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Priority review Notice Amended Final

NOAA User Needs Survey for Space Weather Advisory Group

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Published March 26th, 2026
Detected March 26th, 2026
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Summary

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has submitted a request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the Space Weather Advisory Group's User Needs Survey. This notice provides an additional 30-day public comment period on the extension of this current information collection, which aims to improve space weather products and services.

What changed

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking OMB approval for an extension of the Space Weather Advisory Group's (SWAG) User Needs Survey, identified by OMB Control Number 0648-0814. This survey, mandated by 51 U.S. Code § 60601(d)(3), aims to gather data from seven key sectors (Aviation, Emergency Management, GNSS, Human Space Flight, Power Grid, Research, and Space Situational Awareness) to identify necessary advancements in space weather forecasting, prediction, and modeling.

Regulated entities and interested parties are provided an additional 30-day comment period to submit feedback on this information collection request. The survey assesses current federal goals for space weather products, identifies improvement opportunities, and seeks methods to enhance preparedness for space weather events. The total annual burden is estimated at 432 hours, with varying average hours per response across different sectors.

What to do next

  1. Submit comments on the User Needs Survey by the close of the 30-day comment period.

Source document (simplified)

Notice

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; User Needs Survey by the Space Weather Advisory Group

A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 03/26/2026

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  • Public Inspection Published Document: 2026-05900 (91 FR 14680) Document Headings ###### Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

( printed page 14680) 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 December 11, 2025, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

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

Title: User Needs Survey by the Space Weather Advisory Group.

OMB Control Number: 0648-0814.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Request: Regular submission (Extension of a current information collection).

Number of Respondents: 491.

Average Hours per Response:

Aviation: 1 hour

Emergency Management: 8 hours

Global Navigation Satellite System: 15 minutes (Survey) and 1 hour (Interview)

Human Space Flight: 1 hour

Power Grid: 1 hour

Research Sector: 1 hour

Space Situational Awareness: 1 hour

Total Annual Burden Hours: 432.

Needs and Uses: The data collection is sponsored by Department of Commerce (DOC)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS)/Space Weather Advisory Group (SWAG). The SWAG is required under 51 U.S. Code § 60601(d)(3) to undertake a comprehensive survey of space weather product users to identify the “research, observations, forecasting, prediction, and modeling advances required to improve space weather products.” Specifically, the SWAG will (i) assess the adequacy of current Federal Government goals for lead time, accuracy, coverage, timeliness, data rate, and data quality for space weather observations and forecasting; (ii) identify options and methods to, in consultation with the academic community and the commercial space weather sector, improve upon the advancement of the goals described in clause (i); (iii) identify opportunities for collection of new data to address the needs of the space weather user community; (iv) identify methods to increase coordination of space weather research to operations and operations to research; (v) identify opportunities for new technologies, research, and instrumentation to aid in research, understanding, monitoring, modeling, prediction, forecasting, and warning of space weather; and (vi) identify methods and technologies to improve preparedness for potential space weather phenomena.

This collection identified seven sectors (Aviation, Emergency Management, Global Navigation Satellite System, Human Space Flight, Power Grid, Research, and Space Situational Awareness/Space Traffic Management) that will be consulted as part of this effort. Information will be collected from each of the sectors as needed. Respondents in each sector include the general public, defined as (adults ages 18+). Members of the SWAG will oversee recruitment of the respondents. Respondents will be asked questions about their current use of space weather observations, information, and forecasts, technological systems, components or elements affected by space weather, current and future risk and resilience activities, future space weather requirements, and unused or new types of measurements or observations that would enhance space weather risk mitigation. This data collection serves many purposes, including gaining a better understanding of the needs of users of space weather products. The SWAG will use the data to identify the space weather research, observations, forecasting, prediction, and modeling advances required to improve space weather products. Specifically, the information will be used to advise the National Science and Technology Council's Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) Subcommittee on improving the ability of the United States to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from space weather storms.

Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government; Federal government.

Frequency: On occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: 51 U.S. Code 60601 Space weather.

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 0648-0814.

Sheleen Dumas,

Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.

[FR Doc. 2026-05900 Filed 3-25-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-KE-P

Published Document: 2026-05900 (91 FR 14680)

Named provisions

User Needs Survey by the Space Weather Advisory Group

Classification

Agency
Commerce Department
Published
March 26th, 2026
Comment period closes
April 25th, 2026 (30 days)
Instrument
Notice
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Substantive
Document ID
91 FR 14680

Who this affects

Applies to
Consumers Employers
Industry sector
4811 Air Transportation 6211 Healthcare Providers 2210 Electric Utilities
Activity scope
Information Collection Surveying
Geographic scope
United States US

Taxonomy

Primary area
Environmental Protection
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Space Weather Information Collection

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