but there is a small amount still collected through paper.

The ITDS will allow businesses to continue to transmit via AES amd ACE the transactional data required by dozens of U.S. executive departments and agencies for the importationa or exportation of cargo. In doing so, the platforms on which AES and ACE reside will be the systems for the import and export data exchange (or “single-window”).

Although AES is currently mandatory to meet the export reporting requirements of the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Industry and Security, and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, businesses will soon be able to submit data in AES to satisfy requirements of other agencies that currently require reporting on paper. The ITDS single window concept will improve the costly and time-consuming process by allowing businesses to submit electronic data one time in AES.

The modernized information communication infrastructure provided by the ITDS will also enable improvements to current logistics and border management processes which would, in turn, simplify the export process and facilitate enforcement of U.S. trade, security, safety, and environmental laws. Agencies will have authorized access to accurate and timely electronic export data to better orchestrate reviews and develop common risk-management policies and systems. In addition, businesses will also have authorized access to their own data through the “single window” for recordkeeping and to ensure compliance.