Deadhead One leg of a move without a
paying cargo load. Usually refers to
repositioning an empty piece of equipment.
Debt Financing The use of borrowed funds
to make a capital investment. The property itself usually serves as the
security for the debt in real estate debt financing.
Decertification A process by which employees remove the
interloping authority of an organization or association, such as a union, that
represents them in their place of work; therefore, to vote out a labor union is
to start the process of its decertification. The National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) has the authority in the USA to maintain guidelines for decertification.
Decibel A unit used to measure the intensity of
sound.
Deduction An
expense that is allowable as a reduction of gross taxable income by the IRS
e.g., charity donations, wages, expenses, etc.
Degree Days
Computed from each day's mean temperature (max+min/2). For each degree
that a day's mean temperature is below or above a reference temperature is
counted as one degree day.
Deionized Water Water free of inorganic chemicals.
Dekatherm (Dth) A unit of measurement equal to ten therms
or one million Btu.
Demand Charge Also called a capacity charge.
A
customer charge for utility service that reflects the extent to which a
particular customer chooses to purchase a right to draw a certain volume of gas
at any time during the year.
Demographics Statistical characteristics
of a population analyzed and presented in such terms as head-count, growth,
number of households, income, labor force, workforce, etc. Demographic analysis
is an activity that distinguishes the location/site selection process from the
real estate site selection process because its helps answer critical
pre-investment questions about the availability of potential qualified
employees or, perhaps, potential customers.
Department of Transportation See D.O.T.
Depreciation Reduction of value of an asset over
time by the acknowledgement of such loss through an accounting process. The act
of depreciating assets, as is usually done for tax purposes, is property
depreciation.
Deregulation The
elimination of regulation from a previously regulated industry or sector of an
industry. For example, the deregulation
of the electric utility industry allows for the purchase of power from another
power generator other than the one providing transmission service to the site.
Desalination The process of salt removal from sea or brackish water.
Detention/Detention Pond A storm water system that delays the downstream progress of
storm water runoff in a controlled manner. This is typically accomplished using
temporary storage areas and a metered outlet device. (As opposed to a less
common Retention pond)
Developable
Acres Refers to
the number of actual usable acres. This
would mean subtracting any portion of the property that could not be used such
as covenants for setback requirements, greenbelt, ponds, wetlands or excessive
grade/slope.
Development Agency Any
economic development agency at the local, county, regional or state level to
include those organizations housed within utility companies, transportation
firms or private real estate firms.
The term is meant to be synonymous with entities that attempt to
influence investment through marketing efforts of property. See also Members.
Development
Cost The
cost to make land or buildings suitable for use, which includes clearing,
grubbing, demolition, excavation, grading, utility extensions, studies and
investigations.
Digital Signal An electronic signal that is coded in binary format (0s and 1s)
and uses electronic or optical pulses as opposed to an analog signal that uses
a continuously variable flow.
Development Professionals
For the most part,
development professionals are economic development representatives at the
state, regional and local levels.
Utility organizations and transportation organizations will be included
in this cadre of member as well as real estate firms willing to participate in
the program. All participants must
abide by the rules and guidelines of the program to participate. See also Members.
Digital Switch A switch that performs time-division-multiplexed switching of
digitized signals. Note 1: When used with analog inputs, analog-to-
digital and digital-to-analog conversions are required. These functions may be
performed by the digital switch. Note 2: Implementation is accomplished
by the interchange of time slots between input and output ports on a sequential
basis under the direction of control systems. The control systems may be
automatic, semiautomatic, or manual.
Digital Transmission Transmission of data, audio, or video
messages in discrete codes generated by computers.
Dike An
embankment used to confine or control water. Dikes are often built along the
banks of a river to prevent overflow; a levee.
Direct
Labor Workers contributing directly
to a production process.
Discharge
The volume of water and suspended sediment in
surface water that passes a given location within a given period of time.
Rivers are usually measured in Cubic Feet Per Second (CFS). Storm water
discharge can be measured in gallons per minute (GPM).
Discharge Permit A permit issued by a state or the federal government to
discharge effluent into waters of the state or the United States. In many
states, both state and federal permits are required.
Discretionary
Incentives Incentives
offered only as the result of special approval by an authorized granting
authority.
Discriminating
Factors Site and/or community characteristics that are considered very
important and desirable but can only be measured in the degree to which they
exist.
Discount Rate The compound rate of interest used to convert
expected future income into present value.
Discovery
Phase Similar to due diligence. The period of time when investigations to bring out matters of
fact and relevance is performed – usually under a specific deadline.
Dissolved Oxygen The oxygen in water that is available to support aquatic life.
Dissolved Solids Inorganic material contained in water or wastes. Excessive
dissolved solids make water unsuitable for drinking or industrial uses. See TDS.
Distillation Water Treatment Method where water is boiled to steam and condensed in a
separate reservoir. Contaminants with higher boiling points than water do not
vaporize and remain in the boiling flask.
Distilled Water Water that has been treated by boiling and condensation to
remove solids, inorganics, and some organic chemicals.
Distribution Company An electric distribution company that provides only distribution
services that are unbundled.
Distribution System 1) For natural gas, the pipes and service equipment that carry
or control the supply of natural gas from the point of local supply, or city
gate, to the customer’s meter. 2) For
electricity, the substations, transformers, and lines that convey electricity
from the generation site to the consumer.
Distribution Voltage The voltage of electric energy from convenient points on the
transmission or bulk power system to consumers.
Dock
-
For
ships, a cargo handling area parallel to the shoreline where a vessel normally
ties up.
-
For
land transportation, a loading or unloading platform at an industrial location
or carrier terminal.
1.
Drive-in
Docks: Truck can pull straight in to load or unload goods.
2.
Tailgate
Docks: Truck must back into spot to
load and unload goods.
Domain The name of a computer or network on the
Internet, specifically the characters to the right of the "@" sign,
indicating the organization and the type of organization (.mil: military; .org:
nonprofit; .edu: educational institution; .com: commercial, etc.) that operates
that domain or the physical location of the computer (i.e. .ca: Canada, .uk:
United Kingdom)
D.O.T. Department
of Transportation. Government
department responsible for the transportation system in a given state. The DOT’s responsibilities can include, but
is not limited to, all roads, highways, railroads, air traffic, and water
traffic as well as the safety of individuals who use those transportation
systems.
Drayage Charge
made for local hauling by dray or truck. Same as Cartage.
Drive-Time The time it takes to move from one point to
another, using a road system, while driving at normal speed.
DSL Acronym
for digital subscriber line from the telephone company. Digital subscriber line technologies allow
telecommunications companies to using existing twisted pair copper line to
transport multimedia and high-speed data transmissions.
Dual Feed The
provision of power from two separate sources, ideally from two different
substations, fed by independent transmission and distribution feeds.
Dual Fiber Feed (Dual Use access line) A user access line normally used for analog voice communication,
but which has special conditioning for use as a digital transmission circuit.
Due
Diligence The fair, proper and due
degree of care and activity. It is a term that is expressed or implied in
contracts, usually stating that good faith efforts are to be made to perform
obligations.