Request for Approval

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for Improving Customer Experience: OMB Circular A-11, Section 280 Implementation”

(OMB Control Number: 1090-0012)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Midwest Conservation Blueprint Feedback Survey

PURPOSE OF COLLECTION:

What are you hoping to learn / improve? How do you plan to use what you learn? Are there artifacts (user personas, journey maps, digital roadmaps, summary of customer insights to inform service improvements, performance dashboards) the data from this collection will feed?

Response:

The Midwest Conservation Blueprint (Blueprint) is a basemap of priority lands and waters for conservation across a diverse set of societal and ecological needs of conservation (e.g., water quality, threatened and endangered species, public recreation access, etc.). The objective of the Blueprint is to provide a comprehensive framework to coordinate voluntary conservation actions and investments across the 13 states within the Midwest Landscape Initiative geography. The Midwest Conservation Blueprint Feedback Survey (Blueprint Feedback Survey) will accompany the public release of the Blueprint providing an ongoing opportunity for potential users and the public to provide feedback on conservation area prioritization, data sources, and potential Blueprint uses, as well as enable us to better understand the audience responding. Overall, this feedback process will help improve our data sources, methodology, and the usefulness of the Midwest Conservation Blueprint in an open and transparent manner.

The Blueprint Feedback Survey was designed by Alex Wright, Landscape Science Coordinator with the Midwest Landscape Initiative - R3 Science Applications program, and Kiandra Rajala, Regional Social Scientist – R3 Science Applications program. Wright and Rajala collaborated on survey content development and data analysis plan.

This survey was modeled after the Feedback Survey (OMB Control No.  0331-0004; (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6GKVCMF?tractid=26073940100) for the Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#10.28/43.684/-84.8484). The Blueprint Feedback Survey was peer-reviewed by Midwest state conservation agency social scientists (N = 2) and pretested through cognitive interviews with potential USFWS users and user support staff (N = 4). Wright and Rajala incorporated reviewer comments and recommendations as appropriate, resulting in removal of one question. Wright and Rajala incorporated feedback from peer reviews to improve question comprehension and clarity.

The Blueprint Feedback Survey focuses on topic area (1) Delivery, quality and value of products, information, and services; specifically, to understand Midwest Conservation Blueprint users’ perceptions of the quality, accuracy, consistency, and ease of use and usefulness of the Midwest Conservation Blueprint.

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Research (Interview, Focus Groups, Surveys)

[ X ] Customer Feedback Survey

[ ] Usability Testing of Products or Services

ACTIVITY DETAILS

1. If this is a survey, will the results of this survey be reported to Touchpoints as part of quarterly reporting obligations specified in OMB Circular A-11 Section 280?

[ ] Yes

[ X ] No

[ ] Not a survey

2. 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

3. Who will you collect the information from?

Explain who will be interviewed and why the group is appropriate for the Federal program / service to connect with. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and if only a sample will be solicited for feedback, how you will select them(e.g., anyone who provided an email address to a call center rep, a representative sample of Veterans who received outpatient services in May 2019, do you have a list of customers to reach out to (e.g., a CRM database that has the contact information, intercept interviews at a particular field office?)

Response:

The Midwest Conservation Blueprint and Blueprint Feedback Survey will both be publicly available to view, use, and/or provide feedback. We expect the Blueprint and Blueprint Feedback survey will be most relevant to parties interested in and/or affected by conservation actions or investments within the 13 state Midwest region depicted by the Blueprint. However, to allow for broad and inclusive input we will allow for open public comment rather than screen for any pre-defined target populations. We have designed several questions to better understand high-level characteristics of who is responding (e.g., their familiarity with areas they are commenting on, their sector and organization).

4. How will you ask a respondent to provide this information?

(e.g., after an application is submitted online, the final screen will present the opportunity to provide feedback by presenting a link to a feedback form / an actual feedback form)

Response:

The Blueprint Feedback Survey will use nonprobability, voluntary response sampling as a publicly available form on Survey123, which will accompany the publicly available Blueprint on ArcGIS Online. The survey will remain open as a venue for continual feedback and comments. Communications (emails, newsletters, webinars, etc.) about the Midwest Conservation Blueprint will include description of the opportunity to provide feedback via link to the Blueprint Feedback Survey.

5. What will the activity look like?

Describe the information collection activity – e.g. what happens when a person agrees to participate? Will facilitators or interviewers be used? What’s the format of the interview/focus group? If a survey, describe the overall survey layout/length/other details? If User Testing, what actions will you observe / how will you have respondents interact with a product you need feedback on?

Response:

The Blueprint Feedback Survey will be administered on Survey123, an ArcGIS Online product as an ongoing opportunity for Blueprint users and interested parties to provide feedback. The survey consists of five fixed response and six open-ended response questions. All questions are voluntary, and a respondent may withdraw from the survey at any time. Based on pre-tests, we anticipate it may take respondents 5-10 minutes to complete. Alex Wright will oversee the ongoing administration of the survey as part of overall maintenance of the Midwest Conservation Blueprint on ArcGIS Online.

6. Please provide your question list.

Paste here the questions or prompts presented to participants in your activity. If you have an interview / facilitator guide, that can be attached to the submission and referenced here.

1. What do you want us to know about the area you selected? (Drop-down list, select one) 

 

• This area is under prioritized 

• This area is over prioritized 

• This area is correctly prioritized  

1.1 If you think the area you selected is under or over prioritized, please explain as needed: 

  

 

2. People gain knowledge and familiarity with places in a variety of ways. How would you best describe your primary experience(s) with the area you selected? You may select more than one if relevant for us to better understand your feedback. (Drop-down list, multiple responses possible) 

 

• I currently live in the area selected or have lived here in the past five years 

• I currently work in the area selected or have worked here in the past five years 

• I currently recreate in the area selected or have recreated here in the past five years 

• I have spatial data, information, or planning documents about the area selected 

• I am familiar with the area selected for other reasons 

 

2.2 Please explain as needed:  

 

 

 

3. Do you have any additional comments about the area you selected?  

 

 

 

4. How interested are you in using the Midwest Conservation Blueprint to help coordinate voluntary conservation actions and investments across the Midwest?  (Drop-down list, select one) 

 

• Not interested at all 

• Slightly interested  

• Moderately interested 

• Very interested 

• Extremely interested 

 

4.1 Please explain why you are interested in the Midwest Conservation Blueprint:  

 

5. How would you rate your experience interacting with the Midwest Conservation Blueprint viewer?  

 

• Very easy 

• Easy 

• Neither easy nor difficult 

• Difficult 

• Very difficult 

 

1. Do you have any suggestions for the Midwest Conservation Blueprint viewer? Please explain as needed: 

 

 

6. Your willingness to provide some limited background information will help us better understand and serve our audience. Please let us know your: 

 

1. Primary affiliation: (Drop-down list, select one) 

 

• Academia (staff, faculty members, researchers, students, etc., from different levels of educational systems) 

• Government – Federal 

• Government – Indigenous/Tribal  

• Government – Local/Municipal 

• Government – Provincial 

• Government – State 

• Individual (private citizens without official affiliation to other categories) 

• NGO (Non-governmental, non-profit, civil association, etc.) 

• Private sector 

• Other  

 

2. Organization name: (Provide comment box for response) 

 

 

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

The full survey instrument with introduction, instructions and survey structure notes is provided as an attachment titled:

“Midwest Conservation Blueprint Feedback Survey_DI-4014 HISP Request_2023-08-3”

7. When will the activity happen?

Describe the time frame or number of events that will occur (e.g., We will conduct focus groups on May 13,14,15, We plan to conduct customer intercept interviews over the course of the Summer at the field offices identified in response to #2 based on scheduling logistics concluding by Sept. 10^th, or “This survey will remain on our website in alignment with the timing of the overall clearance.”)

Response:

Upon OMB approval, the Blueprint Feedback Survey will be a publicly available form on Survey123, which will accompany the publicly available Blueprint on ArcGIS Online. The survey will remain open in alignment with the timing of the overall clearance to provide a venue for continual feedback and comments. Communications (emails, newsletters, webinars, etc.) about the Midwest Conservation Blueprint will include description of the opportunity to provide feedback via the Blueprint Feedback Survey.

8. Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants?

[ ] Yes [ X ] No

If Yes, describe:

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
State, local, or tribal governments	100	10 minutes	16.66
Federal Government	100	10 minutes	16.66
Totals	200		33.33

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collections are voluntary;

2. The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;

3. The collections are non-controversial;

4. Any 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 near future;

5. Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained;

6. Information gathered is intended to be used for general service improvement and program management purposes

7. Upon agreement between OMB and the agency aggregated data may be released as part of A-11, Section 280 requirements only on performance.gov. Summaries of customer research and user testing activities may be included in public-facing customer journey maps.

8. Additional release of data will be coordinated with OMB.

Name and email address of person who developed this survey/focus group/interview:

Name: Kiandra Rajala

Email address: [email protected]

All instruments used to collect information must include:

OMB Control No. 1090-0012

Expiration Date: 12/31/2023

HELP SHEET

(OMB Control Number: XXXX-XXXX)

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.

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: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

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 per row.

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.

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