Digital Government
Report prompts agencies to rethink Web privacy
A recent report criticizing agencies for not posting the information they may collect about visitors to their World Wide Web sites is raising privacy concerns among Web site managers. The Department of Health and Human Services put a Privacy Policy link on its home page the same day that the Center
Digital Government
Federal Bytes
A VERY PC EDUCATION. John Koskinen, head of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, took the administration's message to a new audience last Thursday a 7th grade class in Arlington, Va. Koskinen taught the class about the Year 2000 computer problem using the council's new Y2K lesson plan
Digital Government
Air Force squadron keeps eyes on southern no-fly zone
The U.S. Air Force 9th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron operates a key node from Kuwait that enables the unit to track air traffic in the southern no-fly zone over Iraq
Digital Government
HCFA to outsource 4,000 desktops
The Health Care Financing Administration plans to become the first major federal agency besides agencies that manage outsourcing pacts to turn over its desktop support responsibilities to a private vendor. HCFA late last month submitted a task order to outsource hardware and software support
Digital Government
Vendors team to translate forms to data
Cardiff Software Inc. and Cross Pen Computing Group have teamed to offer a new solution for capturing data from paper forms using a pen computing tablet and data capture software.
Digital Government
FAA charts new course for STARS
The Federal Aviation Administration today announced plans to field early versions of a new air traffic control system to a few smaller airports while delaying full rollout of the $1 billion project until the final system is ready for use.
Digital Government
NASA gives kids window on North Pole
Most of us will never get to visit the North Pole, but a new NASA World Wide Web site that is tracking an expedition to the polar region might be the next best thing to being there. As part of the North Pole Project, scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center are setting up camp at Resolut
Digital Government
Transportation of the Future Unveiled
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America wrapped up its annual exposition April 22, encouraging transportation officials to push for buyin from local government officials and local political leaders to create grassroots momentum for intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
Digital Government
Building the infrastructure
In the eight years since Operation Desert Storm, Navy commands have operated out of temporary office trailers and shelters, but now the main Navy compound in Bahrain looks like a New York City construction site
Digital Government
SEC unveils Internet tool for fund investors
The Securities and Exchange Commission this month unveiled a free Internetbased tool that allows investors to compare how much it costs to hold funds. The Mutual Fund Cost Calculator (www.sec.gov/mfcc/mfccint.htm) will help users understand the actual dollar cost of holding one fund vs. another o
Digital Government
Vendors await DOD BPA bonanza
The Air Force and the Marine Corps are gearing up for two rounds of blanket purchase agreements covering standard desktops, servers, portable systems and support services that must take into account the military services' global mission. The Air Force Standard Systems Group plans to award today BPA
Digital Government
GSA readies all-in-one smart card
During the next two months, 450 General Services Administration employees will have their government identification cards and credit cards replaced with a single smart card they can use to gain access to office buildings, log on to computers and purchase airline tickets, among other applications. T
Digital Government
Making IRS work less taxing
Paul Cosgrave, the chief information officer at the Internal Revenue Service, brought to the embattled tax agency years of technology experience acquired in the private sector. He also brought his own unfavorable image of the federal work force. But Cosgrave said that image was quickly replaced wit
Digital Government
Letters to the Editor
Mixed reaction Federal Computer Week received numerous letters in regard to Bureaucratus' April 12 column, 'Managers should not be paid overtime,' about proposed legislation allowing federal managers to receive overtime pay. A sample of the letters follows. Your article had some valid arguments as
Digital Government
Hill moves to fill IT gaps at DOD
Shortfalls in critical Defense Department information technology systems and modernization programs have contributed to a 'state of emergency' in military readiness, requiring Congress to force the Clinton administration to bolster DOD's fiscal 2000 budget, according to a senior member of the House
Digital Government
Fight the urge to sole source task orders
The growth of multipleaward taskorder contracting for services opened up by the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) in 1994 and by the growth of the General Services Administration services schedule is an important advance for government information technology customers. Indeed, doubt
Digital Government
New service gauges virus risk
In the wake of the 'Melissa' scare, Network Associates Inc. has added a riskassessment service to its Total Virus Defense software suite. The new service, which is free to existing Network Associates TVD customers, will provide qualitative information about the risks associated with emerging virus
Digital Government
DOD's Net retreat unwise
It is only natural that when under attack, our initial response is to retreat, pull back into our shells and isolate ourselves from the outside world. While highly instinctive, this reaction is not always the best course of action. Such is the case with the suggestion by some Defense Department lea
Digital Government
Phase Two of CommerceNet's online catalog project begins
Agencies and vendors last week kicked off the second phase of a pilot project that aims to demonstrate how government online catalogs operate together and to lay the groundwork for widespread federal use of electronic commerce. Through the Catalog Interoperability Pilot, a group of Internet vendors
Digital Government