Notice2021-17805
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Weather and Society Survey
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 19, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 158 (Thursday, August 19, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 158 (Thursday, August 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46681-46682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17805]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Weather and Society Survey
AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before October 18, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f0b1948299959e9e95de84989f9d9183b09e9f9191de979f86"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="367752445f5358585318425e595b5745765859575718515940">[email protected]</span></a>. Do not
submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Nicole Kurkowski, R2O Team Lead, DOC/NOAA/NWS/OSTI, 1325 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301.427.9104,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#adc3c4cec2c1c883c6d8dfc6c2dadec6c4edc3c2cccc83cac2db"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bed0d7ddd1d2db90d5cbccd5d1c9cdd5d7fed0d1dfdf90d9d1c8">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This is a request for a new collection of information.
The data collection is sponsored by DOC/NOAA/National Weather
Service (NWS)/Office of Science and Technology Integration (OSTI).
Currently, NOAA lacks data and data collection instruments that
articulate and explicate how individuals receive, interpret, and
respond to NOAA information, forecasts, and warnings for severe,
winter, and tropical weather hazards. Furthermore, NOAA lacks this type
of data longitudinally (i.e., collected over time). Without this type
of longitudinal data, NOAA, and the
[[Page 46682]]
NWS specifically, cannot determine if it has met its mission of saving
lives and property, propose societal impact performance metrics, nor
demonstrate if progress or improvements have been made, as outlined in
the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017. This
effort aims to advance the Tornado Warning Improvement and Extension
Program (TWIEP)'s goal to ``reduce the loss of life and economic losses
from tornadoes through the development and extension of accurate,
effective, and timely tornado forecasts, predictions, and warnings,
including the prediction of tornadoes beyond one hour in advance (Pub.
L. 115-25)''. This work addresses NOAA's 5-year Research and
Development Vision Areas (2020-2026) Section 1.4 (FACETs). The Weather
and Society Survey also advances the findings of the National Academy
of Science 2012 report, ``Assessment of the NWS Modernization
Program'', in reference to NWS' ``chain of events associated with a
tornado warning'' (p52). This effort also advances the NWS Strategic
Plan (2019-2022) ``Transformative Impact-Based Decision Support
Services (IDSS) and Research to Operations and Operations to Research
(R2O/O2R).'' Furthermore, the Survey furthers the NWS Weather Ready
Nation (WRN) Roadmap (2013) Sections 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.8, and
3.1.4.
This information would be collected at the Cooperative Institute
for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) and the University of
Oklahoma's Center for Risk and Crisis Management (CRCM), who has
developed data collection instruments that would allow for more routine
and longitudinal data collection, as the data will be collected on an
annual basis. Furthermore, this team has developed interactive
``dashboards'', or tools, to visualize the aggregated data.
Respondents include adults (age 18+) who reside in the United
States, recruited by survey companies that maintain large panels of
people who sign up to complete internet surveys, such as Qualtrics and
Survey Sampling International. Respondents will be asked questions
about the ways they have received, interpreted, and responded to NWS
information, forecasts, and warnings for severe, tropical, and winter
weather hazards. Questions about preparedness for specific hazards such
as heat waves, tornadoes, and drought may also be included. This data
collection serves many purposes, including gaining a better
understanding of how key factors within a given population, or
organization, vary over time, location, and across different groups;
the ability to detect gradual trends or abrupt changes in those factors
over time or in response to particular events; and the potential to
explore possible correlations and causal relationships with other
observed variables of interest. These data will be used by the OSTI in
NWS to develop a baseline and performance metrics to improve the
information and services it provides and to help members of the weather
enterprise answer basic questions about the people in the communities
they serve, which is a necessary step towards customizing and improving
risk communication, education, and decision support to meet the
characteristics of the community, including those in vulnerable
populations. The information collected will help identify differences
and best practices between communities and assist NWS in developing new
education and risk communication strategies. The survey data and its
associated dashboard will serve as interactive tools to allow NWS
forecasters, partners, and policymakers to access and explore data for
training and performance evaluation purposes.
II. Method of Collection
The primary method of data collection will be a web-based survey
interface. Specific questions in the surveys determine how members of
the U.S. public receive, comprehend, and respond to severe, tropical,
and winter weather related information. Furthermore, these survey items
will be translated to Spanish.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular (New information collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 20 minutes each for the Severe Weather
Survey, Tropical Weather Survey, and Winter Weather Survey.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,000.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: None.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: 15 U.S.C. Ch. 111, Weather Research and
Forecasting Information.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-17805 Filed 8-18-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KE-P
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