Digital Government

AHLTA's End (Sort Of) Explained

I <a href=http://whatsbrewin.nextgov.com/2010/08/the_end_of_ahlta.php>reported</a> on Monday the Military Health System decided to consider commercial software for its loathed AHLTA electronic health record system. The folks over at MHS told me the planning process started in December 2009, with establishment of an EHR Way Ahead Planning Office this February.

Ideas

Intel Has a Good Story with McAfee

Intel Corp.'s announcement that it would by security firm McAfee Inc. for $7.68 billion could have an interesting play in the federal information technology market, according to Washington tech analysts. By having a McAfee at your fingertips, Intel can bolster the security in its chips, giving it a leg up in agencies looking for safer PCs, laptops, and wireless devices, some federal IT market watchers say.

Digital Government

Think your Internet connection is fast? Don't count on it!

The Federal Communications Commission says the gap between advertised Internet download speeds and actual performance is so wide that we need a new, standardized way of presenting promised broadband speeds.

Digital Government

DARPA plans a network of virtual satellites

DARPA revises its program to launch clusters of small, wirelessly connected mini satellites.

Cybersecurity

Sounds from Cyber Camp

The US Cyber Challenge summer camps have concluded, and by all accounts they were an overwhelming success. Three states -- Delaware, California, and New York -- hosted camps this year. I found a fun story on NPR and I wanted to make sure people had a chance to hear it.

Digital Government

HR Chiefs Not Happy With IT

The federal human resources community is hampered by a lack of robust information technology systems, forcing many HR leaders to rely on outdated manual processes, according to a new <a href="http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/viewcontentdetails.php?id=147">report</a>.

People

Kathleen Druitt: A program manager at heart

Druitt was the driving force behind setting up the Recovery.gov and FederalReporting.gov Web sites.

Digital Government

Pablo Vilaboa: When it comes to tech support, sleep is optional

Vilaboa remained at the office for days to provide technical support to officials at Southern Command who were responding to the earthquake in Haiti.

Modernization

NASA makes 3G iPhone available to employees

NASA has added 3G iPhones to its Outsourcing Desktop Initiative list that makes the devices available to employees.

People

California starts statewide telehealth network

The California Telehealth Network will link 800 facilities statewide.

Modernization

Jim Carver: Getting it done in Iraq and Afghanistan

The former gunslinger is using the Movement Tracking System to coordinate logistics on the ground in Southwest Asia — and save lives.

People

The best of the federal blogosphere

Climate change: The big picture; A ground-level view of Afghanistan; TSA: Why liquids are a threat; How much bandwidth do you need?

Modernization

Don't let geospatial data get lost in the cloud

Designers of cloud services need to think about the standard interfaces, codes and best practices that enable "where" information to pass among systems, writes Steven Ramage, executive director of marketing and communications at the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Modernization

Why the Networx transition is a security imperative

The cyber threat has evolved radically since FTS 2001 established the basic framework for telecommunications services across the government, writes David Hughes, managing partner and co-founder of TurningPoint Global Solutions.

People

How to fast-track IT modernization projects

General Services Administration Chief Information Officer Casey Coleman shares some best practices from her agency's recent success with upgrading its IT systems.

Digital Government

Facebook: A Swedish perspective

Blogger Steve Kelman is struck by the extent to which Facebook has become part of Swedish culture.