Supplemental and Part B questions

1. Supplemental Questions for DOC/NOAA Customer Survey Clearance

(OMB Control Number 0648-0342)

1. Explain who will be conducting this survey. What program office will be
   conducting the survey? What services does this program provide? Who are the customers? How are these services provided to the customer?

This survey will be conducted by the National Weather Service (NWS) Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services, Fire and Public Weather Services Branch (FPWSB). FPWSB provides policy oversight for a variety of NWS hazard alerting products, known as Watches, Warnings and Advisories, for such hazards as floods and winter storms. The customers are varied and include the general public, TV and radio broadcasters, emergency managers, and local, state, and federal government officials. These services are provided via the internet and centralized dissemination systems.

2. Explain how this survey was developed. With whom did you consult during the development of this survey on content? statistics? What suggestions did you get about improving the survey?

This survey was developed by FPWCB in consultation with the NWS Office of Strategic Policy and Planning, the NWS Office of Climate and Water Services’ Hydrologic Services Division, and with input from NWS management staff at the national and regional level. Suggestions for improvement came from a national team of NWS employees, as well as input from NWS social scientists.

3. Explain how the survey will be conducted. How will the customers be sampled (if fewer than all customers will be surveyed)? What percentage of customers asked to take the survey will respond? What actions are planned to increase the response rate? (Web-based surveys are not an acceptable method of sampling a broad population. Web-based surveys must be limited to services provided by Web.)

The survey will be conducted via a pre-recorded Powerpoint presentation, which also provides the opportunity for comment on ideas proposed therein. This presentation will be widely distributed via various email listservers, posting on the Internet and Public Information Statement issued from NWS Headquarters. Additional responses may be received, though the number cannot be estimated, by asking recipients of the survey to further redistribute it to other interested parties.

4. Describe how the results of this survey will be analyzed and used. If the customer population is sampled, what statistical techniques will be used to generalize the results to the entire customer population? Is this survey intended to measure a GPRA performance measure? (If so, please include an excerpt from the appropriate document.)

Simple, descriptive statistics will be utilized to assess survey responses. The results of this survey will be utilized to help determine the best option for improving communication of NWS weather and water hazard information. In turn, these improvements will result in improved comprehension of crticial risk information to enable stakeholders, such as emergency managers, to make more informed risk-based decisions to better protect life and property.

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g. establishments, State and local governmental units, households, or persons) in the universe and the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form. The tabulation must also include expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection has been conducted before, provide the actual response rate achieved.

The respondent population will include a wide sampling a broadcast meteorologists, emergency managers, social scientists, municipal officials and government employees. Details on expected constituencies and the associated response raste are provided below. This survey has not been performed before.

Entity	Projected Universe of Respondents	Expected Response Rate	Expected Number of Respondents
Television and Radio Meteorologists	5,000	10%	500
Emergency Managers	3,000	30%	900
Government Employees and Partners	10,000	30%	3000
Private Citizens	1,000,000+	TBD*	TBD*
Social Scientists	1,000	15%	150
Private Meteorologists	500	20%	100
TOTALS	1,019,500		4,650 +*

*The public will have the opportunity to respond, but we are unable to estimate the response rate.

2. Describe the procedures for the collection, including: the statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection; the estimation procedure; the degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification; any unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures; and any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.

The procedures for collection will be two-fold. First, a 10-point scale will be used to collect each respondents' level of support with respect to a variety of proposed new approaches for expressing NWS hazard information. Second, subjective comments will be solicited.

The degree of accuracy required on the 10-point scale will be limited, as the intent is simply to ascertain if the ideas merit further consideration. The subjective comments will provide further user insight on suggested future direction. Simple, descriptive statistics will be utilized to assess survey responses. This will not be a recurring survey, so the burden in that regard should be minimal.

3. Describe the methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with non response. The accuracy and reliability of the information collected must be shown to be adequate for the intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided if they will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

The estimated response rates for this survey are based on making it widely available, using on a variety of email listservers containing large numbers of subscribers, by issuing a Public Information Statement from NWS Headquarters, and by posting the survey on the NWS home page (http://www.weather.gov). In addition, it is assumed that most, if not all, respondents, are stakeholders on some level. The simplicity of the scale used combined with the solicitation of comments on highly specific proposals contained in the recorded presentation will help ensure the clarity and dependability of the results. NWS anticipates that more than 10,000 persons will complete this survey, including approximately 5,000 from other than the general public, (equaling an overall response rate of approximately 25% of those specific groups), and that this overall response rate, in addition to feedback from the general public, will provide extremely useful results.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Tests are encouraged as effective means to refine collections, but if ten or more test respondents are involved OMB must give prior approval.

No tests are planned.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on the statistical aspects of the design, and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

The following individuals were consulted on the design of this survey:

• Jennifer Sprague, Policy Analyst, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy, NWS, 301-713-0217

• Thomas Graziano, Chief, Hydrologic Services Division, Office of Climate Water and Weather Services, NWS, 301-713-0006 x158

• Vankita Brown, Social Scientist, Performance And Awareness Division, Office of Climate Water and Weather Services, NWS, 301-713-1375 x162

• Eli Jacks, Chief of FPWSB, Office of Climate Water and Weather Services, NWS, 301-713-1858 x 110, will collect the data and analyze the results.