Digital Government

Cell-All smarter phone is DHS' version of the Tricorder

DHS is looking to the telecommunications side of mobile phones to help it develop the "Cell-All" smartphone that features a sensor capable of detecting deadly chemicals.

Digital Government

CDC goes viral through social media

Janice Nall, CDC's director of the Division of eHealth Marketing, offers some advice to agencies looking to engage citizens.

Digital Government

Many agencies earn failing grade for e-recordkeeping

Seventy-nine percent of more than 200 departments, agencies, and sub-agencies that responded to a recent survey from the National Archives and Records Administration were found to have a high or moderate risk of improperly destroying records.

Cybersecurity

HHS publishes online list of patient data breaches

The Health and Human Services Department has started publishing an online list of data thefts and breaches that affect the health data of more than 500 patients.

Digital Government

AHRQ requests research on improving patient health

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality wants proposals for its new research program to identify the best treatments for patients.

Digital Government

Maryland governor earns IT award

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers awards Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley with the association's 2010 National Technology Champion Award.

Digital Government

White House creates advisory board on federal management

Group will offer guidance on government operations, technology.

Digital Government

Revamped Thrift Savings website could be delayed until June

Load tests must be completed and multimedia features will be added as the project evolves, officials say.

Modernization

PUFF, just like that Air Force predicts volcanic cloud path

Within minutes the computer model forecast where plumes of ash were headed, giving commanders valuable information about where to establish temporary operations and route aircraft.

Ideas

Should All Texts Be Private?

Before you pick up that office-provided cell phone to send out <em>that </em>text, think again. On Monday, the Supreme Court will deal with the question: Is there a reasonable expectation of privacy for text messages transmitted on a police SWAT pager? The court's ruling could just impact feds' right to keep private any messages sent out on phones and pagers supplied by the government.

Digital Government

AF Awards a Sign of the Times

In a sign of the times, the operators of unmanned aerial vehicle won the Air Force's 2010 Team of the Year award.

Digital Government

A Pattern of Better Health Care

The potential of health IT to improve patients' outcomes is undermined by information systems that "are not designed to collect data to support quality improvement as the primary purpose," says a report released this week by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Ideas

Agencies Struggle To Count Secrets

In the past, many agencies undercounted the amount of information they classified each year because departments did not include classification decisions made while communicating online. The fact that most agencies underreported the secrets they created last year may lead one to assume that number of secrets generated this year would go up. But the opposite happened.