Digital Government

Hill demands FEMA quickly upgrade aging public warning system

A lack of goals and deadlines have delayed development of a new network that will provide emergency alerts via the Web and cell phones.

Digital Government

Open up with Adobe, a trusted partner to government organizations.

Let Adobe create, edit, visualize and share information with practically everyone in the world.

Digital Government

Feds offer White House plenty of ideas on budget-cutting

The Save.Gov Web site launched by the White House soliciting ideas on how to cut spending in the 2011 budget has drawn more than 10,000 suggestions in its first week.

Digital Government

GI Bill Payments Offered Online

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki <a href=http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1790>announced</a> that starting on Friday veterans who have not yet received their GI bill payments for school tuition and housing will be able to apply online off the <a href=http://www.va.gov/>VA's Web site</a>, which also has further details on the emergency payment program.

Ideas

Emergency Alert System Not Wired

President Obama on Wednesday declared American Samoa a major disaster after the territory was struck by an earthquake and tsunami. But if the president wanted to spread that message nationwide, today, it wouldn't get very far.

Digital Government

The Social Networking Draft Directive

As I <a href=http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090929_3750.php?oref=topstory>reported yesterday</a>, a draft of a new Defense Department social network policy that made its way to the Whats HQ in Las Vegas, N.M., will allow troops to Twitter away on Defense networks almost unfettered as long as they follow a few simple rules.

People

What kind of OFPP leader would Gordon be? Look at his track record

Judging by his history, GAO's Daniel Gordon will bring to the OFPP post a wealth of legal and procurement experience, as well as a reputation for candor and evenhandedness.

Digital Government

Online collection helps people remember, research Holocaust

Hundreds of thousands of Holocaust-related records are now searchable online through a National Archives and Records Administration project.

Modernization

Sentiment analysis monitors public opinion from behind the scenes

A process known as sentiment analysis discerns essential truths embedded in blog posts, Facebook pages, Twitter tweets and the like.

Digital Government

Retirement Projections

I <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/09/opm_no_longer_projecting_retirements.php">linked</a> to a story on FederalNewsRadio.com yesterday that said the Office of Personnel Management would no longer project the retirements of federal employees. The story was <a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=35&sid=1774051">clarified</a> on Tuesday to say that OPM will continue to make retirement projections that forecast the potential number of retirees who are eligible for retirement and actually leave federal service each year.

People

More flak about federal hiring

In response to a recent article about the federal hiring process, readers share more observations and horror stories.

People

4 programs that collect innovative ideas from government employees

Some of the best ideas for improving government might come from within government, writes IBM's John Kamensky.

People

6 core capabilities that acquisition workers need

Any plans to insource must include efforts to rebuild the acquisition workforce, writes Peter Tuttle.

Modernization

DHS establishes office for intelligence-sharing centers

The Homeland Security Department will establish a new office to coordinate its involvement with intelligence-sharing centers that rely on information technology.

Digital Government

Health centers get $27.8M for health IT projects

HHS will spend almost $28 million for health IT projects in 21 states.

Modernization

IT consolidation will improve services, Kundra says

GSA aims for better data quality but also has some problems with integrating eight databases into a single platform.

Modernization

GAO says more planning needed for DHS emergency communications

The Homeland Security Department should beef up plans for key officials to communicate when networks go down, GAO recommends.

Cybersecurity

Klossner: Could Obama unilaterally vote contestants off “American Idol”?

FCW cartoonist John Klossner discovers more cause for concern in a controversial Senate bill that would give Obama the power to discuss private networks from the Internet.