Modernization

Obama orders environmental measures for agencies

Federal data centers must be run in energy-efficient ways under a new executive order.

Acquisition

Senate tries to put competition rules on earmark spending

Senate legislation would apply some of the rules for competition to spending under earmarks, but only for a single bill.

Ideas

Intellipedia on the Block?

Colleague Marc Armbinder <a href="http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/10/shutdown_of_intelligence_community_e-mail_network_raises_concerns.php">posted</a> yesterday an item on his Atlantic Politics blog that the intelligence community is pulling the plug on <a href="https://www.ugov.gov/">uGov</a>, "one of its earliest efforts at cross-agency collaboration," Armbinder wrote.

Digital Government

Panel recommends improvements to E-Verify

A panel of experts recommends improving the E-Verify electronic employment verification system to reduce false reports and to use it in immigration reform efforts.

Modernization

NTIA awards grants for national broadband map

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is getting started on the $350 million broadband mapping project funded by the economic stimulus law.

Digital Government

States urged to create data catalogs

State and local governments should ramp up efforts to become more transparent, organization contends.

Digital Government

GSA, DISA want advice on buying commercial satellite services

GSA and DISA are seeking input from industry for a joint acquisition program that they plan to establish to meet civilian and defense agencies' needs for satellite services.

Modernization

IBM launches cloud storage

InformationWeek

Digital Government

U.S. behind foreign competitors in manufacturing green technologies

Specialists call for the government to invest in and provide tax incentives to American companies to reverse a $9 billion trade deficit and create jobs.

Digital Government

Critics: National Archives lax in records management enforcement

Some document specialists and open government advocates say agencies' challenges with storing and retrieving e-records are due to a lack of policing, not an absence of rules.

Digital Government

Shuttering of intel e-mail draws concern for other collaboration tools

Intelligence office assures users it will replace the system with a more secure one, and other social networking tools will continue to operate.

Digital Government

131,000 Homeless Vets

That's the <a href=http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1795>stark and depressing news</a> the Veterans Affairs Department released on Tuesday, while VA said the goods news is that the number is down 15 percent from last year.

Digital Government

DHS Automates Hiring Processes

Wired Workplace spoke with Jeffrey Neal, chief human capital officer at the Homeland Security Department, on Monday about the agency's <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/09/dhs_launches_web-based_hr_tool.php">new IT platform</a> that simplifies and accelerates its recruiting and hiring activities. The tool, called TalentLink, uses electronic routing and approvals, automates the rating and ranking process, standardizes vacancy announcements using plain language, and facilitates communication with applicants. The tool also eliminates the knowledge, skills and abilities questions traditionally found on federal applications, allowing DHS applicants to simply submit a resume, Neal said.