Supporting Statement for Sectors Focus Group Survey: Areas of Interest for the South Pole Station Master Plan (SPSMP)

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 3145-0215)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Sectors Focus Group Survey: Areas of Interest for the South Pole Station Master Plan (SPSMP)

PURPOSE:

Ranking Survey for soliciting Focus Group feedback on Sectors-related issues and concerns as part of the South Pole Station Master Plan (SPSMP). Top-ranking issues identified as “most important” by the group will become the focus of the upcoming SPSMP Charrette event in July. This surveys will set the ASC Enterprise Planning staff priorities for Charrette design and document preparation regarding the Sectors, specifically.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Participants in each Focus Group have been pre-selected by NSF and ASC Leidos to provide subject matter expertise on specific aspects of the Arches at the South Pole Station. They are all ASC or NSF employees. Please see the attached list of participant names and organizational affiliations.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ X ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name:__Suzanne H. Plimpton, NSF Reports Clearance Officer_______________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Private Sector	5	15 minutes	1.25 hours
Federal Government	4	15 minutes	1 hour
Totals	9		2 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is __$0.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Participants in each Focus Group have been pre-selected by NSF and ASC Leidos to provide subject matter expertise on specific aspects of the Arches at the South Pole Station. They are all ASC or NSF employees. Please see the attached list of participant names and organizational affiliations.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ X ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Participants:

Andrea Dixon	ASC
Bill Coughran	ASC
Colin Whitmore	ASC
Jessie Crane	NSF AIL
Maggie Knuth	NSF AIL
Nathan Williams	ASC
Polly Penhale	NSF
Ryan Emond	ASC
Vladimir Papitashvili	NSF

Sectors Focus Group Survey: Areas of Interest for the South Pole Station Master Plan (SPSMP)

Please indicate the level of importance of each concern identified by your focus group as it relates to the future of the South Pole Station (your personal opinion). Participation in this focus group is voluntary, and should take about 15 minutes to complete.

OMB No.: 3145-0215. A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

[Scale from 1 (Least Important) – 10 (Most Important) will be provided below each line item in SurveyMonkey.]

Address present and future NGO needs, corridors, and activities

Address coordination standards with Sector stakeholders beyond NSF

Address International Management of the ASMA (changing Sectors or usage) (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

Plan managed corridors to reach GSP without Sector encroachment or with minimal Sector encroachment (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

Evaluate Quiet Sector & SPRESSO site location longevity (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

Evaluate proximity of the current NGO location to the Clean Air Sector (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

Plan future locations for existing science (SPRESSO & SuperDARN) due to GSP encroachment (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

Evaluate Snow Dumping operations and locations grid south or elsewhere (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

Evaluate proximity of Airfield to Clean Air Sector (includes conceptual design & siting possibilities)

7