Tropical Cyclone Impact Graphic Focus Groups Submission Request

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number 0690-0030)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Tropical Cyclone Impact Graphic (TCIG) Focus Groups

PURPOSE: To better understand audiences’ preferences for color, labeling, and messaging statements related to the TCIG in order to make the graphic operational. The TCIG is a Web-based product that consists of four separate graphics: high wind impacts, coastal flooding impacts, inland flooding impacts, and tornado impacts. The graphics are designed to distill an abundance of complex information into easy to understand colorized maps for decision-making purposes. They provide an "at-a-glance" summary of potential impacts that have the reasonable chance to occur. The goal of the focus groups is to present the TCIG, currently in the experimental phase, to stakeholders to get their input into a few issues that need to be resolved to make the graphic operational. These issues primarily center on the color scale, labeling of the scale, and messaging statements associated with the graphic. The discussion groups will take place in three communities where a NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) is based: Miami, FL (Nov. 13, 2013, proposed), New Orleans, LA (Dec. 5, 2013, proposed), and Boston, MA (Dec. 12, 2013, proposed). We anticipate having two meetings per location: one with community members and one with NWS core partners.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The respondents will be small groups of emergency managers, emergency personnel, community group members, broadcast meteorologists, and National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters who would use the Tropical Cyclone Impact Graphic (TCIG) during a storm. No more than 12 non-federal employees will participate in the groups in each location.

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:_Jennifer Sprague, NOAA, National Weather Service, 301-713-0217, Jennifer.Sprague@noaa.gov

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, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the

Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) 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 (per community; there are three communities)	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (hours)	Burden (hours)
Federal Government	6	2	12
State Local Tribal Government	12	2	24
Private Sector	18	2	36
Totals per community	36	-	72
Totals (for all three communities)	108	-	216

FEDERAL COST: The estimated cost to the Federal government is $7,158 per location or $21,474 total for all three communities.

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?

The respondents will be selected by the individual NWS WFO in each community based on their knowledge of how risk information flows in their communities. The respondents will include citizens of the communities, as well as core NWS partners that interact with the public during a hurricane and provide hazard information to the public related to hurricanes. Each WFO will develop its own contact list.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[X ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain.

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

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

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