[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23797-23798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10374]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey


Proposed Information Collection; Assessment of the Business 
Requirements and Benefits of Enhanced National Elevation Data

AGENCY: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described 
below. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and a part of 
our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we 
invite the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on this 
IC. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to 
respond to a collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

DATES: You must submit comment on or before July 6, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments to the IC to Phadrea Ponds, Information 
Collections Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 2150-C Center 
Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (mail); (970) 226-9230 (fax); or 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7f0f0f10111b0c3f0a0c180c51181009"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="daaaaab5b4bea99aafa9bda9f4bdb5ac">[email protected]</span></a> (e-mail). Please reference Information Collection 1028-
NEW, LiDAR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Snyder by mail at U.S. 
Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 517, Reston, VA 
20192-0001, or by telephone at 703-648-5169.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    USGS Geography supports some of the most pressing resource 
management, environmental and climate change science issues faced by 
our Nation. Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) is the leading 
technology for collecting highly-accurate three-dimensional 
measurements of the Earth's topography and surface features such 
buildings, bridges, coastlines, rivers, forests and other landscape 
characteristics. These data provide an unprecedented tool for 
scientific understanding and informed National decisions related to 
ecosystem management, energy development, natural resource conservation 
and mitigating geologic and flood-related hazards. The USGS now 
collects LiDAR data to a limited extent and primarily for upgrading 
bare-earth elevation data for The National Map. This study seeks to 
establish a baseline of national business needs and associated benefits 
for LiDAR to enhance the responsiveness of USGS programs, and to design 
an efficient future program that balances requirements, benefits and 
costs. The study advances coordinated program development among the 
numerous federal and state agencies that increasingly rely on LiDAR to 
enable the fulfillment of their missions. The study is sponsored by the 
National Digital Elevation Program steering committee and supported by 
several member agencies.
    The information collection process will be guided by an interagency 
management team led by USGS with support from a professional services 
contractor. The information collection will be conducted using a 
standardized template. We will protect information from respondents 
considered proprietary under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 
552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2), and under 
regulations at 30 CFR 250.197, ``Data and information to be made 
available to the public or for limited inspection.'' Responses are 
voluntary. No questions of a ``sensitive'' nature are asked.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: None. This is a new collection.
    Title: Assessment of the Business Requirements and Benefits of 
Enhanced National Elevation Data.
    Type of Request: New.
    Affected Public: States, U.S. Territories, Tribes and selected 
private natural resource development companies.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time only.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: Approximately 300 
responses.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,200.

III. Request for Comments

    We invite comments concerning this IC on:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;

[[Page 23798]]

    (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information;
    (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents.
    Please note that the comments submitted in response to this notice 
are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone 
number, e-mail 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 can ask OMB in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that it will be done. To comply with the public process, we 
hereby publish this Federal Register notice announcing that we will 
submit this IC to OMB for approval. The notice provides the required 
60-day public comment period.
    USGS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Phadrea D. Ponds, 
970-226-9445.

    Dated: April 27, 2010.
Bruce K. Quirk,
Land Remote Sensing Program Coordinator.
[FR Doc. 2010-10374 Filed 5-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4311-AM-P


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