Frequently Asked Questions

DATA AND METHODOLOGY FAQ

What is the difference between the version 6.2 and earlier versions of NTEM data sets?

The NTEM 6.2 data, which has been released in IN DRAFT status, differs from the 5.4 data because it has updated population, household, employment, GDP and car purchasing cost projections. The changes to GDP projections are in response to the economic downturn and affect the car ownership forecasts. The changes to the employment forecasts are in response to the economic downturn and also due to a change in forecasting methodology, and this will affect the split of trip ends by trip purpose.

Why are there multiple versions of data on this site?

The NTEM 6.2 data set is the currently adopted dataset that may continue to be used in current transport models and appraisals. The previous dataset NTEM 5.4, is still available to enable analysts to review work carried out between February 2008 and July 2011.

The latest version of the software, TEMPRO v6.2, can be used in conjunction with both the NTEM 5.4 and NTEM 6.2 data sets.

Why can I no longer download P/A only data sets?

The latest version of TEMPRO software (version 6.2) no longer has the functionality allowing users to convert data to O/D due to the increased ease of downloading larger file sizes. Therefore, all future data sets will only be available with both P/A and O/D data.

I wish to use NTEM data to assess the impact of a development without the use of a formal transport model. Is my development included in the data set?

Nowhere in the derivation of TEMPRO planning data is there an explicit assumption that particular developments do or do not go ahead.

With detailed local development information, the practitioner may adjust the distribution of households or jobs at the zone level. This adjustment may be achieved by using the 'Alternative planning assumptions' functionality within the TEMPRO software. Refer to the Guidance Note and the TEMPRO software Help File for more information on this.

Please note that for modelling purposes, TEMPRO figures must be used as control totals over a larger area, usually the district level. This implies that if the jobs or households in a zone are adjusted, equal and opposite adjustments must be made in other zones (say, in the local authority) to match the total from TEMPRO.

For more details about the standard approach to take into account uncertainty in transport forecasting (including developments), please see WebTAG Unit 3.15.5: Uncertainty in Forecasting.

From where do I get national traffic growth forecasts?

National traffic growth forecasts from the National Transport Model (NTM) are published annually by the Department on the DfT web site and may be used in simpler models and assessments where traffic growth factors are required. The current version of the NTM data may be found here.

How does TEMPRO treat goods vehicle traffic?

TEMPRO includes travel by vehicles owned by households and hence does not include freight vehicles. For forecasts of freight traffic - available by region, road type and vehicle class - refer to the results of the National Transport Model, noting the answer to the previous question.

Do NTEM datasets include a high or low growth scenario?

No - the current version of NTEM provides central growth forecasts only. All forecasting has uncertainty. Please see WebTAG Unit 3.15.5, The Treatment of Uncertainty in Forecasting, for further details of how uncertainty should be reported.

Please confirm the meanings of Production and Attraction as found in the current TEMPRO software

Trip Production is defined as the home end of a Home Based trip or as the origin of a Non Home Based trip.
Trip Attraction is defined as the non home end of a Home Based trip or the destination end of a Non Home Based trip.

How do P/As and O/Ds differ with respect to time periods?

A production and attraction for a home-based trip takes the time period of the from-home trip. This includes the out-trip and the return-trip. For example, a person travelling to work in the AM peak period and returning home in the PM peak will produce two AM peak productions at home and two AM peak attractions at work. Origins and destinations take their time period from the time of departure from the origin.

Why don't NTEM population figures match national figures?

The population figures in NTEM datasets give the population resident in households. This excludes residents of communal establishments. The population data in TEMPRO is mid-year, hence comparisons with the Census will show a systematic difference.

In the forecast years, population may vary slightly from projected national figures. This is a result of the household allocation process where population from trend-based sources are allocated to policy-based dwellings. Where the population trends are significantly higher than the planned dwelling supply, this implies unacceptable changes to household sizes and structures. In this case, NTEM populations may be resultantly lower than the trend-based source. This is also relevant for household projections, which are also from trend-based sources.

Why do the TEMPRO NTM Traffic Growth figures not match my results from previous manual calculations?

Some users have asked why the results of the NTM calculations in the new Version 6 software do not match their previous manual calculations. The DfT would like to point out that the Road Traffic Forecasts data included in the Version 6 software is that released in December 2008.

Further information can be found on the Road Traffic Forecasts 2009

SOFTWARE AND INSTALLATION FAQ

I have downloaded the datasets but when I try to open them I can't because they are password protected. What's the password?

The datasets have not been designed to be accessed directly by the end-user. The datasets are MS Access databases, the data structure is fairly complicated and the files contain huge amounts of data in a fairly user unfriendly format. However, there is a very user friendly way of querying the data and accessing the data you require, which is to use the TEMPRO system which can be downloaded from this site. The download contains an installation file which needs to be run on your machine to install the software. The "Getting Started" document (also available to be downloaded from this site) explains exactly how to install the software.

The NTEM 6.2 datasets have not been password protected for technical reasons; however, users are still advised to use them via the TEMPRO software.

When I run the software I get a message which says "You do not have any datasets in your data folder."

The most likely problem is that the datasets have not been saved in the DATA sub-folder of the application folder and therefore the software cannot find them. When installing the TEMPRO system under 32-Bit versions of Windows the default DATA sub-folder is C:\Program Files\TEMPRO6\DATA though users are allowed to change this during the installation process. You should ensure that your regional datasets are copied to the DATA sub-folder. For 64-Bit versions of Windows the default DATA sub-folder is C:\Program Files (x86)\TEMPRO6\DATA.

Further details of how to install the TEMPRO software and Data are given in the 'Getting Started with TEMPRO (Version 6.2)' document that is available on the Latest Downloads page.

How do I install TEMPRO on a server?

TEMPRO was designed and implemented as an application to be installed and run on a local machine. Therefore, we do not recommend that users install the TEMPRO software on a server as TEMPRO has not been designed to allow multi-user operation. However, datasets can be installed on a server and accessed by multiple users.

Further details of how to install the TEMPRO software and Data are given in the 'Getting Started with TEMPRO (Version 6.2)' document that is available on the Latest Downloads page.

Under what versions of Windows does TEMPRO run?

TEMPRO Version 6.2 runs under Microsoft Windows 7, Vista or XP (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions). Tempro Versions 5.1 and 5.0 can be installed on earlier versions of Windows and remain available for download on the Downloads Archive page. Users are advised, however, to make use of Version 6.2 where possible.

I am having problems installing TEMPRO.

To install any software, including TEMPRO, on a Windows Vista (or Windows XP) machine you have to have administrator rights. If your organisation has an IT department then we recommend that they install the software for you, ensuring that ALL users have rights to use the software. If you do not have the support of an IT department and are unsure how to gain administrator rights then please contact the TEMPRO support team.

I am having problems getting the download to work.

If you experience problems downloading the software and/or datasets then check the policy on length of connection as your machine may timeout before the end of the download. It is possible to increase the connection time settings, although you may need your IT department to make this change. If this does not appear to be the problem then you should check your firewall settings and if necessary update them. If you continue to experience problems then please contact the TEMPRO support team.

Can I get data in Excel format?

Yes TEMPRO results can be exported to Excel. Alternatively, you can copy the results data from the grid on the results screen and then paste that data into another application such as Excel. For more information on this functionality please see the TEMPRO help file.

I get an error 33 message when using TEMPRO.

This can occur if data sets earlier than version 5.1 are used with TEMPRO 6.2. The latest datasets can be downloaded from this site.

Why can't I select the Origin/Destination button under the Trip end by time period selections?

This is caused when one or more of the regional datasets contained in the DATA sub-folder does not contain any Origin/Destination data. Prior to TEMPRO version 6.0 being released the regional dataset downloads contained only Production/Attraction data and the TEMPRO system itself was used to append the Origin/Destination data. Please redownload the datasets and copy them to the DATA sub-folder. If you are still having problems after doing this then contact TEMPRO Support.

Are there any differences when installing TEMPRO under 64-Bit versions of Windows?

TEMPRO is a 32-Bit application but can still be installed on 64-Bit Versions of Windows. However, because it is installed as a 32-Bit application, the installation folder is C:\Program Files (x86)\TEMPRO6 and not C:\Program Files\TEMPRO6. Please ensure that you copy your regional datasets to the correct DATA sub-folder prior to using TEMPRO.

Further details of how to install the TEMPRO software and Data are given in the 'Getting Started with TEMPRO (Version 6.2)' document that is available on the Latest Downloads page.

Why do I get the message "ERROR READING SETUP INITIALIZATION FILE" when I try to run the TEMPRO installation package?

The message is an indicator that the installation package has been corrupted during the download process (the file is normally much smaller than it should be). Please redownload the installation package and try to install TEMPRO again.