Harmful Algal Bloom Subscriber List Questionnaire 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: from subscribers to the Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast System

PURPOSE: To collect information as subscribers sign up to receive the forecasts for Harmful Algae produced by the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) of NCCOS/NOS. When subscribing, we would like to collect the subscribers’ general personal/business information, Organization, State and Country, in addition to what is currently collected (name, e-mail and “comment”) to better understand who our users are and their potential uses of the forecast information. This will be entered via an online form when the users voluntarily sign up to receive the forecasts. All fields will be optional; we only require an e-mail address as a minimum. The information is for internal use only, and will not be distributed externally.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The respondents include general public, research scientists, resource managers, public health officials, water treatment facility operators and recreational types. There are no restrictions as to who may subscribe, so this description is based on our current list of subscribers.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

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

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

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Subscriber List _

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:______Michelle Tomlinson__________________________________________

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

Personally Identifiable Information:

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

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ x ] 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	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals	260	1 minute	4 hr
Private	110	1 minute	2 hrs
State, local, tribal	180	1 minute	3 hrs
Federal	110	1 minute	2 hrs
Academic	70	1 minute	1 hr
Totals	730		12 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is _$25,000_____

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?

Our group of respondents is generally anyone responding to, or interested in, harmful algal

blooms. The subscriber sign up is posted on a website at the Great Lakes Environmental

Research Laboratory (http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Centers/HABS/lake_erie_hab/

lake_erie_hab.html) and a link is also provided in an e-mail that is sent out to current subscribers

of the forecasts. So, we generally get an increase in subscriptions when there is an active

bloom in the region. We have also advertised the service through several press releases and

presentations on the topic. To summarize, our group of respondents signs up voluntarily and hear about the product through the media, a website and/or by forwarding the forecast e-mail to

others.

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

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