IBM's new cloud offering and DOE's storm tracking app
News and notes from the federal IT community.
IBM adds cloud data centers
IBM has expanded its cloud offerings for the federal government, announcing June 11 the availability of cloud data centers with SoftLayer security features.
The first center, in Dallas, will be online this month; the second center in Ashburn., Va., will come online by fall.
The SoftLayer infrastructure provides greater control and security of data for the federal government, IBM said in a statement. IBM is in the process of completing both FedRAMP and FISMA certification for the two centers.
App tracks storms approaching energy infrastructure
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has rolled out an app that can show the power plants and other critical energy infrastructure that could be in the path of oncoming hurricanes this summer and fall.
The DOE component unveiled the mobile app that overlays its energy mapping information on its U.S. Energy Mapping System, and its Energy Disruptions web page with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's real-time storm feeds. Users can track the status of power plant, oil refineries, major electric transmission lines and other critical energy infrastructure from their mobile devices. The agency announced the app days after the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.
EIA's interactive Energy Disruptions webpage combines real-time data feeds from NOAA's National Hurricane Center that track storm intensity and projected paths, with more than 40 map layers that show the location of U.S. energy infrastructure.