[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2887-2888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00778]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NOAA Space-Based Data Collection System (DCS) Agreements

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before March 20, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0157 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Letecia Reeves, GOES DCS Customer Service Manager, Office of 
Satellite and Product Operations, 1315 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring, 
MD 20746, 240-528-8891, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for extension of an existing information 
collection.
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates 
two space-based data collection systems (DCS) per 15 CFR part 911: the 
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) DCS and the 
Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) DCS, also 
known as the Argos system. Both the GOES DCS and the Argos DCS are 
operated to support environmental applications, e.g., meteorology, 
oceanography, hydrology, ecology, and remote sensing of Earth 
resources. In addition, the Argos DCS currently supports applications 
related to protection of the environment, e.g., hazardous material 
tracking, fishing vessel tracking for treaty enforcement, and animal 
tracking. Presently, the majority of users of these systems are 
government agencies and researchers and much of the data collected by 
both the GOES DCS and the Argos DCS are provided to the World 
Meteorological Organization via the Global Telecommunication System for 
inclusion in the World Weather Watch Program.
    Current loading on both of the systems does not use the entire 
capacity of that system, so NOAA is able to make its excess capacity 
available to other users who meet certain criteria. Applications are 
made in response to the requirements in 15 CFR 911 (under the authority 
of 15 U.S.C. 313, Duties of the Secretary of Commerce and others), 
using system use agreement (SUA) forms. The application information 
received is used to determine if the applicant meets the criteria for 
use of the system. The system use agreements contain the following 
information: (1) the period of time the agreement is valid and 
procedures for its termination, (2) the authorized use(s) of the DCS, 
and its priorities for use, (3) the extent of the availability of 
commercial services which met the user's requirements and the reasons 
for choosing the government system, (4) any applicable government 
interest in the data, (5) required equipment standards, (6) standards 
of operation, (7) conformance with applicable International 
Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Federal Communications Commission 
(FCC) agreements and regulations, (8) reporting time and frequencies, 
(9) data formats, (10) data delivery systems and schedules and (11) 
user-borne costs.
    Accepted applicants use the NOAA DCS to collect environmental data 
and in limited cases, non-environmental data via the Argos DCS, to 
support other governmental and non-governmental research or operational 
requirements, such as for law enforcement purposes. The applicants must 
submit information to ensure that they meet these criteria. NOAA does 
not approve agreements where there is a commercial service available to 
fulfill the user requirements (per 15 CFR part 911).

II. Method of Collection

    Method of submittal is electronically (via internet).

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0157.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; Federal government; 
state, local, or tribal government; business or other for-profit 
organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 225.
    Estimated Time per Response: Thirty minutes per response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 113.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    Legal Authority: 15 CFR 911, Policies and Procedures Concerning Use 
of the NOAA Space-Based Data Collection Systems.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we

[[Page 2888]]

cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-00778 Filed 1-17-23; 8:45 am]
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