TRANSPORTATION 

SECURITY 

INFORMATION 

SHARING

Stakeholder 

Satisfaction Varies; 

TSA Could Take 

Additional Actions to 

Strengthen Efforts

Report to Congressional Committees

June 2014

GAO-14-506

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-14-506, a report to 

congressional committees

June 2014

TRANSPORTATION SECURITY INFORMATION 

SHARING

Stakeholder Satisfaction Varies; TSA Could Take

Additional Actions to Strengthen Efforts

Why GAO Did This Study

The U.S. transportation system—

composed of multiple interconnected 

modes, including aviation, freight and 

passenger rail, highway, public transit, 

and pipelines—moves billions of 

passengers and tons of goods yearly. 

The system’s size and importance to 

the country’s safety, security, and 

economic well-being make it an 

attractive target for terrorists. The 

Implementing Recommendations of the 

9/11 Commission Act of 2007

mandated GAO to conduct a biennial 

survey of satisfaction of recipients of 

transportation security–related 

information. GAO last conducted this 

survey in 2011. 

This report addresses the extent to 

which (1) stakeholders report they are 

satisfied with TSA’s security-related 

products and mechanisms used to 

disseminate them and TSA has used 

GAO’s prior survey information to 

identify any areas for improvement, 

and (2) TSA obtains, documents, and 

incorporates stakeholder feedback. To 

do this, GAO conducted a survey of 

481 stakeholders from November 2013 

through January 2014 and received a 

70 percent response rate. While the 

responses cannot be generalized, they 

provide insight. GAO also analyzed

2013 TSA survey data and conducted 

interviews with agency officials. An 

electronic supplement—GAO14-488SP—provides survey results.

What GAO Recommends

Among other things, GAO 

recommends that TSA assess GAO’s 

survey results to identify causes of 

information-sharing gaps and actions 

to address them, and systematically 

document and incorporate stakeholder 

feedback. DHS concurred.

What GAO Found

Satisfaction with the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) securityrelated products and the mechanisms used to disseminate them varied by 

transportation mode, and TSA has not used the results of GAO’s 2011 survey of 

stakeholders to identify the causes of information-sharing gaps or actions to 

address them. For example, in the survey conducted for this report, 59 percent of 

stakeholders (196 of 335) indicated they were satisfied with the products they 

received from TSA, but less than half of aviation stakeholders (71 of 149) 

reported being satisfied. Similarly, 59 percent of stakeholders (195 of 331) 

indicated that they were satisfied with the mechanisms TSA uses to disseminate

transportation security–related information, while 39 percent of highway (9 of 23) 

and 46 percent of rail (40 of 87) stakeholders reported they were satisfied. 

Further, both GAO’s 2011 and 2013 survey found stakeholders from certain 

modes were more likely to report that they received each of TSA’s product types,

and not all stakeholders reported that they were familiar with TSA’s mechanisms. 

Assessing the results of GAO’s current survey could better position TSA to look 

for causes of such gaps and identify solutions to improve its information-sharing 

efforts.

Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with TSA Products and 

Mechanisms, by Mode, 2013

TSA has some mechanisms in place to collect stakeholder feedback, such as 

surveys attached to its products and informal feedback collected at meetings with 

stakeholders, but TSA has not systematically obtained, documented, and 

incorporated stakeholder feedback to improve information sharing. TSA is 

beginning to take steps to systematically obtain stakeholder satisfaction survey 

data. However, TSA is in the initial planning stages of this effort and has not 

determined whether or how it plans to document informal feedback—used by the 

majority of stakeholders GAO surveyed—or identified how it plans to incorporate 

all of the feedback collected. Consistent with customer service best practices, 

TSA could better ensure it is meeting stakeholder needs by including in its 

planned framework a systematic process to document informal feedback, and 

how it plans to incorporate all of the feedback it receives, both formal and 

informal. 

View GAO-14-506. For more information, 

contact Jennifer Grover at (202) 512-7141 or 

groverj@gao.gov.
Page 1 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

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Washington, DC 20548

Letter 1

Background 9

Stakeholder Satisfaction Varied by Mode, and TSA Has Not Used 

Our Survey Results to Identify Causes of Information-Sharing 

Gaps or Actions to Address Them 13

TSA Could Enhance Its Efforts to Systematically Document and 

Incorporate Feedback to Improve Information-Sharing Efforts 25

Conclusions 31

Recommendations for Executive Action 32

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 32

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 36

Appendix II Comments from the Department of Homeland Security 44

Appendix III GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments 46

Tables

Table 1: Primary TSA Information-Sharing Products 11

Table 2: TSA Information-Sharing Mechanisms 12

Table 3: TSA’s Feedback Collection Mechanisms 26

Table 4: Stakeholder Groups That Received and Completed 

the Survey 39

Figures

Figure 1: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being 

Satisfied with TSA’s Products, by Mode 15

Figure 2: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being 

Satisfied with TSA’s Information-Sharing Mechanisms, 

by Mode 17

Figure 3: Stakeholders’ Reported Receipt of TSA Security-Related 

Information Products 19

Figure 4: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Having 

Heard of the Homeland Security Information Network, 

by Mode 21

Contents
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Abbreviations 

APTA American Public Transportation Association

DHS Department of Homeland Security

HSIN Homeland Security Information Network

IPT Information Sharing Integrated Project Team

OIA Office of Intelligence and Analysis

OSPIE Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement 

SBU sensitive but unclassified

TSA Transportation Security Administration 

TSISE Transportation Security Information Sharing Environment 

TSISP Transportation Security Information Sharing Plan

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain 

copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be 

necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
Page 3 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

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Washington, DC 20548

June 24, 2014

Congressional Committees

The U.S. transportation system—which is composed of multiple 

interconnected modes of transportation, including aviation, freight and 

passenger rail, highway, public transit, and pipelines—is an open, 

accessible, and complex system that moves billions of passengers and 

millions of tons of goods each year. According to the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan, 

the system’s size and importance to the country’s safety, security, and 

economic well-being make it an attractive target for terrorists.1

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 assigned DHS responsibility for 

sharing information with its federal, state, local, and private sector 

homeland security partners to assist in the prevention of and response to 

terrorist attacks.

Disrupted 

terrorist attacks in recent years demonstrate the importance of effective 

information sharing with public and private transportation security 

stakeholders. For example, the disruption of a planned attack on a 

passenger train operating between Toronto and New York City in April 

2013, and February 2014 intelligence that warned of possible attempts to 

attack passenger jets using explosives concealed in shoes, both illustrate 

the important role information sharing plays in transportation security.

2 The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 

Commission Act of 2007 (9/11 Commission Act) directed DHS to create a 

plan—now called the Transportation Security Information Sharing 

Environment (TSISE)—that was first issued in July 2008 and most 

recently updated in October 2012.3

 1

DHS, Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan: An Annex to the National 

Infrastructure Protection Plan (Washington, D.C.: 2010).

The TSISE is designed to establish a 

foundation for sharing transportation security–related information among 

public and private entities that have a stake in protecting the nation’s 

transportation system. While multiple DHS components are responsible 

2

Pub. L. No. 107-296, § 201(d)(9), 116 Stat. 2135, 2147 (2002).

3

Pub. L. No. 110-53, § 1203(a), 121 Stat. 266, 383-85 (2007) (codified at 49 U.S.C. § 

114(u)(2)). The TSISE was formerly called the Transportation Security Information 

Sharing Plan (TSISP). In fiscal year 2013, TSA renamed the plan the TSISE to reflect that 

the TSISE is not a part of a plan, but rather a series of processes. 
Page 4 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

for information sharing, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 

is the department lead on providing transportation security–related 

information to other DHS components and public and private 

stakeholders, including owners and operators of critical transportation 

infrastructure.

Our prior work on information sharing with private and public security 

stakeholders has shown that information sharing continues to be a 

challenge for the federal government.4 In January 2005, we designated 

the sharing of terrorism-related information as a high-risk area because 

the government faced significant challenges in analyzing and 

disseminating this information in a timely, accurate, and useful manner.5

We reported that information is a crucial tool in fighting terrorism and that 

its timely dissemination is critical to maintaining the security of our nation. 

This area remains on our high-risk list.6 As a result of this designation, we 

monitor federal efforts to remove barriers to and better achieve 

information sharing. In addition, we have made a number of 

recommendations to DHS to strengthen this area and the agency has 

taken steps in response, such as expanding its efforts to share terrorismrelated information with private sector entities and identifying state and 

local partners’ information needs. The National Strategy for Information 

Sharing also discusses the need to improve information sharing, including 

enhancing the quantity and quality of specific, timely, and actionable 

information provided by the federal government to critical infrastructure 

sectors.7

 4

See, for example, GAO, Information Sharing: DHS Has Demonstrated Leadership and 

Progress, but Additional Actions Could Help Sustain and Strengthen Efforts, 

DHS’s continued progress in enhancing the sharing of terrorismrelated information and responding to our findings and recommendations 

GAO-12-809 

(Washington D.C.: Sept. 18, 2012), and Public Transit Security Information Sharing: DHS 

Could Improve Information Sharing through Streamlining and Increased Outreach, 

GAO-10-895 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 22, 2010).

5

GAO, High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-05-207 (Washington, D.C.: January 2005).

6

Every 2 years, we provide Congress with an update on our High-Risk Program, which 

identifies and helps resolve serious weaknesses in areas that involve substantial 

resources and provide critical services to the public. There are 30 areas on GAO’s highrisk list. GAO, High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-13-283 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 14, 

2013).

7

The White House, National Strategy for Information Sharing (Washington, D.C.: October 

2007).
Page 5 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

will be critical to supporting government-wide sharing and related efforts 

to secure the homeland.

Section 1203 of the 9/11 Commission Act mandated us to conduct a 

biennial survey of the satisfaction of recipients of transportation security–

related information distributed under the TSISE.8 In response to this 

mandate, in 2011, we assessed the satisfaction of recipients of 

transportation security–related information within the aviation, passenger 

and freight rail, and highway modes.9 We found that the transportation 

stakeholders we surveyed were generally satisfied with TSA’s securityrelated information products, but we identified opportunities to improve 

the quality and availability of the disseminated information.10

• To what extent do stakeholders report they are satisfied with TSA’s 

security-related products and the mechanisms used to disseminate 

them, and to what extent has TSA used GAO’s prior survey 

information to identify any areas for improvement?

We 

recommended that TSA (1) address stakeholder needs regarding the 

quality of analysis in its products, (2) conduct targeted outreach efforts to 

stakeholders to increase the number of stakeholders receiving securityrelated products, (3) establish outcome-oriented performance measures 

to assess the results of efforts to provide information through a key TSA 

information-sharing mechanism, (4) increase the functionality of its 

information-sharing mechanisms, and (5) define and document TSA’s 

information-sharing roles and responsibilities. DHS concurred with our 

recommendations and, in coordination with TSA, implemented two of 

these recommendations by improving the quality of analysis in its 

products and developing a more user-friendly information-sharing 

mechanism. TSA has taken steps to implement the other 

recommendations but has not fully addressed our concerns, as discussed 

later in this report. This report addresses the following questions:

 8

Pub. L. No. 110-53, § 1203(a), 121 Stat. at 383-85 (2007) (codified at 49 U.S.C. § 

114(u)(7)).

9

GAO, Transportation Security Information Sharing: Stakeholders Generally Satisfied but 

TSA Could Improve Analysis, Awareness, and Accountability, GAO-12-44 (Washington, 

D.C.: Nov. 21, 2011).

10GAO-12-44.
Page 6 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

• To what extent does TSA obtain, document, and incorporate 

stakeholder feedback on its information-sharing efforts?

To answer the first question, we surveyed transportation stakeholders 

from the aviation, freight and passenger rail, highway, public transit, and 

pipeline modes.11 We conducted the survey from November 2013 through 

January 2014 and included 481 stakeholders; we received responses 

from 337 stakeholders (70 percent of those surveyed). We sent the 

survey to security officials at commercial passenger air carriers, Category 

X and I commercial airports, air cargo carriers, Amtrak, Class I freight rail 

carriers, short line and regional railroads that carry toxic inhalation 

hazards or operate in high-threat urban areas, public transit agencies, 

pipeline companies, and members of two groups that are composed of 

key highway stakeholders—the Highway and Motor Carrier Sector 

Coordinating Council and the Peer Advisory Group.12

 11For the purposes of this report, we defined TSA stakeholders to be owners and 

operators of critical transportation infrastructure. We did not include maritime stakeholders 

in our review because the U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency for maritime information 

sharing.

We sent the survey 

to the entire known population of these aviation and rail organizations, as 

well as all members of highway groups; no sampling was conducted. We 

surveyed 46 of the 896 U.S. public transit agencies, which represent 

12For purposes of this report, “commercial airport” refers to an airport within the United 

States operating in accordance with a TSA-approved security program and at which TSA 

performs, or oversees the performance of, passenger and baggage screening activities. 

Category X airports represent the nation’s largest and busiest airports as measured by the 

volume of passenger traffic and are potentially attractive targets for criminal and terrorist 

activity. TSA classifies the nation’s airports into one of five categories (X, I, II, III, and IV) 

based on various factors such as the number of takeoffs and landings annually, the extent 

of passenger screening at the airport, and other security considerations. In general, 

Category X airports have the largest number of passenger boardings and Category IV 

airports have the smallest. As defined by revenue, for 2009, Class I railroads are freight 

rail carriers having an operating revenue of $379 million or more. The Highway and Motor 

Carrier Sector Coordinating Council is an industry advisory body that, as appropriate, 

coordinates the private industry perspective on highway and motor carrier security policy, 

practices, and standards that affect the transportation sector. According to TSA officials, 

the Peer Advisory Group includes 12 to 15 representatives from motorcoach companies 

that coordinate with TSA to, among other things, share security-related information. Our 

survey responses represent each of the stakeholder groups described but are not 

generalizable to entire modes of transportation such as aviation, rail, and highways. 

Because we surveyed different stakeholders and stakeholder groups in 2013 than for our 

2011 review, current survey results cannot be directly compared with the 2011 survey 

results.
Page 7 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

about 84 percent of total 2011 ridership.13 We also surveyed the 52 

energy companies that operate the 100 most critical pipeline systems.14

While the survey responses cannot be used to represent the opinions and 

satisfaction of all transportation stakeholders as a whole, the responses 

provide data for the population we surveyed. Because we surveyed 

different stakeholders and stakeholder groups in 2013 than in 2011, 

survey results cannot be directly compared with the 2011 survey results.15

GAO-14-488SP

The survey document and percentages of responses received for each 

question are reproduced in an electronic supplement we are issuing 

concurrent with this report— . To obtain additional 

narrative and supporting context from stakeholders, survey respondents 

were given multiple opportunities to provide additional open-ended 

comments throughout our survey. We also interviewed officials from 16 

transportation industry associations, selected to achieve a variation 

across transportation modes and sectors; TSA officials responsible for 

developing security-related information products and coordinating with 

industry stakeholders; DHS officials responsible for the department’s 

primary information-sharing mechanism; and six individual survey 

 13The total number of public transit agencies reflects those agencies that reported data to 

the National Transit Database in fiscal year 2011, the most recent year for which data 

were available when we initiated our survey. The National Transit Database is the nation’s 

primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems of the United States.

We surveyed 46 of the top 50 agencies as measured by fiscal year 2011 ridership. We 

omitted 4 agencies after learning that the security points of contact at 5 agencies were the 

same.

14A pipeline system is considered critical if it is so vital to the United States that its 

incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national 

economic security, public health or safety, or any combination thereof. TSA determined 

the most critical pipeline systems based on the amount of energy they carry.

15In two instances, the modes selected for our survey differed from those in the 

satisfaction survey results we reported on in November 2011. Specifically, we conducted 

reviews of pipeline security and public transit information sharing in 2010 and therefore did 

not assess the satisfaction of pipeline or public transit stakeholders in our November 2011 

TSA information-sharing review. See GAO, Pipeline Security: TSA Has Taken Actions to 

Help Strengthen Security, but Could Improve Priority-Setting and Assessment Processes, 

GAO-10-867 (Washington D.C.: Aug. 4, 2010), and GAO-10-895. In addition, we did not 

always survey the same population for a particular mode or transportation sector across 

both surveys. For example, for our November 2011 report, we surveyed state departments 

of transportation or emergency management to collect highway stakeholders’ views. 

However, in coordination with TSA, we decided a more appropriate population to include 

in our current survey was members of the Highway and Motor Carrier Sector Coordinating 

Council and the Peer Advisory Group. Further, TSA officials provided us with a more 

comprehensive and inclusive list of short line and regional railroads than we reported on in 

November 2011, which more than doubled the number of stakeholders in this sector.
Page 8 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

respondents, selected to achieve a variation across modes, to obtain 

additional context about their responses. While the opinions expressed in 

the interviews cannot be generalized to all stakeholders or modes of 

transportation, they provided important perspective to our analysis. We 

also reviewed documents and plans that describe recommended 

practices for effective information sharing, such as the 2012 TSISE. 

Finally, we compared TSA’s efforts to identify and take appropriate 

actions based on stakeholders’ responses to our surveys with best 

practices in performance management.16

To answer the second question, we obtained 2012 and 2013 customer 

satisfaction survey data—the most recent data available—from surveys 

TSA distributes with its information-sharing products, and public transit 

customer satisfaction survey data collected through surveys administered 

by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in August 

2011, January 2012, December 2012, and October 2013—all of the 

surveys administered as of April 2014. We questioned knowledgeable 

TSA and APTA officials regarding completeness, accuracy, and 

management of the data. Limitations with these data are discussed later 

in this report. In addition, we asked questions about the type of feedback 

stakeholders provide TSA in our customer satisfaction survey described 

above. We also analyzed fiscal year 2014 through 2016 TSA strategic 

plans and planning efforts to develop a systematic process to collect and 

analyze customer feedback. We compared this information against 

customer service best practices and best practices for customer 

satisfaction17

 16See, for example, GAO, Executive Guide: Effectively Implementing the Government 

Performance and Results Act, GGD-96-118 (Washington, D.C: June 1, 1996), and 

Managing for Results: Enhancing Agency Use of Performance Information for 

Management Decision Making, 

as well as Standards for Internal Control in the Federal 

GAO-05-927 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 2005). This 

report identified (1) how federal agencies can use performance information to make 

management decisions and (2) practices that can facilitate the use of performance 

information. To determine the best practices for performance measurement, we reviewed 

relevant literature, including previous GAO reports, spoke to experts in using performance 

information, and held group discussions with federal program managers. 

17See GAO, Defense Logistics: Improving Customer Feedback Program Could Enhance 

DLA’s Delivery of Services, GAO-02-776 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 2002). We 

conducted an extensive literature search of best practice organizations to determine

popular techniques for collecting customer feedback that we used to evaluate activities 

related to defense logistics. In addition, see GAO-10-895, in which we applied these best 

practices to public transit.
Page 9 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Government.

18

We conducted this performance audit from June 2013 to June 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.

In addition, as noted above, we interviewed officials from 

16 industry associations, 6 stakeholders, and TSA officials responsible for 

coordinating with stakeholders and collecting stakeholder feedback to 

determine what other mechanisms TSA uses to obtain and incorporate 

stakeholder feedback. Appendix I provides more details about our 

objectives, scope, and methodology.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, enacted in November 2001, 

assigned TSA responsibility for security in all modes of transportation, 

which includes aviation, maritime, public transit, highway and motor 

carrier, freight rail, and pipeline.19 The act included requirements for 

deploying a federal screening workforce at airports that is responsible for 

screening all passengers and property transported from or within the 

United States on commercial aircraft.20

 18GAO, Internal Control: Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, 

TSA has a direct role in ensuring 

the security of the aviation mode through its management of a passenger 

and baggage screener workforce that inspects individuals and their 

property to deter and prevent an act of violence or air piracy. However, 

TSA has a less direct role in securing other modes—such as freight rail 

and highway and motor carrier—in that it generally establishes voluntary 

standards, conducts inspections, and provides recommendations and 

advice to owners and operators within those modes. Responsibility for 

securing these modes is shared with other federal agencies, state and 

GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1 (Washington, D.C.: November 1999).

19Pub. L. No. 107-71, § 101(a), 115 Stat. 597 (2001) (codified as amended at 49 U.S.C. § 

114(d)). The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency for maritime information sharing.

20For purposes of this report, “commercial aircraft” refers to a U.S.- or foreign-based air 

carrier operating under TSA-approved security programs with regularly scheduled 

passenger operations to or from a U.S. airport. At airports in the United States 

participating in TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, screening activities are carried out 

by private, rather than federal, screening workforce employed by companies under 

contract to TSA. See 49 U.S.C. § 44920.

Background
Page 10 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

local governments, and the private sector. However, TSA has 

responsibility for receiving, assessing, and distributing intelligence 

information related to transportation security in all modes and assessing 

threats to the transportation system.

Within TSA, the Office of Security Policy and Industry Engagement 

(OSPIE) is responsible for setting policy for all modes of transportation 

and is the primary point of contact for sharing information with private 

sector stakeholders. TSA’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA) 

receives intelligence information regarding threats to transportation and 

designs intelligence products intended for officials in TSA, other parts of 

the federal government, state and local officials, and industry officials with 

transportation responsibilities that include airline, rail, and pipeline 

security coordinators; airport and public transit law enforcement officials; 

and transportation associations, among others.21 OIA receives and 

assesses intelligence from within and outside of the intelligence 

community to determine its relevance to transportation security.22 OIA 

also has deployed field intelligence officers throughout the United States, 

who, among other duties, serve as liaisons with state and local law 

enforcement officials as well as with fusion centers.23

 21OSPIE was formerly known as the Office of Transportation Sector Network 

Management, and OIA was formerly known as the Office of Intelligence. TSA changed the 

names of these offices in September 2011 as part of a realignment. 

Sources of 

information outside the intelligence community include other DHS 

22The U.S. intelligence community is a coalition of 17 agencies and organizations within 

the executive branch that work both independently and collaboratively to gather the 

intelligence necessary to conduct foreign relations and national security activities. Its 

primary mission is to collect and convey the essential information the President and 

members of the policymaking, law enforcement, and military communities require to 

execute their appointed duties. The 17 member agencies are: U.S. Air Force, Intelligence, 

Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; U.S. Army, Army Military Intelligence; the Central 

Intelligence Agency; U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Intelligence; Defense Intelligence 

Agency; Office of Intelligence and Counter Intelligence, the Department of Energy; Office 

of Intelligence and Analysis, the Department of Homeland Security; the Bureau of 

Intelligence and Research, Department of State; Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the 

Department of the Treasury; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of 

Investigation; U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps Intelligence Activity; the National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; the National Reconnaissance Office; National Security 

Agency; U.S. Navy, Naval Intelligence, and the Office of the Director of National 

Intelligence.

23A fusion center is generally a collaborative effort of two or more agencies that provide 

resources, expertise, and information to the center with the goal of maximizing their ability 

to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity.
Page 11 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

components, law enforcement agencies, and owners and operators of 

transportation system. OIA disseminates security information to 

stakeholders representing the various transportation modes through 

several security-related information products, as shown in table 1.

Table 1: Primary TSA Information-Sharing Products

Product Description

Reports Provide information or analysis on specific issues, topics, or suspicious activities, or provide situational 

awareness of an ongoing or recent event.

Assessments Typically include analysis of the threat and a discussion of potential actors, targets, and tactics, and may 

include an outlook or review of potential countermeasures or vulnerabilities. TSA produces various 

assessments, including modal threat assessments (multimodal, aviation, freight rail, pipeline, highway, 

public transit); special events threat assessments; and tactics, techniques, and procedures assessments. 

Briefings Security-related information, including details on threats, vulnerabilities, and suspicious activities is shared 

with transportation stakeholders during unclassified or classified briefings. These briefings may be provided 

on an as-needed basis or more regularly to entire industries at forums such as trainings, workshops, and 

conferences.

Posters One-page unclassified graphical products focusing on a single topic or issue. Posters are developed 

primarily for transportation security officers and can cover a variety of topics, including concealment 

techniques, and tactics, techniques, and procedures that may be encountered on the front lines of 

transportation security.

Encounter Reviews

a

Intelligence-based, analytical products related to select terrorist watch list encounters or events of particular 

concern or focus regarding air travel of known or suspected terrorists that are distributed to passenger air 

carriers

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) | GAO-14-506.

.b

Notes: This list does not include all of TSA’s information-sharing products, but rather those identified 

by TSA officials and transportation stakeholders as the primary products produced by TSA.

a

In general, transportation security officers conduct the screening of passengers, baggage, and cargo 

at airports.

b

The federal government’s consolidated terrorist watch list contains records with identifying 

biographical information—such as name and date of birth—of foreign and U.S. citizens with known or 

appropriately suspected links to terrorism. As used in this report, the term “encounter” refers to any 

incident where a screening or law enforcement entity has contact with a person who is positively 

matched to a record in the terrorist watch list.

TSA is one of several sources of security-related information for 

transportation stakeholders. These stakeholders may also receive 

information from other federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of 

Transportation, as well as, among others, state and local fusion centers 

and industry associations.

TSA uses multiple mechanisms to distribute these products, some of 

which are described in table 2. Other mechanisms that transportation 

stakeholders may use to obtain security-related information include those 
Page 12 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

operated by regional, state, and local entities such as law enforcement 

agencies and emergency operations centers, as well as industrysponsored mechanisms such as the Association of American Railroads’

Railway Alert Network, among others.

Table 2: TSA Information-Sharing Mechanisms

Mechanism Description

Homeland Security Information Network 

(HSIN)

Web-based platform operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to facilitate 

sensitive but unclassified information sharing and collaboration among federal, state, 

local, tribal, and private sector entities. DHS describes HSIN as its primary informationsharing mechanism. HSIN is made up of a network of communities, called communities of 

interest. These communities are organized by state organizations, federal organizations, 

or mission areas such as emergency management and critical infrastructure.

Transportation Security Administration’s 

(TSA) Aviation Web Boards

Websites devoted to aviation security–related information. In addition to regulatory and 

policy documents, TSA posts security-related information on the Web Boards. There are 

designated Web Boards for divisions of aviation operators including airports, passenger 

air carriers, and air cargo carriers. 

E-mail alerts As a part of its information-sharing efforts, TSA’s Office of Security Policy and Industry 

Engagement occasionally disseminates e-mails to transportation organizations that 

include unclassified and sensitive but unclassified security-related information. This TSA 

mechanism is intended to provide transportation stakeholders with information such as 

suspicious incident and situational awareness reports.

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by DHS. GAO-14-506.
Page 13 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Our survey results indicate that the extent to which stakeholders reported 

that they are satisfied with TSA’s security-related products and the 

mechanisms used to disseminate them varied by mode, with satisfaction 

ranging from 48 percent (aviation) to 89 percent (public transit) for 

products and 39 percent (highway) to 81 percent (public transit) for 

information-sharing mechanisms.24

 24Survey respondents were asked to rate their organization’s satisfaction using the 

following terms: “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,”

“somewhat dissatisfied,” “very dissatisfied,” and “don’t know.” We use the term “satisfied”

to describe organizations that indicated they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat 

satisfied.” Similarly, we use the term “dissatisfied” to describe organizations that indicated 

they were either “very dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied” with the information they 

received. Because satisfaction and dissatisfaction were not the only possible responses, 

when we report that 59 percent of respondents reported being satisfied, for example, that 

does not necessarily mean that 41 percent were dissatisfied.

Specifically, in terms of stakeholders’

satisfaction with TSA’s security-related products, 59 percent (196 of 335) 

of stakeholders who responded to our survey question concerning overall 

satisfaction with TSA’s products reported that they were satisfied with the 

Stakeholder 

Satisfaction Varied by 

Mode, and TSA Has 

Not Used Our Survey 

Results to Identify 

Causes of 

Information-Sharing 

Gaps or Actions to 

Address Them

Stakeholder Satisfaction 

and Familiarity with TSA’s 

Products and Mechanisms 

Varied by Mode
Page 14 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

products they received in 2013.25 However, aviation stakeholders were 

less likely to report being satisfied with the TSA products they received 

than stakeholders from the other four modes we surveyed. As shown in 

figure 1, the majority of highway, public transit, pipeline, and rail 

stakeholders, but less than half (48 percent) of aviation stakeholders, 

reported being satisfied.

 25We describe results for five different modes: aviation (including commercial passenger 

air carriers, commercial airports, and air cargo carriers), rail (including Class I freight rail 

carriers, short line and regional railroads, and Amtrak), highway, public transit, and 

pipeline. We report overall satisfaction as the total number of stakeholders who responded 

that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” divided by the total number of stakeholders 

who responded to the relevant survey question. The overall satisfaction numbers and 

associated percentages are influenced by the size of the modes we surveyed. That is, 

modes with more survey respondents, such as aviation, will have a greater effect on the 

overall satisfaction numbers than modes with fewer survey respondents, such as highway. 

Although 337 transportation stakeholders responded to our survey, not all respondents 

provided answers to every question. The survey instrument and complete percentages of 

responses received for each question can be found in an electronic supplement we are 

issuing concurrently with this report–GAO-14-488SP. Our survey also measured 

stakeholder satisfaction with TSA products across five dimensions of quality–accuracy, 

actionability, completeness, relevance, and timeliness. See App. I for a description of each 

dimension of quality. The majority of stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with 

each dimension of quality. Satisfaction ranged from 51 percent of stakeholders satisfied 

with actionability of TSA’s products to 58 percent satisfied with timeliness, relevance, and 

completeness. Fifty-six percent of stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with the 

accuracy of TSA’s products.
Page 15 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Figure 1: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with TSA’s 

Products, by Mode

Note: Survey respondents were asked to rate their organization’s satisfaction using the following 

terms: “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,” “somewhat 

dissatisfied,” “very dissatisfied,” and “don’t know.” We use the term “satisfied” to describe 

organizations that indicated they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” and “dissatisfied”

to describe organizations that indicated they were either “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied.”

Thirteen percent of aviation respondents (20 of 149), 21 percent of highway respondents (5 of 24), 5 

percent of pipeline respondents (2 of 38), and 16 percent of rail respondents (14 of 88) were 

dissatisfied. No public transit stakeholders responded that they were dissatisfied. Since satisfaction 

and dissatisfaction were not the only possible responses, it does not necessarily mean that all 

respondents who were not satisfied were dissatisfied.

Further, satisfaction with TSA’s products varied by sector within the 

aviation mode. Specifically, 70 percent of passenger air carrier 

stakeholders (30 of 43) reported that they were satisfied, while 42 percent 

of airport stakeholders (27 of 64) and 33 percent of air cargo stakeholders 

(14 of 42) reported being satisfied with the TSA products they received. 

Eight of the 42 air cargo stakeholders who responded to our survey 

provided open-ended comments that the information TSA provides is not 

relevant or targeted to air cargo operations. In addition, security 

coordinators we met with from three separate air cargo operators stated 

that the security-related information TSA provides is sometimes dated. 

Further, representatives at two airport associations we met with 

expressed similar concerns with TSA products, including comments that 

the products do not contain new information and the information is not 
Page 16 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

always timely. Airport and air cargo stakeholders may receive information 

that is not directly relevant or targeted to their operations because, 

according to TSA officials, TSA makes an effort to share information on 

general and specific threats to all transportation modes with all 

stakeholders, regardless of mode or sector, because some stakeholders 

find this information useful. Further, according to TSA officials, TSA 

shares new information with stakeholders as soon as possible after 

ensuring its accuracy, but TSA must declassify certain products before 

distributing them, which can be a lengthy process. Further, if no new 

information is available, TSA may continue to include information it has 

shared previously in its products if the information remains accurate.

As with stakeholder satisfaction with TSA’s products, the majority of 

stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with the mechanisms TSA 

uses to disseminate security-related information, but satisfaction with 

these mechanisms also varied by mode. Specifically, 59 percent of 

stakeholders (195 of 331) who responded to our survey question 

regarding overall satisfaction with TSA’s mechanisms reported that they 

were satisfied. In addition, our survey asked stakeholders about their 

satisfaction with each of TSA’s information-sharing mechanisms 

separately, and we found that stakeholders were generally satisfied with 

the individual mechanisms they accessed to receive security-related 

information in 2013.26

 26Almost all aviation stakeholders (144 of 149 who provided responses to applicable 

survey questions) reported that they logged on to at least one part of TSA’s Aviation Web 

Boards during 2013, about one-third of all stakeholders (110 of 334) reported that they 

logged on to at least one part of HSIN during 2013, and 58 percent of stakeholders (195 of 

335) reported that they received a TSA e-mail alert during 2013. Not all stakeholders who 

responded that they accessed Web Boards or received a TSA e-mail alert during 2013 

responded to questions about their satisfaction with that mechanism. 

Specifically, the majority of stakeholders who 

logged on to Web Boards (107 of 142, or 75 percent) and HSIN (74 of 

110, or 67 percent) responded that they were satisfied with their ability to 

locate information on the site, and 79 percent of stakeholders who 

received a TSA e-mail alert (151 of 192) responded that they were 
Page 17 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

satisfied with the timeliness of the e-mail.27

Figure 2: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Being Satisfied with TSA’s 

Information-Sharing Mechanisms, by Mode

However, highway and rail 

stakeholders were less likely to report being satisfied with the 

mechanisms TSA uses to disseminate its security-related products than 

with the other modes we surveyed. As shown in figure 2, the majority of 

aviation, public transit, and pipeline stakeholders responded that they 

were satisfied with TSA’s mechanisms, while 39 percent of highway 

respondents and 46 percent of rail respondents reported that they were 

satisfied.

Note: Survey respondents were asked to rate their organization’s satisfaction using the following 

terms: “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,” “somewhat 

dissatisfied,” “very dissatisfied,” and “don’t know.” We use the term “satisfied” to describe 

 27Our survey measured stakeholder satisfaction with the quality of information available 

through TSA’s mechanisms across four dimensions—relevance, completeness, 

actionability, and accuracy. In general, for each of TSA’s three primary information-sharing 

mechanisms, about two-thirds of stakeholders who had accessed information through the 

mechanism reported that they were satisfied with the information across these quality 

dimensions. Stakeholders reported less than two-thirds satisfaction for one quality 

dimension of HSIN—56 percent of stakeholders reported that they were satisfied with the 

actionability of information available through this mechanism.
Page 18 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

organizations that indicated they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” and “dissatisfied”

to describe organizations that indicated they were either “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied.”

Twelve percent of aviation respondents (18 of 148), 26 percent of highway respondents (6 of 23), 8 

percent of public transit respondents (3 of 36), 8 percent of pipeline respondents (3 of 37), and 9 

percent of rail respondents (8 of 87) were dissatisfied. Since satisfaction and dissatisfaction were not 

the only possible responses, it does not necessarily mean that all respondents who were not satisfied 

were dissatisfied.

Officials at four of the five highway associations we met with and seven 

highway stakeholders who responded to our survey, in open-ended 

comments, described difficulties accessing and navigating HSIN as a 

concern. Five rail respondents also provided open-ended comments that 

identified concerns with TSA’s information-sharing mechanisms. For 

example, these respondents identified issues with the usability of HSIN, 

including issues logging onto or navigating the system, or stated that 

HSIN and e-mails provide dated information available from other sources. 

In an interview with a survey respondent, one short line rail stakeholder 

stated that TSA’s e-mail alerts would be more useful if TSA streamlined 

the information and focused on conclusions and recommendations 

targeted to short line railroads, since they may not have dedicated 

security staff with the time to read detailed background information. 

According to TSA officials, TSA does not generally provide specific 

recommendations to stakeholders in its products, since stakeholders 

receive information from other sources, such as associations, that 

summarize TSA products and includes operational guidance and

recommendations.

Our current survey results also indicate that, as we reported in November 

2011, familiarity with TSA’s security-related products and mechanisms 

varied by mode. We recommended in November 2011, among other 

things, that TSA conduct outreach to increase the number of stakeholders 

receiving transportation security–related information and those who are 

made aware of security–related information available through HSIN.28

 28

In 

particular, in our current survey, 82 percent of stakeholders (278 of 337) 

reported receiving one or more of TSA’s reports in 2013, but fewer 

GAO-12-44. 
Page 19 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

stakeholders reported receiving TSA’s other product types, as shown in 

figure 3.29

Figure 3: Stakeholders’ Reported Receipt of TSA Security-Related Information 

Products

Notes: Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

a

Percent of passenger air carriers that received Encounter Reviews. Encounter Reviews are 

distributed to passenger air carriers.

In addition, as was the case in the 2011 survey, stakeholders from certain 

modes were more likely to report that they received each of TSA’s 

product types.30

 29We reported in November 2011 that 78 percent of survey respondents received a TSA 

report, 62 percent received a briefing, and 37 percent received an assessment. Posters 

and Encounter Reviews were not included in our 2011 survey because TSA did not 

consider posters a primary information-sharing product at that time and TSA did not begin 

distributing Encounter Reviews until after we conducted that survey.

We surveyed stakeholders whom TSA had identified as 

points of contact who should receive TSA security-related information 

products, and TSA officials reported that they provide reports, 

assessments, briefings, posters, and Encounter Reviews to transportation 

stakeholders on a routine basis. For example, TSA issued Multi-Modal 

Transportation Threat Assessments in 2013 that provide threat 

information for all five of the transportation modes we surveyed. However, 

our survey results indicate that highway (16 of 24, or 67 percent) and 

public transit (31 of 36, or 86 percent) respondents received TSA 

30We reported in November 2011 that the number of transportation security stakeholders 

who received TSA’s assessments and briefings varied by mode. 
Page 20 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

assessments at a higher rate than aviation (71 of 150, or 47 percent), 

pipeline (15 of 38, or 39 percent), and rail (42 of 89, or 47 percent) 

respondents. Similarly, public transit stakeholders were more likely to 

report that they received a poster than stakeholders from all other modes 

we surveyed. Specifically, over half of public transit stakeholders (19 of 

36) reported that they received a poster, but less than one-third of 

stakeholders in the other modes reported receiving this product.31

Similarly, our survey results indicate that, as we reported in November 

2011, some stakeholders are not aware of HSIN and familiarity with HSIN 

varied by mode.

TSA 

officials reported that they may target specific modes of transportation for 

the distribution of awareness materials, such as posters, and variance 

across modes is to be expected. However, TSA issued at least one 

poster in 2013 that provided information relevant to security professionals 

in all transportation modes, and our survey results indicate that 

stakeholders in some modes were less likely to receive it.

32 Overall, 58 percent of stakeholders (195 of 334 who 

responded to our survey question regarding familiarity with HSIN) 

reported that they had heard of HSIN, 31 percent (104 of 334) reported 

that they had not heard of HSIN, and 10 percent (35 of 334) reported that 

they were unsure. As shown in figure 4, more than 80 percent of highway, 

pipeline, and public transit stakeholders reported that they had heard of 

HSIN, while 44 percent of aviation stakeholders and 53 percent of rail 

stakeholders reported that they had heard of HSIN.33

 31Thirty-two percent of aviation stakeholders (48 of 150), 29 percent of highway 

stakeholders (7 of 24), 21 percent of pipeline stakeholders (8 of 38), and 25 percent of rail 

stakeholders (22 of 89) reported that they received one or more of TSA’s security-related 

posters in 2013.

32GAO-12-44. 

33Aviation stakeholders can access some TSA information through Web Boards, but TSA 

officials and one aviation association we met with stated that not all of the information 

available on HSIN is placed on the Web Boards. In addition, rail and other nonaviation 

stakeholders who had not heard of HSIN do not have access to the Web Boards.
Page 21 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Figure 4: Percentage of Stakeholders Who Reported Having Heard of the Homeland 

Security Information Network, by Mode

TSA and DHS officials reported that they have taken or are beginning to 

take some steps to conduct outreach to stakeholders to increase the 

number receiving security-related products and to increase awareness of 

HSIN:

• TSA officials stated that they have conducted targeted outreach to 

public transit stakeholders. Although we did not include public transit 

stakeholders in the survey we reported on in November 2011, we 

conducted a similar review of public transit stakeholders in 2010 and 

found a lack of awareness of HSIN among the public transit agencies 

we surveyed.34

 34

We recommended that TSA establish time frames for 

a working group of federal and industry officials to consider targeted 

outreach efforts to increase awareness of HSIN among transit 

agencies that are not currently using or aware of this system. In 

August 2012, TSA reported that the agency had compiled a “superlist”

of more than 1,000 public transit agencies and sent members of this 

list a HSIN membership campaign letter. In addition, TSA officials 

stated that OIA provides a monthly threat briefing for public transit 

stakeholders. These outreach efforts may have increased public 

transit agencies’ receipt of TSA’s products and familiarity with HSIN, 

as public transit stakeholders were more likely than stakeholders from 

GAO-10-895. 
Page 22 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

the other transportation modes in our current survey to respond that 

they had received each of TSA’s products, and over 80 percent of 

public transit stakeholders who responded to our survey had heard of 

HSIN.

• TSA officials stated that they have initiated efforts to increase 

outreach to stakeholders from other transportation modes. For 

example, in February 2014, TSA reconvened its Information Sharing 

Integrated Project Team (IPT), a team composed of offices across the 

agency, to develop a plan to conduct targeted outreach efforts to 

aviation, rail, and highway stakeholders, among other things.35 TSA 

officials stated that they have increased the frequency of interactions 

with stakeholders by, for example, conducting conference calls twice 

a month with air carriers and monthly conference calls with Class I 

railroads. However, TSA officials could not provide data 

demonstrating the extent to which more stakeholders are receiving 

TSA products based on its expanded outreach channels. According to 

TSA officials, producing these data would require an extensive effort, 

but the IPT is examining ways to accurately and efficiently capture this 

information.

• TSA and DHS officials stated that they have taken other steps to 

increase stakeholders’ awareness of HSIN. For example, according to 

TSA officials, field intelligence officers provide fliers regarding HSIN to 

stakeholders. In addition, DHS officials stated that the department is 

in the beginning phases of conducting stakeholder outreach and 

implementing its Stakeholder Management Plan, approved in 

December 2013, which includes, as part of one of its goals, identifying 

underrepresented users on the network. Further, TSA’s IPT intends to 

develop a plan to increase awareness of the availability of information 

through HSIN and to measure the effectiveness of this outreach by 

developing outcome-oriented performance measures to help assess 

the results of efforts to provide useful and timely transportation 

security information through HSIN. HSIN usage statistics provided by 

DHS show an increase in the number of registered users of HSIN’s 

aviation portal from November 2011 through March 2014, but as our 

survey results demonstrate, stakeholders from the aviation mode 

were less likely than stakeholders from other modes to report that 

 35According to TSA officials, TSA formed the IPT in 2009 but planning stopped because of 

multiple TSA organization realignments. 
Page 23 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

they had heard of HSIN. In addition, HSIN usage statistics show a 

decline in the number of registered users of HSIN’s public transit and 

rail portals over the same period, and our survey results show that 53 

percent of rail respondents reported in 2013 that they had heard of 

HSIN.36

We provided TSA with performance information on its information-sharing 

efforts, including identifying gaps, such as variation in the receipt and 

awareness of products and mechanisms by mode, in our November 2011 

report. In addition, we issued an electronic supplement concurrently with 

the report that included aggregate survey data.

The number of registered HSIN accounts decreased after an 

upgrade of the HSIN system in the summer of 2013 because, among 

other reasons, DHS removed expired accounts, according to DHS 

officials. TSA’s planned actions, if implemented effectively, should 

address the intent of our 2011 recommendation.

37

Our current survey identified a number of the same gaps we reported in 

November 2011.

These survey data 

provide TSA with feedback from stakeholders on its information-sharing 

efforts, including its products and mechanisms. As discussed previously 

in this report, TSA has taken some steps to address specific 

recommendations made in our 2011 report, such as improving the quality 

of analysis in its products; however, TSA has not systematically reviewed 

the results of the 2011 stakeholder survey to help identify the causes of 

the information-sharing gaps and has not sought solutions to address 

these identified gaps.

38

 36From November 2011 through March 2014, the number of registered users of HSIN’s 

aviation portal increased from 143 to 264 and the number of registered users of HSIN’s 

highway portal increased from 205 to 285. Over the same period, the number of registered 

users of HSIN’s public transit and rail portals decreased from 326 to 220 and from 229 to 

217, respectively. According to DHS officials, DHS is not able to provide statistics on the 

number of registered pipeline users of HSIN, since there is not a separate pipeline portal 

on HSIN. Pipeline stakeholders register for the HSIN Oil and Natural Gas portal, which 

also includes nonpipeline stakeholders. 

Specifically, both our current and previous surveys 

found variations in satisfaction with products and mechanisms. For 

example, in both surveys, less than half of all air cargo respondents 

37GAO, Transportation Security Information Sharing: Results of GAO’s Survey of 

Stakeholder Satisfaction with TSA Products and Mechanisms, an E-Supplement to 

GAO-12-44, GAO-12-67SP (Washington D.C.: Nov. 21, 2011). 

38GAO-12-44. 

TSA Has Not Used Our 

Prior Survey Data to Help 

Identify Causes of 

Information-Sharing Gaps 

and Actions to Address 

Them
Page 24 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

reported that they were satisfied with TSA’s products. In addition, as 

discussed above, results from both surveys indicate that the majority of 

stakeholders received at least one of TSA’s reports, but the number of 

transportation stakeholders who received TSA’s other products and who 

were aware of HSIN varied by mode. Further, about half of stakeholders 

(49 percent) who responded to our previous survey said that they would 

prefer that TSA share transportation security–related information more 

frequently than it did in 2010. Our current survey results continue to show 

that about half of stakeholders from each mode who responded to our 

question regarding the frequency of TSA’s information sharing would 

prefer that TSA provide information on a more frequent basis.39 According 

to TSA officials, TSA coordinates with other producers of transportation 

security–related information—such as the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation—to limit duplication, and stakeholders may receive TSA 

information from these sources in addition to the information they receive 

directly from TSA. In addition, TSA officials stated that they have taken 

steps to identify needed corrective actions based on our survey results, 

such as forming the IPT. However, TSA did not provide documentation 

showing a systematic review of the survey results to identify causes of 

information-sharing gaps and solutions to address these gaps. Moreover, 

our current survey identified some of the same gaps we reported in 

November 2011. Performance management best practices state that 

federal managers can use performance information to identify problems, 

to try to identify their causes, and to look for solutions and approaches 

that improve results.40

Assessing the results of our current survey on transportation stakeholder 

satisfaction with TSA’s security-related products and mechanisms, which 

contain the most recent information on the gaps we identified, could 

better position TSA to look for the causes of such gaps and identify 

solutions to improve its information-sharing efforts. For example, our 

survey identified that some transportation stakeholders, such as air cargo 

and airport stakeholders, reported lower levels of satisfaction with TSA’s 

products than other stakeholders. TSA could seek to identify why this is 

the case and what steps it could take to address this gap. By assessing 

 39The percentage of stakeholders who responded that they would prefer that TSA share 

information more frequently than it did in 2013 ranged from 47 percent of rail stakeholders 

to 54 percent of aviation stakeholders.

40GAO-05-927. 
Page 25 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

the results of our transportation stakeholder satisfaction survey to help 

identify information-sharing gaps and actions to address them, TSA would 

be better positioned to reduce or eliminate information-sharing gaps and 

improve stakeholders’ awareness of its information-sharing efforts.

TSA currently has three mechanisms in place to obtain stakeholder 

feedback, but each has limitations in providing TSA systematic 

information to improve its information-sharing products and mechanisms, 

as shown in table 3.

TSA Could Enhance 

Its Efforts to 

Systematically 

Document and 

Incorporate Feedback 

to Improve 

Information-Sharing 

Efforts
Page 26 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Table 3: TSA’s Feedback Collection Mechanisms

Mechanism Description

Overview of feedback 

obtained Limitations 

Customer satisfaction 

surveys

The Transportation 

Security Administration 

(TSA) attaches a survey 

to the back of its 

intelligence products that 

gauges, among other 

things, customer 

satisfaction with the 

usefulness of the 

information in its 

products.

a

TSA’s satisfaction data for 

fiscal year 2013 indicate that 

stakeholders who responded 

to the surveys said that they 

were generally satisfied with 

the reports they reviewed 

during that time frame.b

Few responses: TSA received an average of 

fewer than two surveys per unclassified product 

distributed through the Homeland Security 

Information Network (HSIN) in fiscal year 2013. As 

of April 2014, TSA has not received any surveys 

on its classified products.

About 62 percent (204 of 327) of respondents that 

completed our survey reported that they did not 

complete the surveys at the back of TSA products.

c

Potential bias: Transportation stakeholders who 

read the TSA product and choose to provide 

feedback may not be representative of those 

stakeholders that decide not to read a product or 

read the product and choose not to complete the 

survey.

Limited information: The Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) publishes aggregate 

survey results in the department’s Annual 

Performance Report as performance measures. 

However, TSA officials stated that the surveys 

provide limited insight into whether a product 

actually meets the stakeholder’s needs because 

the rating system does not provide TSA with 

information it can use to improve products.

Lack of systematic documentation: Although 

TSA officials told us that they review and consider 

survey feedback, TSA officials stated they do not 

have a process for responding to customer 

satisfaction surveys and do not systematically 

document how they incorporate survey results to 

improve information sharing.

American Public 

Transportation 

Association (APTA) 

surveys 

TSA coordinates with 

APTA to administer 

surveys that gauge how 

satisfied public transit 

stakeholders are with, 

among other issues, the 

HSIN public transit portal 

and the Public 

Transportation 

Information Sharing and 

Analysis Center.

APTA survey results from 

August 2011, January 2012, 

December 2012, and October 

2013 indicate that public 

transit stakeholders who 

responded to the surveys 

were generally satisfied with 

these information-sharing 

mechanisms.

d

Low response rates: Response rates were no 

higher than 20 percent for all surveys 

administered.

Limited information: APTA surveys do not obtain 

feedback on all of TSA’s information-sharing 

products (such as threat assessments and 

posters) and mechanisms that public transit 

stakeholders utilize (such as briefings) because 

APTA surveys are focused on satisfaction with the 

primary mechanisms for sharing security 

information with public transit agencies and not 

intended to capture this information.
Page 27 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Mechanism Description

Overview of feedback 

obtained Limitations 

Informally (phone 

calls, e-mails, and 

regularly scheduled 

meetings)

TSA officials brief 

stakeholders on 

transportation security–

related information during 

teleconferences, 

association meetings, 

and sector coordinating 

council meetings, or on

an as-needed basis 

through phone calls and 

e-mails.

According to TSA officials, 

regular engagement with 

stakeholders allows TSA to 

solicit feedback on TSA’s 

information-sharing efforts, 

and officials representing all 

16 associations we met with 

told us that they provide 

informal feedback. Also, in 

our survey of transportation 

stakeholders, we found that 

53 percent (177 of 332) of 

survey respondents provide 

feedback informally.

Potential bias: Informal feedback may not be 

representative of the entire population of 

stakeholders because interaction with TSA is 

voluntary, and TSA does not obtain the views of 

non-participants.

Lack of systematic documentation: TSA does 

not systematically document how it incorporates 

the informal feedback to improve information 

sharing. 

Source: GAO analysis of information provided by TSA and APTA. | GAO-14-506.

a

TSA surveys include six questions that ask customers to rate how satisfied they are with the 

usefulness, relevance, and timeliness of TSA’s products and also ask respondents to provide a 

narrative response on how the product could be improved.

b

We also obtained fiscal year 2012 customer satisfaction survey data, but TSA officials stated that the 

majority of the surveys returned were submitted by TSA officials, not owners and operators of critical 

transportation infrastructure. In contrast, because of an information system limitation that prevented 

TSA officials from completing surveys in 2013, the majority of fiscal year 2013 surveys were 

submitted by external stakeholders.

c

According to TSA officials, it is not possible to calculate a response rate because they do not know 

how many customers have read their products.

d

TSA has taken steps to improve information sharing based on feedback 

received through the mechanisms discussed in table 3. For example, in 

December 2012, the rail industry provided TSA with a list of areas for 

emphasis in intelligence analysis, and TSA initiated a product line 

focusing on indications and warnings associated with disrupted or 

successful terrorist attacks. TSA officials stated that they further refined 

one of the products as a result of a stakeholder requesting information on 

tactics used in foreign rail attacks. One official representing a railroad 

association told us that this product was valuable in helping to educate 

rail stakeholders about indicators of potential terrorist attacks and one 

survey respondent from the rail industry noted that this product was 

useful because it contained information that was used to develop 

suspicious activity training. Similarly, officials at one pipeline association 

told us that TSA routinely develops intelligence products and conducts 

monthly meetings based on pipeline operators’ information needs and 

In response to a recommendation we made in September 2010, TSA coordinates with APTA to 

conduct surveys of public transit stakeholders to obtain feedback on its information-sharing efforts. 

The Public Transportation Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which is implemented by APTA 

under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, was designed to serve as the 

one-stop shop for public transit agencies seeking to obtain security-related information. The center 

collects, analyzes, and distributes security and threat information from the federal government and 

open sources through daily e-mails.
Page 28 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

informal feedback. For example, TSA developed a product containing 

pipeline security best practices based on informal feedback from the 

industry.

Transportation stakeholders we spoke with and surveyed identified 

additional ways to improve TSA’s efforts to obtain feedback. For example, 

officials representing 6 of the 16 transportation associations we met with 

offered suggestions on how TSA could improve its efforts to obtain 

feedback from stakeholders, such as engaging in more of a dialogue and 

obtaining feedback on a more consistent basis. For example, according to 

a senior official representing one highway association, TSA officials often 

do not include feedback the association provides when developing 

transportation security–related products. In addition, 14 of the 31 survey 

respondents that provided comments on their experiences in providing 

TSA with feedback reported that they had negative experiences. The 

aviation sector had the most negative comments (10 of 14), which 

centered on the lack of awareness of or consistency in how TSA obtains 

feedback and lack of responsiveness to the feedback the sector provided. 

TSA officials told us that beginning in January 2013, TSA increased its 

efforts to actively engage the aviation sector by increasing the frequency 

of regular meetings with aircraft operator security representatives.

Customer service best practices emphasize the need for agencies to 

develop a single, centralized management framework for receiving 

customer feedback so that all information about the customers can be 

linked together to facilitate a more complete knowledge of the customer.41

Further, these best practices suggest that multiple approaches to 

customer feedback, such as focus groups and customer interviews that 

provide both qualitative and quantitative data, and the integration of 

feedback data, are needed to effectively listen to and understand 

customers’ needs and to take appropriate action to meet those needs.42

 41

Relying on a single method, such as a customer survey, might be too 

narrow in scope and limited in its application to fully capture customers’

concerns.

GAO-02-776.

42Quantitative tools include such methods as customer satisfaction surveys and customer 

complaints, which can provide measurable data for use in performance scorecards. 

Qualitative tools include focus groups, personal interviews, and observation and are used 

by organizations to provide a more in-depth understanding of their customers.
Page 29 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

TSA officials stated that the agency does not have a process in place to 

obtain, document, and incorporate feedback in a systematic manner, but 

that TSA has initiated an effort to improve how it obtains customer 

feedback. Specifically, TSA reported that beginning in November 2011, it 

planned to design a customer management system to document the 

method and frequency of TSA’s interactions with stakeholders, and 

feedback to improve TSA’s intelligence products and mechanisms. TSA 

officials stated that TSA realigned OIA and OSPIE from September 2011 

through September 2013 to improve TSA’s security-related products and 

stakeholder outreach, and that it was necessary to complete the 

realignment before proceeding with development of the customer 

management system. According to TSA officials, now that the 

realignments are complete, TSA has reconvened its IPT to facilitate TSAwide implementation of information-sharing processes, which, according 

to the IPT Charter, includes monitoring stakeholders’ needs and 

measuring progress on the development and use of customer satisfaction 

surveys.43

While TSA is beginning to take steps to improve how it obtains customer 

feedback, it is in the initial planning stages of this effort, has not 

committed to linking a key mechanism—informal feedback—into its 

The IPT Charter also includes milestones and time frames for 

developing a centralized management framework that is to capture 

stakeholder satisfaction survey data on all of TSA’s security-related 

products and the systems used to distribute these products, such as 

HSIN. TSA officials told us that as a first step, they identified a 

comprehensive list of transportation stakeholders, including documenting 

how they receive information, and the types of products they receive, and 

expects to finalize this effort by the end of May 2014. According to an 

additional milestone in the IPT Charter, as described by a senior IPT 

official, TSA plans to determine the additional requirements for attaching 

surveys to specific distribution mechanisms by August 15, 2014 and test 

all systems and compile stakeholder satisfaction survey results by the 

end of February 2015. This official stated that the data are to include 

feedback gathered from surveys attached to TSA products as well as 

quarterly surveys fielded to stakeholders to help ensure TSA is getting the 

right information to the right people and responding to stakeholder needs.

 43According to the IPT Charter, IPT members include OIA, OSPIE, and other TSA 

components, as well as external entities, such as the DHS Office of Intelligence and 

Analysis, stakeholders and trade associations. One of the primary missions of the IPT is to 

evaluate TSA’s information-sharing services across all modes of transportation.
Page 30 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

centralized management framework to capture stakeholder feedback, and 

has not identified how it plans to incorporate formal survey feedback it 

plans to collect. For example, TSA completed the IPT Charter in February 

2014 and revised the charter in April 2014 to include, among other things, 

the time frames and milestones discussed above. According to TSA 

officials, the IPT planning process is ongoing and dynamic, milestones 

and associated dates are subject to change, and the team plans to 

continue to assess the steps needed to implement a mechanism to best 

capture stakeholder feedback on intelligence products. However, the IPT 

Charter does not specify how TSA plans to systematically collect, 

document, and incorporate informal feedback—a key feedback 

mechanism used by the majority of the stakeholders we surveyed, and a 

mechanism TSA officials told us they utilize to improve information 

sharing. In 2013, OIA built a system that tracks when OIA officials share 

information with stakeholders at meetings and conferences, through emails, and other means, but TSA officials stated that the data are not 

used for operational purposes, and TSA has no plans to incorporate this 

system into its centralized management framework because the IPT 

decided to focus its initial efforts on developing a survey mechanism. In 

addition, neither TSA strategic planning documents nor the IPT Charter 

specifies how TSA plans to systematically document and incorporate the 

survey feedback it plans to collect.

Because TSA lacks specific plans and documentation of how it plans to 

improve its efforts to incorporate all of its stakeholder feedback, it is 

unclear how, or if, TSA will systematically document, and incorporate both 

survey feedback and informal feedback to improve information sharing.

Including in its planned centralized management framework a systematic 

process to document informal feedback and how it incorporates all of the 

feedback—both formal and informal—TSA receives could help TSA better 

ensure it is meeting stakeholder needs by providing the right information 

to the right people at the right time to enhance security. TSA would also 

be better positioned to measure the effectiveness of its informationsharing efforts, and target changes to its products and mechanisms, if 

necessary, or improve information sharing in general.

Further, although TSA is beginning to develop a centralized management 

framework to capture stakeholder feedback, TSA officials stated that they 

have not developed any performance measures to assess their efforts to 

provide stakeholders with useful and timely information. In addition, the 

IPT Charter does not include time frames or milestones to develop 

performance measures to assess the results of transportation information 

sharing because the IPT’s first priorities are to finalize a list of 
Page 31 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

stakeholders and the products they receive as well as develop a more 

robust stakeholder survey mechanism, as discussed above. Key 

practices in performance management have shown that successful 

agencies develop performance measures that tell the organization how 

well it is achieving its goals.44

Securing the nation’s vast and diverse transportation system is a 

challenging task that is complicated by the ever-changing and dynamic 

threat environment. According to DHS, the system is an attractive target 

for terrorists, and it is critical that TSA provides the transportation industry 

with the right information at the right time. However, transportation 

stakeholders can only act on information they receive or can access, and 

the results of both our 2011 and 2013 surveys of satisfaction of recipients 

of transportation security–related information revealed gaps in the sharing 

of products and awareness of a key information-sharing mechanism. 

Assessing the results of our current survey on transportation stakeholder 

satisfaction with TSA’s products and mechanisms could better position 

TSA to look for causes of such gaps and identify solutions to improve its 

information-sharing efforts.

Further, Standards for Internal Control in 

the Federal Government states that managers need to compare actual 

performance against planned or expected results throughout the 

organization and analyze significant differences. As TSA progresses in its 

effort to improve how it obtains customer feedback, establishing 

performance measures could help assess the results of efforts to provide 

stakeholders with useful and timely transportation security information 

and identify where changes may be warranted to better respond to 

customer needs.

In the longer term, it is important for TSA to further develop its own 

processes and mechanisms to obtain and document feedback from 

transportation stakeholders, and incorporate this information in the 

production and dissemination of security-related information, as a means 

to improve information sharing. TSA is beginning to take steps to improve 

how it obtains stakeholder feedback. However, TSA is in the initial 

planning stages of this effort, and does not have specifics and 

documentation of how it plans to systematically obtain, document, and 

incorporate both stakeholder survey and informal feedback to improve 

information sharing as well as measure results. Including in its planned 

 44 GAO/GGD-96-118.

Conclusions
Page 32 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

centralized management framework a systematic process to document 

informal feedback, and how it incorporates all of the feedback TSA 

receives could help TSA better ensure it is meeting stakeholder needs 

and providing the right information to the right people at the right time to 

enhance security. Further, establishing performance measures would 

help TSA assess the results of efforts to provide stakeholders with useful 

and timely transportation security information.

To help strengthen information sharing with transportation stakeholders 

and ensure that stakeholders receive security-related information in a 

timely manner, we recommend that the TSA Administrator take the 

following three actions:

• assess the results of our 2013 transportation stakeholder satisfaction 

survey to help identify the causes of information-sharing gaps and 

actions to address them;

• include in its planned customer feedback framework a systematic 

process to document informal feedback, and how it incorporates all of 

the feedback TSA receives, both formal and informal; and

• establish performance measures to help assess the results of efforts 

to provide stakeholders with useful and timely transportation security 

information.

We provided a draft of this report and a draft copy of the accompanying esupplement (GAO-14-488SP) to Amtrak and the Departments of 

Homeland Security and Transportation for comment. In an e-mail 

received May 30, 2014, the Amtrak audit liaison stated that Amtrak had 

no comments on the report. DHS provided written comments on the draft 

report, which are reproduced in full in appendix II. DHS concurred with 

the findings and recommendations in the report and described the efforts 

the department has underway or planned to address our 

recommendations, as summarized below. The Department of 

Transportation’s Deputy Director of Audit Relations also replied in an email received on June 4, 2014 that the department had no comments on 

the report. Amtrak and the Departments of Homeland Security and 

Transportation did not provide comments on the e-supplement. 

In its written comments, DHS stated that TSA has implemented improved 

information sharing processes since 2011 and has additional efforts 

Recommendations for 

Executive Action

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation
Page 33 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

underway that are to address the remaining open information sharing 

recommendations made in our November 2011 transportation security 

information sharing report.45

DHS also identified the project team that is to implement the three 

recommendations we made in the report and provided estimated 

completion dates. Specifically, DHS said that TSA’s IPT is currently 

assessing the results of our 2013 survey and is to develop 

recommendations to adjust products and information sharing 

mechanisms by March 2015. In addition, the IPT is to continue to develop 

processes to document and incorporate all of the feedback TSA receives, 

both formal and informal, by March 2015. Further, DHS stated that the 

IPT plans to develop performance measures and customer satisfaction 

goals for each of TSA’s transportation security products by December 

2014. 

DHS stated our survey results provide 

valuable information but that we did not include comments provided by 

the survey participants or industry stakeholders we met with, which would 

have been beneficial to understanding the full context of the draft report. 

However, we believe that we included comments provided by both survey 

respondents and industry stakeholders, as appropriate. For example, we 

provided summary information from highway survey respondents and 

associations to explain why stakeholders from the highway mode might 

be less satisfied with TSA’s information-sharing mechanisms than 

stakeholders in other modes. In addition, we described survey 

respondents’ and associations’ views on steps TSA has taken to improve 

information sharing based on feedback they have provided as well as the 

suggestions these stakeholders provided on how TSA could improve its 

efforts to obtain feedback. We included these examples, among others, to 

provide additional context to the report’s findings. 

We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional 

committees. We are also sending copies to the Secretaries of Homeland 

Security and Transportation, and the President and Chief Executive 

Officer of Amtrak. In addition, the report is available at no charge on the 

GAO website at http://www.gao.gov. If you or your staff have any 

questions about this report, please contact me at 202-512-7141 or 

 45GAO-12-44.
Page 34 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

groverj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional 

Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. 

Key contributors to this report are listed in appendix III.

Jennifer Grover

Acting Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues
Page 35 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

List of Committees

The Honorable Tim Johnson

Chairman

The Honorable Mike Crapo

Ranking Member

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

United States Senate

The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV

Chairman

The Honorable John Thune

Ranking Member

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

United States Senate

The Honorable Thomas R. Carper

Chairman

The Honorable Tom Coburn, M.D.

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

United States Senate

The Honorable Michael McCaul

Chairman

The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson

Ranking Member

Committee on Homeland Security

House of Representatives

The Honorable Bill Shuster

Chairman

The Honorable Nick J. Rahall, II

Ranking Member

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

House of Representatives
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 36 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

This report addresses the following questions: (1) To what extent do 

stakeholders report that they are satisfied with the Transportation Security 

Administration’s (TSA) security-related products and the mechanisms 

used to disseminate them, and to what extent has TSA used GAO’s prior 

survey information to identify areas for improvement? (2) To what extent 

does TSA obtain, document, and incorporate stakeholder feedback on its 

information-sharing efforts?

To address the first question, we conducted a web-based survey of 

transportation stakeholders from the aviation, freight and passenger rail, 

highway, public transit, and pipeline modes.1 We based our survey on 

one we previously fielded to transportation stakeholders in 2011, and 

interviewed TSA officials responsible for developing security-related 

information products and coordinating with industry stakeholders and 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials responsible for the 

Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN)2 to identify changes in 

the primary security-related information-sharing products, mechanisms, 

and the stakeholders for whom TSA maintains contact information.3 In 

two instances, the modes selected for our survey differed from the ones 

surveyed in 2011. Specifically, we conducted reviews of pipeline security 

and public transit information sharing in 2010 and therefore did not 

assess the satisfaction of pipeline or public transit stakeholders in our 

November 2011 TSA information-sharing review.4

 1

For the purposes of this report, we defined TSA stakeholders to be owners and operators 

of critical transportation infrastructure. We did not include maritime stakeholders in our 

review because the U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency for maritime information sharing.

In addition, we did not 

2

HSIN is a web-based platform operated by DHS to facilitate sensitive but unclassified 

(SBU) information sharing and collaboration among federal, state, local, tribal, and private 

sector entities. DHS describes HSIN as its primary information-sharing mechanism. HSIN 

is made up of a network of communities, called communities of interest. These 

communities are organized by state organizations, federal organizations, or mission areas 

such as emergency management and critical infrastructure.

3

We reported the results of the survey in GAO, Transportation Security Information 

Sharing: Stakeholders Generally Satisfied but TSA Could Improve Analysis, Awareness, 

and Accountability, GAO-12-44 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 21, 2011), and Transportation 

Security Information Sharing: Results of GAO’s Survey of Stakeholder Satisfaction with 

TSA Products and Mechanisms, an E-Supplement to GAO-12-44, GAO-12-67SP 

(Washington D.C.: Nov. 21, 2011).

4

See GAO, Pipeline Security: TSA Has Taken Actions to Help Strengthen Security, but 

Could Improve Priority-Setting and Assessment Processes, GAO-10-867 (Washington 

D.C.: Aug. 4, 2010), and GAO-10-895.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 37 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

always survey the same population for a particular mode or transportation 

sector across both surveys. For example, for our November 2011 review, 

we surveyed state departments of transportation or emergency 

management to collect highway stakeholders’ views. However, in 

coordination with TSA, we decided a more appropriate population to 

include in our current survey was members of two highway working 

groups that coordinate with TSA on information sharing—the Highway 

and Motor Carrier Sector Coordinating Council and the Peer Advisory 

Group. Further, TSA officials provided us with a more comprehensive and 

inclusive list of short line and regional railroads than in 2011, which more 

than doubled the number of stakeholders in this sector. Because we 

surveyed different stakeholders and stakeholder groups in 2013 than for 

our 2011 review, survey results cannot be directly compared with the 

2011 survey results.

We designed draft questionnaires in close collaboration with our survey 

specialists. We conducted pretests with six security officials—at least one 

from each of the modes we surveyed—in person and by telephone.

We identified organizations and security officials at each organization to 

receive the survey using TSA’s security information product distribution 

lists and, for public transit agencies, the Federal Transit Administration’s 

National Transit Database on public transit ridership.5

 5

The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the U.S. Department of 

Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to public transit systems.

We sent the survey 

to one security official at each of the organizations that we identified in 

our preliminary steps, including commercial passenger air carriers, 

Category X and I commercial airports, air cargo carriers, Amtrak, Class I 

freight rail carriers, short line and regional railroads that carry toxic 

inhalation hazards or operate in high-threat urban areas, public transit 

agencies, pipeline companies, and members of two groups that are 

composed of key highway stakeholders—the Highway and Motor Carrier 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 38 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Sector Coordinating Council and the Peer Advisory Group.6 We sent the 

survey to the entire known population of these aviation and rail 

organizations, as well as all members of highway groups; no sampling 

was conducted. We surveyed 46 of the 896 U.S. public transit agencies, 

which represent about 84 percent of total 2011 ridership.7 We also 

surveyed the 52 energy companies that operate the 100 most critical 

pipeline systems.8

We included 481 transportation stakeholders in our web-based survey, 

which we launched on November 7, 2013. Log-in information was emailed to all contacts. We contacted by telephone and e-mailed those 

who had not completed the questionnaire at multiple points during the 

data collection period, and we closed the survey on January 16, 2014. A 

total of 337 organizations submitted a completed questionnaire with 

 6

For purposes of this report, “commercial airport” refers to an airport within the United 

States operating in accordance with a TSA-approved security program and at which TSA 

performs, or oversees the performance of, passenger and baggage-screening activities. 

Category X airports represent the nation’s largest and busiest airports as measured by the 

volume of passenger traffic and are potentially attractive targets for criminal and terrorist 

activity. TSA classifies the nation’s airports into one of five categories (X, I, II, III, and IV) 

based on various factors such as the number of takeoffs and landings annually, the extent 

of passenger screening at the airport, and other security considerations. In general, 

Category X airports have the largest number of passenger boardings and Category IV 

airports have the smallest. As defined by revenue, for 2009, Class I railroads are freight 

rail carriers having an operating revenue of $379 million or more. The Highway and Motor 

Carrier Sector Coordinating Council is an industry advisory body that, as appropriate, 

coordinates the private industry perspective on highway and motor carrier security policy, 

practices, and standards that affect the transportation sector. According to TSA officials, 

the Peer Advisory Group includes 12 to 15 representatives from motorcoach companies 

that coordinate with TSA to, among other things, share security-related information. Our 

survey responses represent each of the stakeholder groups described but are not 

generalizable to entire modes of transportation such as aviation, rail, and highways.

7

The total number of public transit agencies reflects those agencies that reported data to 

the National Transit Database in fiscal year 2011, the most recent year for which data 

were available when we initiated our survey. The National Transit Database is the nation’s 

primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems of the United States. 

We surveyed 46 of the top 50 agencies as measured by fiscal year 2011 ridership. We 

omitted 4 agencies after learning that the security points of contact at 5 agencies were the 

same.

8

A system is considered critical if it is so vital to the United States that its incapacitation or 

destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public 

health or safety, or any combination thereof. TSA determined the most critical pipeline 

systems based on the amount of energy they carry.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 39 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

usable responses for an overall response rate of 70 percent, as shown in 

table 4.

Table 4: Stakeholder Groups That Received and Completed the Survey

Stakeholder 

transportation 

sector and mode

Number that 

received the 

survey

Number that 

completed the 

survey

Percentage of 

recipients that 

completed the survey

Aviation 206 150 73

Commercial 

passenger air carrier

57 a 43 75

Air cargo 67 a 42 63

Commercial airports 82 b 65 79

Rail 144 89 62

Class I freight rail 7 7 100

Short line and 

regional freight rail

136 81 60

Amtrak 1 1 100

Highway 33 24 73

Public transit 46 36 78

Pipeline 52 38 73

Total 481 337 70

Source: GAO survey. | GAO-14-506.

a

We compared the lists of commercial passenger and air cargo carriers provided by TSA and found 

that seven airlines were on both lists and had the same security contacts for both sectors. We placed 

each of the carriers in one sector based on its categorization in prior work we completed under the 

9/11 Commission Act to maintain consistency in reporting.

b

The were 84 airports in our scope, but the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which 

operates three airports, submitted a consolidated response. As a result, we ultimately surveyed 82 

airport security coordinators.

Since the air cargo and short line and regional freight rail sectors’

response rates were lower than those of the other sectors (63 and 60 

percent, respectively), we conducted a nonresponse analysis.9

 9

Nonresponse analysis is an established practice in survey research that helps determine 

whether nonresponse bias (i.e., survey results that do not accurately reflect the 

population) might occur because of under- or overrepresentation of some respondents’

views on survey questions

We 

analyzed the extent to which air cargo respondents and nonrespondents 

differ by geography, TSA program they participate in, and size, and we 

analyzed short line nonresponse for geography and size. We determined, 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 40 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

according to our analysis of survey data and discussions with air cargo 

and short line association officials, there is likely no programmatic or 

geographic nonresponse bias in the air cargo sector or geographic or size 

bias in the short line and regional rail sector. However, only one of the 

four large air cargo carriers responded to the survey, and that carrier’s 

responses were more positive than for the sector as a whole. There may 

be a size-based response bias, but since there are only 3 nonresponding 

large carriers out of the population of 67 carriers, their responses would 

not likely have had an effect on the overall response of air cargo carriers. 

In addition, we interviewed 2 of the nonresponding large carriers to 

ensure that we could incorporate their views as appropriate.

Because we did not conduct any sampling for our survey, our data are not 

subject to sampling errors. However, the practical difficulties of 

conducting any survey may introduce nonsampling errors. For example, 

differences in how a particular question is interpreted, the sources of 

information available to respondents, or the types of people who do not 

respond to a question can introduce errors into the survey results. We 

included steps in both the data collection and data analysis stages to 

minimize such nonsampling errors. As we previously indicated, we 

collaborated with our survey specialists to design draft questionnaires, 

and versions of the questionnaire were pretested with six members of the 

surveyed population. From these pretests, we made revisions as 

necessary to reduce the likelihood of nonresponse and reporting errors 

on our questions. Our analysts answered respondent questions and 

resolved difficulties that respondents had in completing our survey. We 

examined the survey results and performed computer analyses to identify 

inconsistencies and other indications of error and addressed such issues, 

where possible. A second, independent analyst checked the accuracy of 

all computer analyses to minimize the likelihood of errors in data 

processing. To obtain additional narrative and supporting context from 

stakeholders, survey respondents were given multiple opportunities to 

provide additional open-ended comments throughout our survey. While 

the survey responses cannot be used to generalize the opinions and 

satisfaction of transportation stakeholders as a whole, the responses 

provide data for our defined population.

The final instrument is reproduced in an e-supplement we are issuing 

concurrently with this report—GAO-14-488SP—and displays the 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 41 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

percentages of responses received for each question.10

For the purposes of this survey, we defined the five aspects of securityrelated information quality as

The 

questionnaire asked those transportation stakeholders responsible for 

security operations to identify the modes of transportation they provide, 

the extent to which they receive and are satisfied or dissatisfied with TSA 

security-related products and briefings, the mechanisms they use to 

obtain security information, and their satisfaction with each of these 

mechanisms.

• timeliness: the degree to which you received the information within the 

time it was needed;

• relevance: the degree to which the information was applicable to your 

organization;

• completeness: the degree to which the information contained all the 

necessary details;

• actionability: the degree to which the information enabled you to make 

adjustments to your security measures, if such a change was 

warranted; and

• accuracy: the degree to which the information was correct.11

We reviewed documents and plans that describe recommended practices 

for effective information sharing, such as the 2012 Transportation 

Security Information Sharing Environment (TSISE). Finally, we compared 

TSA’s efforts to identify and take appropriate actions based on 

 10GAO-14-488SP.

11We developed these aspects of quality in consultation with GAO methodologists as well 

as public transit agency officials for the public transit stakeholder survey we reported on in 

September 2010. 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 42 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

stakeholders’ responses to our surveys with best practices in 

performance management.12

We also interviewed officials from 16 transportation industry associations, 

selected to achieve a variation across transportation modes and sectors; 

TSA officials responsible for developing security-related information 

products and coordinating with industry stakeholders; DHS officials 

responsible for the department’s primary information-sharing mechanism; 

and six individual survey respondents, selected to achieve a variation 

across modes, to obtain additional context about their responses. While 

the opinions expressed in the interviews cannot be generalized to all 

stakeholders or modes of transportation, they provided illustrative 

examples of the perspectives of various stakeholders about TSA’s 

information-sharing products and mechanisms and corroborated 

information we gathered through other means.

To answer the second question, we obtained 2012 and 2013 customer 

satisfaction survey data—the most recent data available—from surveys 

TSA distributes with its information-sharing products, and public transit 

customer satisfaction survey data collected through surveys administered 

by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in August 

2011, January 2012, December 2012, and October 2013—all of the 

surveys administered, as of April 2014. We questioned knowledgeable 

TSA and APTA officials regarding completeness, accuracy, and 

management of the data. Limitations with these data are discussed in this 

report. In addition, we asked questions about the type of feedback 

stakeholders provide TSA in our customer satisfaction survey described 

above. We also analyzed fiscal year 2014 through 2016 TSA strategic 

plans and planning efforts to develop a systematic process to collect and 

analyze customer feedback. We compared this information against 

customer service best practices and best practices for customer 

 12See, for example, GAO, Executive Guide: Effectively Implementing the Government 

Performance and Results Act, GGD-96-118 (Washington, D.C: June 1, 1996), and 

Managing for Results: Enhancing Agency Use of Performance Information for 

Management Decision Making, GAO-05-927 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 2005). This 

report identified (1) how federal agencies can use performance information to make 

management decisions and (2) practices that can facilitate the use of performance 

information. To determine the best practices for performance measurement, we reviewed 

relevant literature, including previous GAO reports, spoke to experts in using performance 

information, and held group discussions with federal program managers.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 43 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

satisfaction13 as well as Standards for Internal Control in the Federal 

Government.

14

We conducted this performance audit from June 2013 to June 2014 in 

accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.

In addition, as noted above, we interviewed officials from 

16 industry associations, 6 stakeholders, and TSA officials responsible for 

coordinating with stakeholders and collecting stakeholder feedback to 

determine what other mechanisms TSA uses to obtain and incorporate 

stakeholder feedback.

 13See, for example, GAO, Defense Logistics: Improving Customer Feedback Program 

Could Enhance DLA’s Delivery of Services, GAO-02-776 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 9, 

2002. We conducted an extensive literature search of best practice organizations to 

determine popular techniques for collecting customer feedback that we used to evaluate 

activities related to defense logistics. In addition, see GAO-10-895, in which we applied 

these best practices to transit agencies in the past.

14GAO, Internal Control, Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, 

GAO/AIMD-00-21.3.1 (Washington, D.C.: November 1999).
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Homeland Security

Page 44 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Homeland Security
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Homeland Security

Page 45 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing
Appendix III: GAO Contacts and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 46 GAO-14-506 Transportation Security Information Sharing

Jennifer Grover, 202-512-7141 or groverj@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, individuals making key 

contributions to this report include Leyla Kazaz and Jill Verret, Assistant 

Directors; Joanna Chan; Katherine Davis; Michele Fejfar; Eric Hauswirth; 

Paul Hobart; Tracey King; Erin McLaughlin; Linda Miller; Lisa S. Moore; 

and Janay Sam.

Appendix III: GAO Contacts and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(441159)
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