FPDS Query Library
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Sea Transportation Description

Human-readable description paired with the coded Sea Transportation field in award contract data. It identifies the sea transportation requirement in plain language rather than as a code or abbreviated value.

Family: Award
Category: Contract Data
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: description
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description
Title
Sea Transportation Description
FPDS Path
award/contractData/seaTransportation/description
Description
Human-readable description paired with the coded Sea Transportation field in award contract data. It identifies the sea transportation requirement in plain language rather than as a code or abbreviated value.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts interpret whether an award involved maritime shipping or ocean transport services and understand the operational scope behind the coded Sea Transportation indicator. It is useful for categorizing logistics-related procurement, validating coded entries, and separating sea transport requirements from other transportation modes.
Example Value
NO
Observed Non-Null Count
50,166,750

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description
FPDS XML Path
award/contractData/seaTransportation/description
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/contractData/seaTransportation/description' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description'.

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building

Common Usage

  • Interpreting the meaning of a Sea Transportation code
  • Filtering awards with maritime logistics components
  • Validating coded transportation fields against narrative values

Common Mistakes

  • Using the description as if it were the coded indicator
  • Assuming the text fully standardizes across records with the same code

Query Guidance

Use this field for text-based review, validation, and grouping after normalizing case and trimming whitespace. In SQL, join or pair it with the corresponding coded Sea Transportation field; do not use the description alone for definitive categorical logic when a code field is available.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description AS sea_transportation_description
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

SELECT
    content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description AS value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__contractData__seaTransportation__description IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY value
ORDER BY record_count DESC
LIMIT 25

Each dictionary item includes SQL-ready examples generated alongside the variable metadata, allowing immediate use in FPDS Query for filtering, aggregation, and analysis.