Digital Government
NASA's Job Numbers
NASA is holding off on providing updated projections on the number of jobs that may be lost within its highly technical workforce as it retires the space shuttle and transitions to its new moon program. The third edition of the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/372110main_7-21-09%20Workforce%20Transition%20Strategy%203rd%20Edition.pdf">NASA Space Shuttle Workforce Transition Strategy report</a>, released on Wednesday, provides workforce estimates only through fiscal 2010, while the shuttle will still be flying.
Digital Government
House hearing calls for stronger federal role in geospatial efforts
Lawmakers take the Obama administration to task for paying insufficient heed to the need to develop a coordinated federal policy for geospatial information.
Digital Government
Getting Serious About Gov 2.0
Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org, has a great <a href="http://www.fedscoop.com/blog/2009/07/22/gov2-0-getting-serious-about-transforming-government/">piece</a> on FedScoop.com on the value of technology in government and about the shared responsibility we all have in transforming the way government works.
Digital Government
Interesting Gizmos, Great Soldiers
I spent a couple of days last week at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico metaphorically kicking the tires on the new high-tech gadgets and gizmos the Army plans to <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090721_4346.php>field to seven infantry brigades</a> starting in 2011. I came away from the trip -- as I always do when I'm out in the field -- more impressed by the soldiers I met than the gear.
Digital Government
Health record haste sparks privacy fears
A privacy advocate warns that proposals for EHRs postpone several major privacy protections.
Digital Government
Defense Comms: The House Giveth
The House Appropriations Committee approved a budget for the high-powered <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090220_1669.php>Wideband Global Satcom System</a> in fiscal 2010 of $626.7 million in its version of next year's <a href=http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/DoD_FY10_FC_Summary_07.22.09.pdf>appropriations bill</a>, an increase of $425 million from the president's requested budget.
Digital Government
Social Media Survey
The Call To Serve initiative -- a joint effort by the Partnership for Public Service and the Office of Personnel Management -- is planning a workshop for September that will focus on federal agencies' use of social media for recruiting. The workshop is part of an annual Effective Hiring Workshop Series for federal agency representatives. In the meantime, the Partnership and OPM are asking federal employees to fill out a survey on what areas should be covered in the workshop.
Digital Government
Outsourcing Cyber Efforts
A <a href="http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/viewcontentdetails.php?id=135">report</a> on the state of the <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/07/cyber_insecurity.php">federal cybersecurity workforce</a> released on Wednesday by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service highlights that there are often good reasons for hiring contractors to fill immediate or short-term hiring needs in the federal government, or when budgetary constraints limit the number of full-time employees an agency can hire. Without an adequate pipeline of talent coming in to fill federal cybersecurity positions, the report states, the response at many agencies has been to turn to contractors to perform sensitive government information technology work, vulnerability analysis, intrusion detection, digital forensics and protocol analysis.
Digital Government
Health information exchanges rise to 57
Fifty-seven community-based health information exchanges are operating, up from 42 the year before, according to a survey by the nonprofit eHealth Initiative.
Digital Government
Senate amendment would end questions of small-business priority
Sen. Landrieu's amendment would take away any priority one type of business may have when competing for government contracts.
Digital Government
Two federal groups follow different paths to transparency
Divergent methods used to gather public opinion about classification policies underscore how the definition of transparency might not be so universal.
Digital Government
Security experts push to require federal information security guidelines
Inclusion of recommendations in NIST's list of computer security controls seen as a positive first step.
Digital Government