[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69620-69621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22320]


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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; Analysis of and Participation in Ocean Exploration Video 
Products

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite 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. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on June 21, 2023 during a 60-day comment period. This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: Analysis of and Participation in Ocean Exploration Video 
Products.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0748.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (revision of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 4,100 total (3,100 unique respondents).
    Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 714.
    Needs and Uses: NOAA Ocean Exploration (OER) is the only federal 
organization dedicated to ocean exploration. By using unique 
capabilities in terms of personnel, technology, infrastructure, and 
exploration missions, OER is reducing unknowns in deep-ocean areas and 
providing high-value environmental intelligence needed by NOAA and the 
nation to address both current and emerging science and management 
needs. Through live video and data streams, online coverage, training 
opportunities, and events, we allow scientists, resource managers, 
students, members of the general public, and others to actively 
experience ocean exploration, allowing broader scientific 
participation, and cultivating the next generation of ocean explorers, 
and engaging the public in exploration activities. To better understand 
our ocean, our office makes exploration data available to the public. 
This allows us, collectively, to more effectively maintain ocean 
health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our 
national economy, and build a better appreciation of the value and 
importance of the ocean in our everyday lives. It is only through 
leveraging resources internally and externally that we can truly 
achieve our mission.
    Since the inception of NOAA's exploration program in 2001, OER data 
management has been guided by the 2000 President's Panel Report 
recommendations which prioritized rapid and unrestricted data sharing 
as one of five critical exploration program components. More recently, 
Public Law 111-11 [Section XII Ocean Exploration] reinforced and 
expanded OER data management objectives, continuing to stress the 
importance of sharing unique exploration data and information to 
improve public understanding of the oceans, and for research and 
management purposes.
    Telepresence satellite communication from the ship to shore brings 
the unknown ocean to the screens of both scientists and the general 
public in their homes, schools or offices in near real time. With 
technology constantly evolving, it is important to address the needs of 
the shore-based scientists and public to maintain a high level of 
participation. We use voluntary surveys to identify the needs of users 
of data, best approaches to leverage expertise of shore-based 
participants for meaningful public engagement focused on ocean 
exploration.
    The five forms used to collect information are as follows: (1) 
Sailing Contact Information. This form is sent to the few scientists 
that directly sail on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. The ship's 
operational officer needs certain information such as: if a sailing 
individual has securely submitted their proper medical documents to 
NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations; if the person is up to 
date with required security documents, such as a passport, if the ship 
is traveling to a foreign port; any dietary restrictions so that the 
person will be served food that is safe. (2) Okeanos Explorer 
Participation Assessment. This voluntary form is sent to the scientists 
that sailed on or participated remotely in any Okeanos Explorer cruise 
funded by OER to record any feedback they wish to provide to the office 
about their experience. The office uses their feedback in assessments 
for improving the utility and experience of these scientific guests 
sailing on the Okeanos Explorer. (3) EX Collaboration Tools Feedback. 
This voluntary form is sent to members of the marine scientific 
community at the beginning of a fiscal year to ask if members would 
like to participate in any of the upcoming cruises and to what degree, 
such as simply asking to be included in emailed updates or if they want 
to be on a direct line to the ship for remotely operated vehicle dive 
operations. (4) Citizen Scientist. This voluntary form is available to 
general members of the public and is used for members to improve the 
annotation efforts when watching short video clips of 30 seconds to 5 
minutes. (5) Science Lead Interest. This voluntary form will be used to 
solicit interest from the scientific community to serve as a Science 
Lead

[[Page 69621]]

on one of NOAA Ocean Exploration's expeditions.
    The first forms described above will include minor revisions, and 
the fifth form is a new addition. The Sailing Contact Information form 
will be revised to include updated informational attachments (e.g., 
links to updated COVID guidance, medical clearance, underwater cultural 
heritage protocols) and updated expedition names and dates for a given 
calendar year. The Okeanos Explorer Participation Assessment will be 
revised to replace some technical/scientific questions with questions 
that relate to communication, leadership, and workplace climate. The EX 
Collaboration Tools form will be revised to include updated 
informational attachments (e.g., underwater cultural heritage 
protocols) and updated expedition names and dates for a calendar year. 
The Citizen Scientist form will be updated for expedition names and 
dates for a calendar year.
    Affected Public: Targeted towards the greater ocean exploration 
community; Individuals or households; business or other for-profit 
organizations; not-for-profit institutions; Federal government.
    Frequency: EX Collaboration Tools Feedback: annually; all other 
forms are on occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Sailing Contact Information: Required to 
obtain or retain benefits; all other forms are voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Public Law 111-11 [Section XII Ocean Exploration].
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0748.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-22320 Filed 10-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P