NTSB takes 'Yes, And' approach with new accident data dashboards

The NTSB is taking a "Yes, And" approach to its new U.S. Civil Aviation Accident Dashboard. Find statistics in an interactive format, utilizing the same data from the NTSB's static accident spreadsheets in Excel and adding more information and control with the data dashboard. The new dashboard gives the power to the user. Rather than the traditional Excel spreadsheets, which give users less information and less control, the dashboard brings the information directly to you. Users can grab data regularly to populate legacy products and allow the information to be seen from different points of view. The team kept the customer experience in mind when building the dashboard, keeping what they call a "Yes, And" approach. "We took a ‘Yes And . . .' approach with all of the dashboards," Chief Data Scientist Loren Groff said. "We'll give you that familiar government document and we'll also give you the new dashboard version with so much more control by the user." The NTSB has always provided an annual census first as a printed boot, then with updated Excel spreadsheets. Now, there will be an additional dashboard. There will be GA data available in the new format, debuting alongside an instructional video. "We rolled out the GA dashboard for Oshkosh (EAA Airventure)," Senior Aviation Accident Analyst Nathan Doble said. "We recognized that this is a new capability for many of our users, so we wanted to provide training and solicit their feedback." The dashboard allows you to check data by various factors, including state/region, phase of flight, defining event, purpose of flight, aircraft category and engine type. Compare Part 121 air carriers, Part 135 commuter and on-demand carriers, general aviation and U.S. civil aviation. Bring up a list of accidents that link to accident reports and plot these on a map. GA pilots can discover findings and recommendations the NTSB issued in connection with the accidents that met the users' filters. Groff, Doble and the NTSB data analytics team are taking accident data from static tables and using them in the interactive dashboard and offering increased content and capabilities for the user.Check out the NTSB U.S. Civil Aviation Accident Dashboard "Then there is the state-by-state, monthly breakdown," Groff said. "We had a congressional requirement to report accidents in Alaska monthly. The NTSB data analytics team thought, if we're doing it for Alaska, why not do it for all the states?"