Coastal Trends Survey

OMB Control No. 0648-0342

Expiration Date: 04/30/2015

NOAA Coastal Management Customer Survey

[Coding instructions and skip patterns appear in hard brackets]

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Thank you for participating in the 2013 NOAA Coastal Resource Management Trends Customer Survey! This voluntary survey is fielded every three years to gather feedback from the coastal management community on priority issues, data and training needs. The results will help NOAA improve their products and services and your input is valuable.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Chris Ellis, NOAA Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405 (chris.ellis@noaa.gov, 843-740-1195).

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

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[Brief survey navigation instructions will be inserted here. Page footer will include a link to the ERG survey email address for questions. Page header will include survey title and OMB approval number. All screens will display navigation buttons and a progress bar.]

[Screen 3; subsequent screens will depend on responses]

Priority Issues and Needs

1. Please indicate the topics most important to your work. Please select up to four:

• Coastal Planning and Development

• Hazards

• Conservation

• Ocean and Great Lakes Planning

• Fisheries

• Infrastructure/Transportation/Utilities

• Recreation/Tourism

• Water Quality

[User will be sent to the appropriate sub part questions depending on their selection in Q1.

If user selects “Coastal Planning and Development” go to Q2;

“Hazards” go to Q4; “Conservation” go to Q6;

“Ocean and Great Lakes Planning” go to Q10;

“Fisheries,” “Infrastructure/Transportation/Utilities,” “Recreation/Tourism,” or “Water Quality” then go to Q11.]

2. [If the user selected Coastal Planning and Development above] Within your identified priority area of coastal planning development, please indicate the priority issues for your organization. Please select up to four:

• Brownfield redevelopment

• Climate change impacts

• Comprehensive land use planning

• Cultural and heritage resources

• Demographics

• Dredging

• Economics

• Energy

• Habitat loss/fragmentation

• Infrastructure/Transportation/Utilities

• Protected area management

• Recreation/Tourism/Public access

• Regulation/enforcement

• Water quality

• Wetlands

• Working waterfronts/ports

• Zoning/Growth management

• Other: ___________

3. Please identify up to three of your organization’s most valuable partner organizations in coastal planning and development: __________________________________________________________________

4. [If the user chose Hazards above] Within your identified priority area of hazards, please indicate the priority issues for your organization. Please select up to four:

• Beach nourishment

• Climate change impacts

• Cultural and heritage resources

• Demographics

• Economics

• Flooding/Inundation

• Harmful algal blooms

• Hurricanes /Coastal storms

• Infrastructure/Transportation/Utilities 

• Oil/Pollutant spill response

• Pollutant transport and dispersion

• Regulation/Enforcement

• Shoreline change and erosion

• Tsunamis

• Other: ___________

5. Please identify up to three of your organization’s most valuable partner organizations in the area of hazards: __________________________________________________________________

6. [If the user chose Conservation above] Within your identified priority area of conservation, please indicate the priority issues for your organization. Please select up to four:

• Beach nourishment

• Climate change impacts

• Coral reef management

• Cultural and heritage resources

• Demographics

• Economics

• Energy

• Fisheries management

• Habitat loss/fragmentation

• Habitat quality

• Habitat restoration and monitoring

• Infrastructure/Transportation/Utilities 

• Invasive species management

• Land protection/acquisition

• Protected area management

• Protected species management

• Regulation/Enforcement

• Shoreline change and erosion

• Water quality

• Other: ___________

7. Please identify up to three of your organization’s most valuable partner organizations in conservation: __________________________________________________________________

[If the user selected “Coral Reef Management” in Q6 then go to Q8, otherwise continue to next issue selected in Q1.]

8. [f the user chose Coral Reef as top data need under Conservation above] Within your identified focus area of coral reef management, please indicate the priority issues for your organization. Please select up to four:

• Budget management/administration (i.e., moving/processing money received from federal government)

• Climate change impacts/adaptation

• Data analysis, interpretation, processing, and storage

• Direct impacts form coastal construction or maritime activity

• Ecosystem services valuation

• Education of public, stakeholder, and decision makers

• Endangered Species Act-related issues

• Fishing impacts

• Grounding events

• Habitat restoration and monitoring

• Human use mapping

• Impacts from recreational activity

• Invasive species management

• Lack of public awareness of issues affecting coral reefs

• Lack of public support for coral reef conservation efforts

• Lack of resources/capacity to implement watershed management plans

• Land-based sources of pollution impacts

• Protected areas management

• Regulation/enforcement

• Risk and vulnerability assessments to climate change (social and/or ecological)

• Staffing issues/retention

• Water quality

• Watershed management

• Other: ___________

9. Please identify up to three of your organization’s most valuable partner organizations in coral reef management: __________________________________________________________________

10. [If the user chose Ocean and Great Lakes Planning above] Within your identified priority area of ocean and great lakes planning, please indicate the priority issues for your organization. Please select up to four:

• Aquaculture

• Archeological sites and cultural resources

• Climate change impacts

• Commercially harvested species

• Demographics

• Dredging, disposal, and borrow pits

• Economics

• Energy

• Human uses

• Marine mammals

• Port capacity and port infrastructure

• Protected area management

• Sea grass or corals

• Seismic anomalies

• Submarine cables

• Other: ___________

11. Please identify up to three of your organization’s most valuable partner organizations in [Ocean and Great Lakes Planning, or other issue from Q1 (Fisheries, Infrastructure/Transportation/Utilities, Recreation/Tourism, Water Quality)]: __________________________________________________________________

12. Please rank the following data types with regard to how you use them. Data types may include information sources such as observations, maps, and analyses:

Data Types	Use frequently		Use occasionally		Use rarely		Not applicable to my job responsibilities
	Needs currently addressed	Need better or updated info	Needs currently addressed	Would use more if available	Needs currently addressed	This is a current data gap
Bathymetry							
Benthic Habitat							
Climate Changes/Impacts							
Hazards							
Human Uses							
Land Cover and Change							
Living Marine Resources							
Marine Infrastructure							
Offshore Energy							
Socio-economic (e.g., demographic and economic data)							
Topography							
Wetlands							
Other (please specify)							

Other? Please describe:_______________________________________________

13. You indicated that the following data types are used frequently:

[LIST: Items from Q12 marked as “Use frequently”]

Besides NOAA, where do you access these types of data? _________________________

14. In addition to funding opportunities, please identify the products or services your organization most needs from the NOAA Office of Coastal Programs. Please select up to five.

• Data sets (biological, physical, social, etc.)

• GIS layers, applications, tools, extension, etc.

• Remote sensing data and derivatives (imagery, elevation, land cover, bathymetry, mapping)

• Near real time observation data (<24 hours old, e.g., buoys, tide gauges, water quality monitoring)

• Online databases (e.g., data portals, data clearinghouses)

• Decision support tools that apply data

• Online mapping and map products

• Model or model outputs (e.g., habitat modeling, SLOSH, HURREVAC)

• Visualization tools

• Technical assistance/capacity building

• In-person training

• Web-based training

• Placement of a professional fellow in your office

• Serving as a demonstration or pilot site

• Policy/Governance assistance

• Policy/Issue coordination with other federal, state, or local entities

• Research coordination with other federal, state, or local entities

• Convening stakeholders on coastal issues

• Communication assistance with stakeholders

• Facilitation support

• Assistance with the development of management plans

• Socioeconomic assessment assistance

• Other (please specify) ________________________________________

15. What new or emerging coastal management issues do you see your office focusing more attention on in the future? (please describe)_________________________________________

Training Needs

16. Please indicate your desired level of proficiency with the following list of tasks. The proficiency levels are described as:

• Aware – I know about this, and want to learn more.

• Skill Building – I have some limited work experience with this and want to be able to apply it

• Building Proficiency – I am applying this at work fairly regularly and want to improve my abilities

• Not Interested – This topic is not relevant to my work at this time.

TASK	Desired Level of Proficiency
	Aware	Skill Building	Building Proficiency	Not Interested
Using and selecting economic methods/tools to aid in decision making				
Obtaining and using socioeconomic data/information				
Integrating physical, biological, and social science data for decision making				
Selecting the appropriate decision making tool under a given circumstance				
Effectively communicating risk				
Quantifying the risks of hazards and selecting effective mitigation and adaptation measures				
Understanding federal, state, and local legal and regulatory requirements applicable to climate change and hazards initiatives				
Adapting to the effects of sea level rise on community infrastructure				
Disaster response, recovery and protection (pre- and post-)				
Understanding ecosystem services as criteria and considerations when choosing strategies				
Understanding and implementing a range of green infrastructure approaches				
Understanding coastal habitat trends				
Prioritizing natural areas for protection using spatial approaches				
Effectively engaging communities				
Navigating relationships among local, state, and national players				
Conducting participatory mapping				
Using visualizations effectively				
Develop strategic and management plans				
Other? Please describe:____________________				

17. Please rank the top 5 tasks for which you most need training or technical assistance?

Number 1: [Dropdown menu of tasks from Q16]

Number 2: [Dropdown menu of tasks from Q16]

Number 3: [Dropdown menu of tasks from Q16]

Number 4: [Dropdown menu of tasks from Q16]

Number 5: [Dropdown menu of tasks from Q16]

Communication

18. What are your preferred sources for coastal information related to your job?

	Least Preferred	------------------------------		Most Preferred
	1	2	3	4
Professional workshops/conferences				
Professional journals				
Websites				
Blogs				
Hard copy magazine, newsletters, bulletins, one-pagers				
Social media				
Online webinars				
Emails/Listserves				
Professional organizations (please list below)				

[If “Professional organizations” and “journals” are rated “4: Most Preferred”]

Please list the professional [organizations or journal]. _________________________________

19. How often do you use the following social media outlets for job-related activities?

	Hourly	Daily	Bi-weekly	Weekly	Rarely	Not at All
Twitter						
Facebook						
LinkedIn						
Pinterest						
Instagram						
YouTube						
Other						

[If user selected Other and rated “Hourly,” “Daily,” “Bi-weekly,” or “Weekly”]

Please describe:_______________________________________________

20. The Office of Coastal Programs provides a variety of web resources that provides access to data, tools, training, and case studies. How familiar are you with the following resources?

	Very familiar, use often	Familiar, use occasionally	Not very familiar, use infrequently	I wasn’t aware it existed	Not applicable to my job
Digital Coast (www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/‎)					
NERRS (National Estuarine Research Reserve System) Centralized Data Management Office (http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu/get/landing.cfm)					
NERRS Estuary Education (http://estuaries.noaa.gov/)					
NERRS Website (http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/)					
Coral Reef Conservation Program (http://coralreef.noaa.gov/)					
NOAA’s Coral Reef Information System (http://www.coris.noaa.gov/)					
National Coastal Zone Management Program (http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/programs/czm.html)					
Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/welcome.html)					
Marine Cadastre (http://marinecadastre.gov)					

21. What types of information would you like to receive from the Office of Coastal Programs (check all that apply)?

• National NOAA and administration news

• Programmatic news (Coastal Zone Management, National Estuarine Research Reserve System, Coral Reef Conservation Program, Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, Digital Coast, etc.)

• Examples of coastal management "best practices" 

• Information about available coastal data, tools, training and technical assistance

• Examples of coastal management success stories

• Legislative updates

• Other____________________________________

Demographic

22. Please indicate which of the following best represents your current professional affiliation. [Check only one].

• Local government

• State/Territorial government

• Tribal government

• Federal government

• Regional governance organization

• NGO/nonprofit/volunteer group

• Private sector

• Academia

• Other ________________________________

23. In which of the following coastal regions do you work (check all that apply)?

• National

• Pacific Islands

• West Coast

• Gulf of Mexico

• Great Lakes

• Northeast

• Mid-Atlantic

• Southeast

• Caribbean

• International

24. Please indicate which of the following best characterizes your primary job duties. (check all that apply).

• Conservation

• Education and outreach

• Emergency management

• Floodplain management

• Human dimensions (sociology, anthropology, economics)

• Geospatial technology (GIS, remote sensing, or related field)

• Natural resource site management

• Permitting and regulatory enforcement

• Planning

• Policy

• Program administration/management

• Research/Academia

• Other ____________________________________

25. Is your organization affiliated with one of the following organizations listed below that make up the Digital Coast partnership? Please check all that apply.

• Coastal States Organization

• National Association of Counties

• The Nature Conservancy

• National States Geographic Information Council

• Association of State Floodplain Managers

• American Planning Association

• Urban Land Institute

• National Estuarine Research Reserve Association

• None of the above

• Not sure

You have completed the survey! Thank you for your feedback!

NOAA Coastal Resource Management Customer Survey 19