Printed versions of this document are not controlled. Users are responsible for ensuring that they follow current, online practices and procedures.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GATS System Login for USDA Members. 7

GATS Home.. 12

Data Access. 13

Standard Query. 13

Advanced Query. 19

Access Saved Queries. 25

Links. 29

Quick Query. 30

Announcements. 33

Next Release and Features. 34

Reports. 35

BICO Reports. 36

BICO Country Report 36

BICO Product Report 38

Executive Summaries. 40

GATS System Overview

The Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) brings together monthly and annual United States (U.S.) and foreign agricultural trade data including official U.S. Trade data (Bureau of the Census) and U.S State trade data into one environment using data visualization,data analysis and information integration to provide the means to quickly and easily perform research and analysis on trade data, and to identify trade related issues and trends through a simple and flexible web-based interface.

GATS will be the official United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) repository for current and historical agricultural trade data (imports, exports and re-exports) for agricultural, fishery, forestry and other agricultural related products dating back to 1967.

USDA is responsible for identifying the official agricultural export and import totals as reported by the U.S. As such, USDA identifies what Harmonized System 10-digit codes are considered agricultural as specified in the U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Guide to Foreign Trade, Chapter 2 - Description of the Foreign Trade Statistical Program, Section 9 - Commodity Classifications, Paragraph - Agricultural and Nonagricultural Commodities as "Assignments of individual HTSUSA and Schedule B classifications generally are determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and other USDA agencies will use the data for USDA's analysis of the global agricultural trade and outlook and as such, it is an essential tool for managing the Department's credit, aid, marketing programs and supporting trade policy initiatives.

Currently, FAS uses several disparate data sources to perform analysis on trade data, and it is a labor intensive process to research and accumulate information from these different systems. Subsequently, there are no central locations, common integrations, and interfaces to access this information.

These disparate systems still rely on canned reports and tabular spreadsheet format output to present data. There is no way to simplify the display of the large quantities and complex relationships of this data. It is difficult to analyze and identify data nuances during the identification and decision making process. As a result, there is a need for a software application that provides an intuitive graphical interface with the goal of providing the viewer with a qualitative understanding of the information contents. As well, there is a need for an automated trade system that provides the tools to meet the needs of a reduced workforce with expanding responsibilities that will integrate the varying data sources and standardize the methods to access them.

The primary objective of GATS is to integrate the existing US Trade data, Global Trade Atlas data and the United Nations data into a software environment that is supported under the FAS Enterprise Architecture standards. Furthermore, GATS will include additional functionality and data sources currently only available from the internal trade systems and provide enhanced means to visualize and analyze the trade data. This functionality will be achieved through a web-based system.

GATS Access for General Users

For general users, to access the GATS system, please use the following URL:

http://www.fas.usda.gov/gats

After clicking on the link to the GATS system, the system will proceed to the GATS home screen for non login users. The GATS home screen will display the summary of GATS functions, GATS related announcements and a brief listing of the latest released trade totals. The GATS home screen also has the Quick Search feature that allows a user to quickly search for data needed and the home page provides access to the major features of the application using the toolbar (Publish, Home, Reports, Analytics, Reference Info, Help, Contact Us and User Settings). Each section will provide the user with different GATS access features and abilities.

GATS System Login for USDA Members

For USDA members, to access the GATS system, please use the following URL:

http://www.fas.usda.gov/gats

After clicking on the Login link, first a USDA warning message will appear. After reading the disclaimer, click the Continue button to proceed to the next screen of the system. Click the Cancel button to exit out of the application.

To log into the GATS system, users should use their FAS e-Authentication login information (User ID and Password) and then click on the Login button.

If the user id and password is incorrect, the system will proceed to an eAuthentication Login failed screen. This screen will provide options for the user to retrieve the correct user id and password to access the system.

After clicking the Login button and successfully logging into the system, the system will proceed to the GATS home screen. The system will display two messages stating “Welcome and the name of the user” and “GATS Login Successful”. The GATS home screen contains the major access features of the application on the toolbar (Publish, Home, Reports, Analytics, Reference Info, Help, Contact Us and User Settings). Each section will provide the user with different GATS access features and abilities.

GATS Home

After clicking on the Home link, the system will proceed to the GATS home screen. The GATS home screen contains several sub-sections such as Data Access (containing the Standard Query, Advanced Query and Access Saved Query sections), Links which contains links to schedules, partners and products and reports which are related to GATS, Quick Query, Announcements, Next Release and Features.

The home page also provides access to the major features of the application using the GATS toolbar (GATS Home, Reports, Analytics, Reference Info, Help, Contact Us and User Settings). Each section will provide the user with different GATS access features and abilities.

Data Access

The Data Access section is found on the left hand navigation of the GATS Home Page and contains the Standard Query, Advanced Query and Access Saved Queries (for logged in users only) sections.

Standard Query

The Standard Query feature contained on the left hand navigation of the GATS Home Screen allows the user to quickly create a query based on the parameters selected. To use the Standard Query feature highlight and then click on the link marked “Standard Query”.

After clicking on the Standard Query link from the homepage, the system will proceed to the Standard Query main page. The user should use the parameters listed (Data Source, Product Type, Product Groups, Partners, Products, Commodity Search, Statistics, Dates and Settings) to create the intended query.

There is also a User Saved Selections section for the user to retrieve a previously saved Standard Query.

After making selections for each option contained within the Standard Query section, click the Retrieve Data button for the system to process the request.

After clicking the Retrieve Data button, the system will display the data requested as a query output display at the bottom of the Standard Query page underneath the parameter selected.

In addition, there are other options available to change how the data is displayed such as expanding or minimizing specific data by clicking on the (+) or (-) button.

Users can also export the query returned data into an Excel Spreadsheet.

Users can also review the GATS Formula Calculations that were used for the query by clicking the Display Calculation Formulas link.

Advanced Query

The Advanced Query feature contained on the left hand navigation of the GATS Home Screen is similar to the Standard Query feature except it allows more options for the user to select. To use the Advanced Query feature highlight and then click on the link marked “Advanced Query”.

After clicking on the Advanced Query link from the homepage, the system will proceed to the Advanced Query main page. The user should use the additional parameters listed (Current User Selections, Settings, Reporters, Dates, Partners and Products) to create the intended query.

There is also a User Saved Selections section for the user to retrieve a previously saved Standard Query.

After making selections for each option contained within the Standard Query section, click the Run Using Current Selections button for the system to process the request.

After clicking the Run Using Current Selections button, the system will display the data requested as a query output display towards the right hand side of the Advanced Query page and next to the parameter selected. In addition, there are other options available to change how the data is displayed.

In addition, there are other options available to change how the data is displayed such as expanding or minimizing specific data by clicking on the (+) or (-) button.

Users can also export the query returned data into an Excel Spreadsheet.

Users can also review the GATS Formula Calculations that were used for the query by clicking the Display Calculation Formulas link.

Access Saved Queries

The Access Saved Queries feature contained on the left hand navigation of the GATS Home Screen allows the user to download trade data for off line analysis. Please note that this feature is only available to GATS users who have logged into the system. General users who do not log into the system will not see this section.

To use the Access Saved Queries feature, highlight and then click on the link marked “Access Saved Queries”.

Clicking on the Access Saved Queries link allows the user to review all saved queries created by the user. The user can check the box next to the query he or she would like to run as well as determine if the system should send an email notification, include zero values or run when new data is loaded. The user must also select the selection type on which to run data download requests by checking either standard selection or saved selection. Next, click the Submit Requests button.

After the user clicks the Submit Requests button, the system will return a listing of processes for the requested data. The system will display a Request ID, Saved Selections Name, Status and Completed Date. The user can determine to either Delete or Cancel the request or Download a completed request.

Clicking Download will download the data into an Excel spreadsheet so the user can use and analyze without having to use the GATS System.

Links

The Links section located on the left hand navigation of the GATS Home Screen contains hot links to immediately access features contained within the GATS System. The system provides links based on Release Schedule, Top Trade by Partner, Trade Growth by Product and BICO Reports. Clicking on any of these links will allow the user to access the selected section immediately.

Quick Query

The Quick Query section located on the left hand navigation of the GATS Home Screen allows a user to quickly create a query using only three parameters: Product Type, Product Group and Partner.

After setting the parameters for the Quick Query, click the Submit button.

After clicking the Submit button, the system will display the data requested as a query output display at the bottom of the Standard Query page underneath the parameter options. As with all queries, the user has the option to expand (+) or minimize (-) a section or export the data to an Excel spreadsheet or display the calculation formulas for the query.

Announcements

The Announcements section located in the middle of the GATS Homepage contains general system announcements that are related to the system. Each announcement will contain a heading and a brief paragraph describing the announcement. For further information about an individual announcement, click the View link on the left of each individual announcement to review the entire message.

Next Release and Features

The Next Release section located on the right hand side of the GATS Home Page alerts the user to the next data release. The Features section also located on the right hand side of the GATS Home Page provides the user with a brief description of the sub-sections of the system which can be found by using the GATS Navigation Toolbar to access each section (Reports, Analytics, Reference Info, User Settings).

Reports

The Reports section houses the GATS Reports. The reports are broken down into two sections: BICO Reports (including BICO Country Report and BICO Production Report) and Executive Summaries (including Top Products, Top Partners, Global View).

BICO Reports

BICO Country Report

The BICO Country Report allows a user to enter a Country Report and to create a report by Product Type, Year Type, Partner and to Include Partial Year. After all selections are made, click the ‘Run Query’ button for the system to create the report.

After clicking the ‘Run Query’ button, the system will display a report based on the user’s selections.

BICO Reports

BICO Product Report

The BICO Product Report allows a user to enter a Product Report and to create a report by Product Type, Year Type, Product and to Include Partial Year. After all selections are made, click the ‘Run Query’ button for the system to create the report.

After clicking the ‘Run Query’ button, the system will display a report based on the user’s selections.

Executive Summaries

Top Products

The Top Products Report allows a user to generate a report output using the current selections on the left hand side (Chart Data Selection, Settings, Reporters, Partners and Products). After all selections are made, click the ‘Run Using Current Selections’ button for the system to create the report.

Executive Summaries

Top Partners

The Top Partners Report allows a user to generate a report output using the current selections on the left hand side (Chart Data Selection, Settings, Reporters, Partners and Products). After all selections are made, click the ‘Run Using Current Selections’ button for the system to create the report.

Executive Summaries

Global View

The Global View Report allows a user to generate a report output using the current selections on the left hand side (Chart Data Selection, Settings, Reporters, Partners and Products). After all selections are made, click the ‘Run Using Current Selections’ button for the system to create the report.

Analytics

The Analytics section is divided into two main sub-sections; Visual Analytics and Data Analytics. Each sub-section contains further features to generate analytical charts and queries based on the parameters selected by the user.

Visual Analytics

Top Trade/Products

To access the Top Trade-Products section, select Visual Analytics and then highlight Top Trade and click the option for Products.

After clicking on Products, the Top Trade-Products screen will appear. The parameters for this section will be listed on the left hand side under the Current User Selections section. Click on each of the sub sections (Chart Data Selections, Settings, Reporters, Dates, Partners and Products and User Saved Selections if logged into the system) to determine the type of data the system will return from the Top Trade Products section.

Use the Chart Data Selection to select data for the chart. Click the Generate Chart button to process the request for an existing chart.

The Settings section of the Top Trade-Products allows the user to determine the Data Source, Product Group/Type and Statistics to be used to generate a query or chart.

Depending on the Data Source that was selected, the system will display a Custom Districts or U.S. States section of the Top Trade-Products that allow the user to select the Reporter Options to be used to generate a query or chart. The user can also use the Search box to search for specific Custom Districts or U.S. States information.

The Dates section of the Top Trade-Products allows the user to determine the Date Series, Market Year, Market Year Range and Query End Month to be used to generate a query or chart.

The Partners section of the Top Trade-Products allows the user to determine the Partner Options to be used to generate a query or chart. The user can also use the Search box to search for specific Partners.

The Products section of the Top Trade-Products allows the user to determine the Order and the ability to Limit Selections To: which will be used to generate a query or chart. The user can also use the Search box to search for specific Products.

To access the Trade Balance section, select Visual Analytics and click the option for Trade Balance.

Please review the Top Trade-Products instructions for similar directions to use the left hand parameters listed for each particular Visual Analytics related section to generate a query or chart.

Trade Reconciliation

To review the Trade Reconciliation section, select Data Analytics and then highlight Trade Reconciliation.

Please review the Top Trade-Products instructions for similar directions to use the left hand parameters listed for Trade Reconciliation to generate a query or chart.

GATS Processing Bar

Please note whenever a selection is made and the user selects one of the system processing buttons, the GATS System will display a system processing bar to indicate the system is working to complete the request. One the processing bar stops, the data requested will be displayed.

Chart Data

Once the user has set the parameters for a selected analytical display, the user has the ability to chart the returned data using the Chart Selections feature. Choosing this option will allow the system to display the selected data as a chart. Once the chart appears, the user has the ability to select multiple options to display the chart data. Based on the chart options that are selected the chart will change its appearance instantaneously.

Query Data

Once the user has set the parameters for a selected analytical display, the user has the ability to display the requested information as raw query data. The user will also have the ability to export the data into an Excel spreadsheet and display the calculation formulas for the returned data.

Please note that the user has the ability to expand or drill down returned data by clicking on the expansion grid or the plus sign (+) next to specific data or minimize expanded data by clicking the minus(-) sign next to the expanded data.

Unit Changes

Citing Section 484(f) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1484(f)): Committee for Statistical Annotation of the Tariff Schedule the representative chairs of the U.S. International Trade Commission, Interagency Committee for Statistical Annotation of the Tariff Schedule, analyze and evaluate petitions requesting changes in statistical reporting provisions in the HTS and in Schedule B. The USITC, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce, establishes for statistical purposes an enumeration of articles imported into the United States and exported from the United States and seeks to establish comparability of such statistics with statistical programs for domestic production.

Unit Change Reports will appear in Excel format. Click on the date to view the related change reports.

Reference Info

Definitions

Agricultural Products

FAS Global Agricultural Trade System Agricultural Products Definition

With respect to calculating U.S. agricultural exports, imports and the trade balance, USDA's definition of "agricultural products" is based on the following:

Agricultural products, sometimes also referred to as "food and fiber" products, cover a broad range of goods from unprocessed bulk commodities like soybeans, feed corn, wheat, rice, and raw cotton to highly-processed, high-value foods and beverages like sausages, bakery goods, ice cream, beer and wine, and condiments sold in retail stores and restaurants.

All of the products found in Chapters 1-24 of the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (except for fishery products in Chapters 3 and 16, manufactured tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars in Chapter 24, and spirits in Chapter 22) are considered agricultural products. Agricultural products within these chapters generally fall into the following categories: grains, animal feeds, and grain products (like bread and pasta); oilseeds and oilseed products (like soybean oil and olive oil); livestock, poultry and dairy products including live animals, meats, eggs, and feathers; horticultural products including all fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, as well as nursery products, and beer and wine; unmanufactured tobacco; and tropical products like sugar, cocoa and coffee.

This page lists the U.S. Customs Districts and their associated ports with codes from Schedule D and Schedule K. Users can also download the definitions using the Download button.

Reference Info

Definitions

U.S. Custom Districts/U.S. Ports

This page lists the U.S. Customs Ports with codes from Schedule D and Schedule K.

Users can also download the definitions using the Download button.

Reference Info

Definitions

U.S. States/U.S. Regions

This page lists the U.S. Regions as defined by Census and their associated states, with codes and descriptions as defined by FIPS 5-2
(http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip5-2.htm). Users can also download the definitions using the Download button.

Reference Info

Definitions

U.S. States/U.S. States

Reference Info

Definitions

Units of Measure

This page lists the Global Agricultural Trade System-Units of Measure. Users can also download the definitions using the Download button.

Help

The Help section describes the system overview functionality of the GATS system. A link to the GATS User Manual can also be found in this section. Please take a moment to read the information regarding the GATS application.

Contact Us

The Contact Us section allows a user to send an email to the GATS Support Team (USTHelp@fas.usda.gov) for assistance with any questions or problems that might occur while using the system. There is also a link for a user to review specific commodity and product related information through the FAS/USDA website (http://www.fas.usda.gov/commodities.asp).

User Settings

The User Settings section contains the following options:

· Logout

· Account Information

· Alerts

· Preferences

· Saved Selections

· User Defined Groups

Login/Logout

Clicking on the Login link will allow the user to log into the GATS System. The system will automatically proceed to the eAuthentication login page and the user must enter his or her eAuth login information. After this information is entered correctly, the user will encounter the GATS Login Successful screen. In addition, all saved requests will be captured and available after logging into the system.

The Logout link will allow the user to log out of the GATS System. After clicking on the Logout link, the system will display a message stating “GATS Logout Successful”. After logging out of the GATS System, the user will still have the ability to use the GATS System but will no longer have access to sections and features that require the user to be logged in.

Account Information

Alerts

The Alerts section allows a user to be notified via email of Events or Safe Guards. This section covers the types of alerts a user can create and how the alerts will function. Additionally, it covers how a user can maintain alerts.

In the Event Alert section the user should use the drop down menu to select the type of data to be used as the alert. After selecting the event, click the Save button to save the selection.

After clicking the Save button, the system will display Event Description, Reporter (if available), Creation Date and Email Address for the user who will receive the alert. In most instances the system will list the email address of the current user who is logged into GATS. To delete the saved Event Alert, click the Delete button on the left hand side.

In the Safe Guards Alert section the user shall have the ability to specify a safe guard alert which will require the following pieces of information:

1. Name of the alert

2. Reporter (Always FAS U.S.)

3. A product type
Imports – General/Consumption
Exports
Re-Exports

4. A single partner/partner group / user defined partner group / region

5. A market year

6. A HS-6, HS-8 or HS-10 digit commodity code

7. Threshold Stat Type (Single Selection)
For Quantity – always use census UOM 1.
For Value – always use whole dollars.
Unit Value is not a valid stat type for this list.

8. Threshold Stat Type value

Variance percentage

Preferences

The Preferences section allows users to determine the preferences for how data should be displayed when using the system features.

Saved Selections

The Saved Selections section allows users to review previously saved Criteria Selections and Chart Templates.

To view a saved selection, click the "View" button next to the row to view.
To delete saved selections, click the checkbox next to the rows to delete, then click Delete.
To export saved selections, check the checkbox next to the rows to export, then click Export.
To email, you must first export the saved selection to be emailed. Once the mail client opens, attach the downloaded file.

User Defined Groups/Partner Groups

The User Defined Groups/Partner section allows users to create new partner groups.

To create a new partner group, make selections on left panel, enter a name and click Save.
To delete user defined partner groups, click the delete button next to the rows to delete.
To export user defined partner groups, check the checkbox next to the rows to export, then click Export.
To email, you must first export the partner groups to be emailed. Once the mail client opens, attach the downloaded file.

User Defined Groups/Product Groups

The User Defined Groups/Product section allows users to create new product groups.

To create a new product group, make selections on left panel, enter a name and click the "Calculate UOMs" button.
Select appropriate UOMs from the UOM dropdown lists that appear and then click "Save".
To delete user defined product groups, click the Delete button next to the rows to delete.
To export user defined product groups, check the checkbox next to the rows to export, then click Export.
To email, you must first export the product groups to be emailed. Once the mail client opens, attach the downloaded file.

UNITED NATIONS DATA DISCLAIMER

Every User of Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) should know the coverage and limitations of the United Nation data.

Coverage: The Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) Database contains detailed imports and exports statistics provided by the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade) and reported by statistical authorities of close to 200 countries or areas. It concerns annual trade data from 1989 to the most recent year. A typical record is – for instance – the exports of beer from Germany to the United States in 2004 in terms of value (US dollars), weight and supplementary quantity (liters). The database is continuously updated. Whenever trade data is received from the national authorities, they are standardized by the UN Statistics Division and then added to UN Comtrade which is then used to update the GATS database.

Limitations: The UN Comtrade data is not available to the general public and should be used with good knowledge of its limitations and data dissemination restrictions. Please read the following points very carefully before extracting, using or disseminating the data:

1. The United Nations data shown on this internet site is copyrighted by the United Nations and is provided for internal use only. The data may not be re-disseminated in any form without written permission of the United Nations Statistics Division.

2. The values of the reported detailed commodity data do not necessarily sum up to the total trade value for a given country dataset. Due to confidentiality, countries may not report some of its detailed trade.

3. Countries (or areas) do not necessarily report their trade statistics for each and every year. This means that aggregations of data into groups of countries may involve countries with no reported data for a specific year. The United Nations data does not contain estimates for missing data. Therefore, trade of a country group could be understated due to unavailability of some country data.

4. Imports reported by one country do not coincide with exports reported by its trading partner. Differences are due to various factors including valuation (imports CIF, exports FOB), differences in inclusions/ exclusions of particular commodities, timing etc. The recommendations for international merchandise trade statistics can be found in the International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Compilers Manual). Additional methodological information can be found on the same web page.

5. Almost all countries report as partner country for imports the country of origin which is determined by the rules of origin established by each country. Hence, the term ‘partner country’ in the case of imports does not necessarily imply any direct trading relationship.

6. Whenever quantity or weight information is missing, it was either not reported or in the case of quantity not provided in a quantity unit recommended by WCO for this specific commodity. The United Nations estimates missing quantity or weight information whenever possible by using the country's own data for this period or by using standard unit values derived from data for all countries. If quantity or weights are entirely out of a pre-defined range the United Nations applies this estimation procedure as well. The standard unit values are updated in certain intervals and the unit value applied can be the same for certain consecutive years. Obviously, any estimation based on previous data has to be used with caution in particular in the case of fast price movements.

7. Distinction between Exports, Imports and Re-exports: Exports of a country can be distinguished as exports of domestic goods and exports of foreign goods. The second class is generally referred to as re-exports. The exports shown in the GATS database contain both the exports of domestic and foreign goods. Exports figures always include Re-exports. Imports can be distinguished as imports of foreign goods and imports of domestic goods. Import of domestic goods is referred as re-imports. In UN Comtrade data, imports contain both the imports of foreign goods and domestic goods. Imports figures always include Re-imports.

United States State Export Data Limitations

In certain cases, the origin of movement is not the transportation origin. Whenever shipments are consolidated, the state of origin of movement will reflect the consolidate point. This effect is particularly noticeable for agricultural shipments. Intermediaries located in inland states ship agricultural commodities down the Mississippi River for export from the port of New Orleans. In this case, they would report Louisiana, the state where the port of New Orleans is located, as the state of origin of movement.

The primary impact is on the state distribution of non-manufactured exports, which are generally exported by intermediaries. The most visible result is a tendency to understate exports from some agricultural states and to overstate exports from states like Louisiana that have ports that handle high-value shipments of farm products.

The series DOES NOT represent the production origin of U.S. export merchandise. In some cases considerable manufactured exports are attributed to states that are known to have little manufacturing capability. One reason is that commodities produced by out-of-state suppliers can be shipped from in-state distribution centers. Another factor is shipments of manufactured commodities from in-state warehouses and other distribution centers that are arranged by exporters located out-of-state. In both cases, manufactured exports from the non-industrial state are magnified in the series.