ESurge User Survey: Results & Conclusions 20 th October 2011.

eSurge User Survey:Results & Conclusions20th October 2011

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About the User Survey

No. 2eSurge User Survey: Results and Conclusions

The original requirements baseline for eSurge was the outcome of a series of discussions between ESA and potential system users, culminating in a User Consultation Meeting (UCM) held in Venice in September 2009.

However, in order to update and refine these requirements, the eSurge project carried out a user survey during its first 2 months. This consisted of a questionnaire, followed up by a series of phone interviews.

As a result, we received 28 completed questionnaires from users in 18 countries worldwide. These have been used to derive the final requirements for the project, which are stated in the Requirements Baseline document.


Questions Asked


Users were asked for their inputs on the following topics:

• Data sets used.

• Areas of interest.

• Service requirements.

• Required data.

• Timeframe.

• Downloading data.

• Conference and User contribution.

• Past events.


Data sets


Users were asked to identify the data sets which would be of most use to them.

In general, we expect to be able to provide all the most requested data sets, though some (e.g. Flood maps) may only be available for specific surge events.


Areas of Interest


Users were asked to identify the geographical areas which would be of most interest to them.

Unfortunately we do not expect to be able to cover all areas requested by users in the scope of this project, though we hope to be able to provide more coverage in future.


Areas of Interest


The map below shows the areas that we intend to cover within this project. (Red = priority areas, blue = secondary areas.) These will supply the needs of the majority of potential users.


Service Requirements


Users were asked to specify what they would like to see as outcomes of the eSurge project. The most popular responses are summarised below.

Users in general would like to see inclusion of higher resolution storm surge models and improved access to satellite data.However, many responses were outside the scope of eSurge, so it is important to manage users’ expectations as to what the project will and will not provide.


Required Data


Users were also asked which data and information was of value to them when studying a storm surge event. The most popular responses are shown below:


Time Frames


Users were asked to provide a time frame of their typical outlook when studying a surge event. Most users require information from 3-5 days prior to the surge.


Data Download


Users were asked how they would prefer to download available data.

There is a strong preference for ftp access. Although we intend the primary access mechanism to be through an OpenDAP server, it is clear that ftp access must also be provided to meet the above need.


Outreach and training


Users were asked how they would prefer to receive training.

Users in general preferred to be trained using both online and offline materials.

Users were also asked if they would be willing to contribute material for training and if they would like to participate in annual conferences. A majority of the users stated that they would be happy to contribute material and displayed an interest in annual conferences. However, some users did state that that attending conferences would depend on whether a travel budget was available.


Past Events


Users were asked if there were any past events that they were interested in having satellite data for.

The response to this question was of a similar nature to the response shown for areas of interest as users limited their interest in past events around their countries of residence.

It has been decided to re-open this question and to seek further user-defined surge events (SEVs), using the project website.


Conclusions.


1. There is significant interest, and a strong potential user base, for eSurge.

2. In general, the users’ needs are clear, well understood and achievable.

3. However it is important to manage users expectations of what this project can and cannot achieve. The eSurge project website should be used to communicate this.

4. This User Survey should be seen as the first step in engaging users. It is important to keep in touch with users throughout the project lifecycle, actively seeking feedback throughout.


More information.


More information on the eSurge project may be found on our website:

www.storm-surge.info

This user survey was only the starting point; we will be actively seeking feedback throughout the project lifecycle. This will be through regular newsletters, annual User Consultation Meetings, and ad-hoc feedback through the project website. Please join our user group for further details.

Further analysis of the user survey exercise may be found in the Requirements Baseline (RB) document, available through the website.

ESurge User Survey: Results & Conclusions 20 th October 2011.

Documents

Transcript of ESurge User Survey: Results & Conclusions 20 th October 2011.