Nextgov

Follow Philly’s Lead and Dive into the Big Data Future

“Big data” is quickly making its way into conversations in government. However, it is difficult for government officials to identify what big data means for their own organizations. What are the challenges? How can they take on something new that does not necessarily connect to their core mission? And not least, how should they tackle the issue to respond to requests from the public?

The big data discussion hits government in two ways: First, big data is created by citizens in their daily online interactions using social media either directly with government or talking amongst themselves about issues related to government. As the recently released first guidance for social media metrics for federal agencies shows, government is just now getting into the groove of measuring, interpreting and acting on insights they can potentially gain from their interactions with citizens. The second trend centers around open government and the launch of the federal data-sharing site data.gov, a public website that hosts hundreds of data sets produced by federal agencies.

Originally, the big data discussion started outside of government, but has direct implications for government as more and more agencies, politicians and citizens are using social media to interact with each ...

Got a Problem with IT Reform? Let us Know.

As most Nextgov readers know by now, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., have co-sponsored a bill that would dramatically overhaul the way federal agencies buy information technology. Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously passed the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act. Among other things, the bill would dramatically cut the number of feds carrying the CIO title and it would give those who do hold the title significantly more budget authority than they currently have.

When Issa first floated a draft of the legislation last fall, a lot of tech companies weren’t too happy with it. Some thought it gave open source software preferential standing over custom software; others thought it could weaken the power of the General Services Administration’s schedules program -- the menus of technology products and services GSA negotiates on behalf of agencies.

The bill Issa and Connolly introduced today looks quite different from that early draft after they took those and other concerns into consideration. But it’s still a work in progress, Issa said. If you want to offer feedback on the bill as it goes to the House floor, please visit this site our developers have ...

Five Ways to Integrate Drones into Domestic Airspace

Are you ready for 30,000 unmanned aircraft flying our friendly skies? Whether you are or not, Congress and the President mandated that the FAA integrate drones into the national airspace system by 2015. Addressing the security and privacy concerns, while meeting the integration deadline, will likely require federal, state, and local officials to experiment with new regulatory models.

There are a number of inventive and creative options emerging for facilitating the integration of remotely-piloted aircraft domestically. These models offer new ways to manage and regulate this disruptive technology:

The Licensing Model. To reduce the risk of privacy creep, unmanned aircraft licensing could correspond with the type of tools and capabilities that are employed by the technology itself. If a local weather service wants to access the airspace to take atmospheric readings, a “Category A” license would be required. However, if the local emergency manager wants to access the skies to conduct a disaster assessment by a high resolution camera, a “Category B” license would be required. Commercial truck drivers use a similar model already. For example, trucks carrying toxic chemicals on public roads are required to follow different rules than trucks carrying timber.  

The ‘Swiss Army’ Drone. A counter ...

Astronauts Hold First Extraterrestrial Google+ ‘Hangout’

Ever wanted to chat with an astronaut on board the International Space Station? They’re always down to hang out.

On Friday, ISS astronauts Kevin Ford, Chris Hadfield and Tom Marshburn participated in NASA’s first Google+ Hangout from outer space. For approximately 20 minutes, the astronauts answered a number of questions ranging from their favorite scientist (Marshburn likes Isaac Newton) to exercise in outer space to the type of research that they’re working on. Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut who has become an Internet celebrity after his extensive tweeting and an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, explained to viewers about how the astronauts handled the recent communications snafu with ground control.

John Yembrick, NASA’s social media manager, moderated questions from Twitter, Google+, and Youtube. Participants included many teachers and science buffs, as well as students from classrooms in the United States, Mexico and Chile.  Astronauts Ronald Garan and Nicole Stott also participated in the hangout, giving insights into how they joined the program, and recommendations on what to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

USAID Seeks Expertise in Open Data, Venture Capital

Are you a private sector innovator with experience in big data, venture capital or crowd-sourcing technology? If so, the U.S Agency for International Development might have just the job for you.

Maura O’Neill, the agency’s chief innovation officer, gave NextGov a sneak peak at the jobs available for the next round of Presidential Innovation Fellows at USAID during a Social Media Week event on Tuesday.

The last class of fellows worked on projects including electronic payment systems, data visualization techniques, and leveraging technology to aid food security. 

O’Neill said that the agency now seeks two kinds of tech geeks:

• Coders and data specialists to continue the agency’s work with the Open Data Initiative.
• Private sector specialists to staff Development Innovation Ventures, a project to scale up projects and financing in domestic agencies and global development. O’Neill said USAID would look for staff to utilize crowd-sourcing technology.