U.S. Government International Trade Data System

Develop and implement a U.S. Government International Trade Data System.

By April 1994, the Secretary of the Treasury should begin developing an
International Trade Data System. The Treasury should seek technical
support for the project from the United States Trade Representative; the
International Trade Commission; the Departments of State, Labor,
Agriculture, and Commerce; and other stakeholders. An implementation
plan should be completed by January 1995, and submitted to the
Government Information Technology Services Working Group for approval.

This project would be accomplished by establishing an integrated
database for the collection and dissemination of all international trade
data through the expansion and redesign of the U.S. Customs Service
Automated Commercial System. To implement the recommendation, Customs
should expand FACET and make the team responsible for developing a
system design for a commercial environment that will reflect the future
needs of the U.S. government and the trade community.

The federal government must provide leadership to develop and pursue a
coordinated national electronic data interchange (EDI) policy for
interacting with domestic and international organizations. To date,
there has been no U.S. effort to assess the political and business
requirements for developing a comprehensive approach for the use of EDI.
Migration to EDIFACT as a standard is now endorsed, although questions
still exist regarding its management and use--particularly its
relationship to other standards and responsiveness to regional and
national concerns. As a part of its trade data system infrastructure,
the federal government should provide proactive leadership in supporting
worldwide EDI policy and standards. Specifically, it should designate a
single government entity as the EDI policy and coordinating body.