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?

The National Ocean Service (NOS) administers the existing NOAA Web Site Customer Survey, approved under this generic information collection, with National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Services (NESDIS), the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Weather Service (NWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) also posting the survey, which may be customized to reflect the actual products/services and information, on all product/service Web sites for these line offices, in order to obtain feedback, about the products/services, as well as how products/services and information should be offered on the Website or on how existing presentation could be improved. Customers, who may be members of the public, teachers, scientists, business or not-for-profit, or federal, state, local or tribal government employees, may download some information directly from the sites, or may order certain products or services through the Web site or by telephone.

This request is to revise the question list. We have removed three somewhat duplicative questions and added two:

1. Would you still return to this Web site if you could get this information or service from another source?

2. Will you recommend this Web site to a friend or colleague?

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?

The original survey was developed from the generic questions lists approved under OMB Control No. 0648-0342. Recently, a group of line office Webmasters reviewed the current questionnaire, removed duplicates and selected two new questions based on review of a Web site, “Digital Metrics for Federal Agencies” and in keeping with the new Digital Government Strategy.

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 posted on approximately 150 NOS, NESDIS, OAR, NWS and NMFS product/service Web sites. There will be no sampling, but ad hoc completion of the survey by interested customers. It is possible that there may be more than one response per respondent per year; this information is not tracked, but each entry on a web-based survey has a time stamp.  More than one entry per respondent can be reasonably expected as new information and products appear. However, entries in close succession, which generally could be construed as frivolous, are eliminated.

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.)

The completed surveys go directly into a database, separated by the individual Web sites. An administrator for the applicable line office is able to view survey results for each Web site, use descriptive statistics and act upon these results as appropriate.

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.

Customers may be members of the public, teachers, scientists, or federal, business or not-for-profit, state, local or tribal government employees. Since the survey or survey link is not sent to a specific list of customers, but is available to all Web site visitors – but would presumably be completed only by customers – there is not a way to measure the actual potential universe of respondents. No sampling is done, and determining response rate is not applicable.

Based on current numbers, approximately 64,500 individual responses are expected annually, with an average response time of five minutes, resulting in approximately 5,375 burden hours annually. There is expected to be some correlation between the number of respondents per site, and how prominent the survey link is presented.

It is possible that there may be more than one response per respondent per year; this information is not tracked, but each entry on a web-based survey has a time stamp.  More than one entry per respondent can be reasonably expected as new information and products appear. However, entries in close succession, which generally could be construed as frivolous, are eliminated.

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 survey will be posted on approximately 150 NOS, NESDIS, OAR, NWS and NMFS product/service Web sites. There will be no sampling, but ad hoc completion of the survey by interested customers. The completed surveys go directly into a database, separated by the individual Web sites. An administrator for the applicable line office is able to view survey results for each Web site, use descriptive statistics and act upon these results as appropriate.

3. Describe the methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with nonresponse. 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.

As there is neither a census nor sampling, response rate cannot be determined and there will be no claims that the data is representative. However, all feedback will be reviewed and considered.

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.

A group of line office Webmasters reviewed the current questionnaire, removed duplicates and selected two new questions based on review of a Web site, “Digital Metrics for Federal Agencies” and in keeping with the new Digital Government Strategy.

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.

There is no statistical design. These people will collect and analyze the information:

Gen Contey, NOAA, 202-482-0702
Jerry Lau, NOS, 301-713-3010 x103
Bradley Akamine, NWS, 301-713-3447 x103
Allison Soussi-Tanani, OAR, 301-734-1111
Emily Crum, OAR, OER, 305-809-4700 x224
Rebecca Ferro, NMFS, 301-427-8610 x8610
Davida Remer, NOS, 301-713-3010 x145
Lawrence Charters, NOS, 301-713-3010 x134.