Digital Government
AWIPS' cost, schedule scrutinized
The National Weather Service's Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) came under fire once again last week for cost overruns, schedule delays and a questionable software development strategy. It is now expected that AWIPS, the cornerstone of the NWS modernization plan, will cost $52
Digital Government
Presidential Technology Team deserves everyone's attention
The Office of Management and Budget is sponsoring a Presidential Technology Team (PTT), a group of information technology wizards in various federal agencies that can provide handson coaching to other agencies that are designing and acquiring major information systems. We've seen this kind of thin
Digital Government
Air Force mulls on-board commercial backbone
The Air Force is looking to Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and VMEbus backplane technology to upgrade onboard communications on command and control (C2) aircraft and to eliminate interoperability problems caused among the many nonstandard systems that are currently used. Central to the new Airbo
Digital Government
Integration products bring Windows appls to Unix platforms
Federal agencies that need togive users access to Unix and PCbased applications have a growing array of solutuions from which to choose. And many agencies are in the process of making their choices. Options range from workstationbased software for single users to serverbased solutions for workgr
Digital Government
Do you use a project management package?
"We use CASuperProject. I use it to manage software applications I've designed and developed as well as for lifecycle management." Michael Austin, a computer analyst with the Coast Guard, said project management software is the key to doing projects effectively. "No. We did review something
Digital Government
DISA launches $3B tech services pact
The Defense Information Systems Agency last week kicked off the DEIS II procurement, the followon to the popular Defense Enterprise Integration Services program. At $3 billion, DEIS II has three times the contract ceiling of its predecessor and could become the largest technical service contract e
Digital Government
Kendall cedes CIM role
The Defense Department's Corporate Information Management initiative lost its champion last week with the retirement of Cynthia Kendall, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for information management. Rather than replace Kendall, DOD has opted to merge her organization into the Office of Command,
Digital Government
How can appropriations be used?
The following question was asked by a government program manager: I recently started a new assignment that requires me to meet with many corporate and international government representatives, both domestically and overseas. Most of the people I meet expect us to exchange business cards as a normal
Digital Government
AWARDS
Micro Star Inc. A $2.9 million award for routers and support equipment. Army Cecom Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J. 077035008. Diginet Research Inc. A $492,752 award for distributed environment for interactive documents data review. NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 217, Greenbelt, Md
Digital Government
Acquisition reform tops list of priorities
Rep. Tom Davis (RVa.), like the legendary former Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill, has learned well the lesson that all politics are local. This truism has caused Davis to embrace causes that most of his colleagues, whatever their party, view as strictly insidetheBeltway concerns.~~Davis' distr
Digital Government
GILS breathes new life into Web
The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) has put a real live, breathing Government Information Locator Service on the Internet, and the center's GILS server is apparently being considered as a de facto standard for other agencies who want to bring their own GILS online. Point your browser t
Digital Government
Future remains unclear for excised provisions
The Clinton administration is willing to try again to enact governmentwide procurement reform provisions that were jettisoned in acquisition bills, but so far an exhausted Congress is showing little enthusiasm. Both House and Senate aides said last week they prefer to focus their efforts on making
Digital Government
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
NWS/USGS Teamwork While the Feb. 5 article "Flood data rides Internet wave" primarily examined how the U.S. Geological Survey used the Internet to distribute data about rising rivers, the article also discussed National Weather Service operations during recent East Coast flooding. What follows ma
Digital Government
Java interest percolates
Java, a software language that is all the rage among Internet users, is still too new to make a big splash in the federal market. But many agencies are exploring how they might benefit from this new concept in network computing. Developed by Sun Microsystems Inc., Java supports a new form of softwa
Digital Government
Changes to federal benefits: So close and yet so far
Although President Clinton vetoed the budget reconciliation bill, the House and Senate have reached a meeting of the minds on federal employee benefit issues. In fact, it is likely that those portions of the separate House and Senate reconciliation bills will resurface, either by themselves or as p
Digital Government
The Source Tax Bill and other legislative goodies
A number of important bills for feds are wending their way through Congress. Here are some of the highlights: The Source Tax Bill, which bars states from taxing the retirement income of former residents now living elsewhere, was signed by President Clinton. An amendment to the bill, however, allows
Digital Government
Cisco offers Internet products
Cisco Systems Inc. has introduced products that address Internet security, the increased demand on Internet servers and connecting Novell Inc. NetWare users to the Internet. The company is targeting government entities that need secure and highperformance network services, Internet service provide
Digital Government
IRS aims to increase electronic tax filings
The Internal Revenue Service is hoping that an expansion of its digital tax services will result in a 36 percent increase in the number of taxpayers using these electronic filing options by April 15. This year, for the first time, taxpayers who use a variety of commercial tax return preparation sof
Digital Government
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sign Language I was struck by your page 1 "thumbs down" depicting the ALMRS program over the headline "Early Indicators for Major IT Programs" [FCW, Jan. 22]. If memory serves me correctly, I believe the "thumbs down" symbol is usually indicative of the fate of those poor souls who are about
Digital Government