[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 209 (Friday, October 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 58380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28422]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
2000 Evaluation of DARPA Communicator Systems
ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A).
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 28,
1999.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room
5027, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via
the Internet LEngelme@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions
should be directed to Gregory A. Sanders, Ph.D., National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8940,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8940.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
In 2000, NIST will perform evaluations of Communicator
implementations, as part of the Defense Advanced Research Project
Agency (DARPA) Communicator program. Using the Communicator involves
task-based spoken dialogue with the system. The evaluations that are to
be performed are intended to achieve three goals. First, to help
implementors of Communicator programs to identify the successes and
weaknesses of their implementations. Second, to enable the research
sponsors to identify and measure progress in order to assess the
success of the program. Third, to advance the state of research
knowledge about metrics and evaluation of task-based dialogue systems.
The proposed evaluations will be performed with paid research subjects,
who will each use the implementations to perform tasks representative
of the tasks that Communicator systems are intended to perform. As part
of the evaluation, the paid research subjects will be asked to respond
to a user questionnaire that is intended to assess the subjects' user-
satisfaction and their subjective opinions about various aspects of
each system that are being objectively measured. The subjects are being
paid to complete the questionnaire, and they will not be paid if they
do not complete the questionnaire.
The user-questionnaire will enable us to study correlations of
various objective metrics with the users' satisfaction and the users'
subjective opinions.
II. Method of Collection
Most questions will be Likert-scale type items (items consisting of
a statement with the requested response being a choice on a scale
running from ``fully agree'' through ``fully disagree''). We anticipate
that the research subject users will read and respond to the questions
on paper or else by using a web browser.
III. Data
OMB Number: None.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: The research subjects (who will be adult persons,
with any American accent and no speech impediment, who are familiar
with the task domain).
Estimated Number of Respondents: 360.
Estimated Time per Response: Less than 10 minutes per
questionnaire.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 60 Hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Public: $0 (no capital
expenditures required).
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology. Comments submitted in response to the notice will be
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the
information collection; they also will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: October 22, 1999.
Linda Engelmeier,
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-28422 Filed 10-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P
