Digital Government
Panel plans bill to address Homeland Security research efforts
The bill is expected to promote the ability of small and minority-owned businesses to win contracts or join existing contracts for burgeoning technologies.
Modernization
Navy official calls for rapid deployment of unmanned vessels
Systems would be deployed at sea for weeks or months.
Digital Government
NIH's ID system could be start of single sign on for government services
Government officials say new technology will let citizens log on once to access a variety of Web sites for public services and information.
Digital Government
State rolls out new online visa application for temporary visitors
Consular Affairs expects all overseas posts issuing visas to use the new electronic form by the end of April.
Modernization
Wiki in the works for sharing safest travel routes in Afghanistan
Network would replace ad hoc Internet communications among nonmilitary personnel with missions in war zone.
Digital Government
Glitch prompts VA to shut e-health data exchange with Defense
Response to software bug, which mixed up patient information or provided incomplete records, showed safety checks worked and the system will be fixed by March 9, Veterans Affairs CIO says.
Digital Government
Future warfare gets funding nod, but little prioritization
The Quadrennial Defense Review and the fiscal 2011 defense budget are in sync on the need for new strategies for programs such as unmanned aerial vehicles. But critics say they still focus too much on current conflicts and not enough on the future.
Digital Government
Tear down self-imposed, bureaucratic hurdles to trust
If the Justice Department's new information-sharing tool works, law enforcement agencies will be able to solve cases ranging from electronic fraud to terrorism, writes Chris Bronk.
People
Why technology is not enough
A recent study found that organizations get the most out of technology when they also adopt new management practices, Steve Kelman writes.
People
Tackle problems, not mandates, with collaboration
Agencies succeed not when they comply with directives but when they solve problems, writes NAPA's Lena Trudeau.
Modernization
The new age of satellite
Satellites' famous resiliency is being joined by a steadily brightening price and performance story that might surprise those who haven’t been following the industry lately.
Cybersecurity
With cyber czar in place, lawmakers continue legislative push
Congress could tackle key computer security questions in 2010, despite persistent disagreement over the extent that cybersecurity should be regulated.
Cybersecurity
Data mining
Physician offices have increased their use of electronic health records by 9.7 percent in the past year, according to a survey by research firm SK&A.
Acquisition
GSA's Drabkin heads to Northrop Grumman
David Drabkin will be Northrop Grumman's director for acquisition policy.
Digital Government
Certification for iPhone and Android?
Apple's iPhone and smart phones built around Google's Android operating system make for yummy application development platforms, but their use in the federal government -- especially the Defense Department -- has been restricted because neither the iPhone nor Android phones have received security accreditation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. But Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, the Army chief information officer, indicated at a press briefing on Wednesday that that situation may soon change. He said Apple and Google are making progress in getting their gizmos certified to the Federal Information Processing (FIPS) 140-2 cryptology standard needed for use on federal networks.
Ideas
Facebook and the Hatch Act
Marc Ambinder, who blogs for Nextgov sister site Atlantic.com, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/03/state-department-removes-political-fan-pages-from-facebook-site/36984/">raises an issue</a> for agencies that have created a Facebook page -- which seems like just about every agency.
Ideas
GSA Signs Up For OpenID
The General Services Administration has approved universal sign-in applications for use on government Web sites, provided by Equifax, Google and Paypal, that will allow citizens who are securely logged in to one site to instantly and safely switch to another agency site without having to login again.
Digital Government