NWS IDSS Supporting Statement B

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS PART B

U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

NWS Customer Surveys

Impact-based Decision Support Services

OMB Control No. 0648-0342

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.

A purposive (i.e. non-probability and deliberate) sampling method will be used, as this will be a close-ended survey that targets only Core Partners who receive Impact Decision Support Services (IDSS).  Therefore, the people most likely to take the survey are recipients of NWS IDSS.

The estimated potential respondent universe is 13,890 NWS Core Partners. Annually, we estimate a 30% response rate or 12,501 total responses (assuming three responses per year) from NWS Core Partners each year.

 

The team will use the same questions and will assess IDSS services received after multiple hazards throughout the year, such as Winter Weather, Flooding, Extreme Heat, or Severe Thunderstorms.

The estimated time necessary for each respondent to complete the survey is 10 minutes, based on trials with a small pilot sample. Total estimated public burden associated with this information collection is 2,084 hours [surveys 12,501 @ 10 minutes per response/60].

Year	Target Population	Response Rate	Estimated Number of Responses	Burden Hours
2019 (previous collection)	7,463	19%	1,381	230
2020-2021 (previous collection)	5,935	27%	1,589	265
2022 - 2023	13,890	30%	12,501	2,084

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 information collection will be administered via an electronic questionnaire. Questions will inquire upon the effectiveness of services received after IDSS has been provided.

A purposive sampling strategy, based on forecasters at NWS offices at the local, regional, and national level, will be instituted to assess respondents. Staff at these offices are the most connected to the targeted population, thus using these existing connections to disseminate the survey is the most appropriate sampling approach. Staff will email the questionnaire to their respective partners after IDSS has been provided based on guidelines in an implementation plan which is in development.

Statistical Method for Stratification and Sample Selection

Survey results will not be extrapolated to the population under consideration; therefore, we are not employing any statistical sampling methods in this survey.

Estimation Procedure and Accuracy

Survey results will not be extrapolated to the population under consideration; therefore, we will not estimate population parameters from the collected data. Additionally, this means that the accuracy of the estimates is not meaningful to calculate.

Unusual Problems Requiring Specialized Sampling Procedures

No specialized sampling procedures are required.

Periodic Data Collection Cycles

This request is for episodic collection, surveying customers no more than three times per year.

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.

The survey sampling process for this collection request is appropriate for the target population, and the proposed plan provides the best opportunity for the target population to provide feedback related to the NWS IDSS provided. In order to improve response rates for this information collection, the survey process has been made as concise as possible and the following steps have been employed:

• To increase visibility, each office (WFO, RFC, CWSU, ROC, National Center, etc.) will send a personalized survey invitation to their respective Core Partners after a high-impact weather, water, and/or climate event/incident.

• The personalized invitation for the survey will include details about the scope and purpose of the survey so that recipients can direct it appropriately within their organizations.

• A survey developed using sound design practices will minimize the burden on respondents. This includes developing well-written questions and limiting the number of questions to the minimum necessary.

• Survey questions have also been designed to be user-friendly for mobile devices to increase the number of completions.

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.

This survey is the third iteration of efforts to survey NWS Core Partners. The first test occurred in 2019 at a subset of offices. The second test was a national experiment conducted which had 1,589 respondents for the episodic survey and 1,311 respondents for the annual survey. An internal team of NWS subject matter experts and social scientists reviewed this test and provided guidance on further improvements for this survey proposal. OMB Approval was granted for both previous survey efforts - OMB Control Number 0648-0342.

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.

Katie Edwards ([email protected])

Andy Foster ([email protected])

Jamie Morrow ([email protected])

Joseph Moore ([email protected])