iCoast-Did the Coast Change?

ICR 201702-1028-002

OMB: 1028-0109

Federal Form Document

Forms and Documents
Document
Name
Status
Form and Instruction
New
Form and Instruction
Modified
Supplementary Document
2017-09-22
Supplementary Document
2017-09-22
Supplementary Document
2017-08-11
Supplementary Document
2017-08-11
Supporting Statement A
2017-08-03
Supplementary Document
2017-07-11
Supplementary Document
2017-07-11
ICR Details
1028-0109 201702-1028-002
Historical Active 201401-1028-001
DOI/GS N. Plant, K. Morgan
iCoast-Did the Coast Change?
Extension without change of a currently approved collection   No
Regular
Approved without change 12/28/2017
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA) 09/22/2017
  Inventory as of this Action Requested Previously Approved
12/31/2020 36 Months From Approved 12/31/2017
64,211 0 950
3,211 0 475
0 0 0

As part of its mission to document coastal change, the USGS has been taking aerial photographs of the coast before and after each major storm for the past 18 years to assess damages to the natural landscape and the built environment. A typical mission consists of approximately 10,000 photographs. The digital photo-archive maintained by the USGS is a valuable environmental record containing approximately 100,000 photographs taken before and after 23 extreme storms along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. At the same time, the USGS has been developing mathematical models that predict the likely interactions between storm surge and coastal features, such as beaches and dunes, during extreme storms, with the aim of predicting areas that are vulnerable to storm damage. Currently the photographs are not used to inform the mathematical models. The models are based primarily on pre-storm dune height and predicted wave behavior. If scientists could "ground truth" coastal damage by comparing before and after photographs of the coast, the predictive models might be improved. It is not physically or economically possible for USGS scientists to examine all aerial photographs related to each storm, however, and automation of this process is also problematic. Image analysis software is not yet sophisticated enough to automatically identify damages to the natural landscape and the built environment that are depicted in these photographs; human perception and local knowledge are required. 'iCoast-Did the Coast Change?' (hereafter referred to as 'iCoast') is a USGS research project to construct a web-based application that will allow citizen volunteers to compare these before and after photographs of the coast and identify changes that result from extreme storms through a process known as 'crowdsourcing' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing). In concept, this application will be similar to those of other citizen science image comparison and classification projects such as the Citizen Science Alliance's Cyclone Center project, (see www.cyclonecenter.org), which asks people to classify types of cyclones by comparing satellite images. There are two distinct purposes to 'iCoast': (1) to allow USGS scientists to 'ground truth' or validate their predictive storm surge models. These mathematical models, which are widely used in the emergency management community for locating areas of potential vulnerability to incoming storms, are currently based solely on pre-storm beach morphology as determined by high-resolution elevation data, and predicted wave behavior derived from parameters of the approaching storm. The on-the-ground post-storm observations provided by citizens using 'iCoast' will allow scientists to determine the accuracy of the models for future applications, and (2) to serve as a repository of images that enables citizens to become more aware of their vulnerability to coastal change and to participate in the advancement of coastal science.

US Code: 43 USC 1701 et seq. Name of Law: The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
   US Code: 42 USC 5201 Name of Law: Disaster Relief Act of 1974
   US Code: 46 USC 31 (a) and (b) Name of Law: The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1976
  
None

Not associated with rulemaking

  82 FR 31347 07/06/2017
82 FR 44439 09/22/2017
No

2
IC Title Form No. Form Name
Public completes instrument na na
State, Local, Tribal government completes survey na na

  Total Approved Previously Approved Change Due to New Statute Change Due to Agency Discretion Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses 64,211 950 0 0 63,261 0
Annual Time Burden (Hours) 3,211 475 0 0 2,736 0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars) 0 0 0 0 0 0
No
No

$23,347
No
    Yes
    Yes
No
No
No
Uncollected
James Sayer 650 329-4093 jsayer@usgs.gov

  No

On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    (i) Why the information is being collected;
    (ii) Use of information;
    (iii) Burden estimate;
    (iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
    (v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
    (vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
 
 
 
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
09/22/2017


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