Digital Government

Public more satisfied with agencies that pursue transparency online, study says

Open government advocates say while good Web interfaces are important, the report failed to define trust and transparency properly.

Digital Government

Lack of coordination stalls emergency response planning

Homeland Security claims a lack of incentives make it difficult to compel federal agencies to collaborate.

Digital Government

Employee: Military Health System was unethical in awarding contract

Internal e-mails allege top officials provided a technology company with software code and documents for the military's massive electronic health record system and awarded it a contract without competition.

Digital Government

Spires named Homeland Security CIO, faces 'huge challenges'

The IRS' former chief information officer is credited with turning around that agency's modernization program, a feat that helped him land his new post, sources say.

Digital Government

The $1.2 billion Health SOA

That's how much funding the House Appropriations Committee <a href=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_reports&docid=f:hr230.111.pdf>estimated</a> the Military Health System will need in the next two years to develop a Services Oriented Architecture to create interoperability between the electronic health record systems operated by the Defense Department and the one maintained by the Veterans Affairs Department.

Digital Government

Cyber Challenge

The Center for Strategic and International Studies has launched the <a href="http://csis.org/uscc">U.S. Cyber Challenge</a>, a new effort to recruit 10,000 young Americans with the skills to fill the nation's cybersecurity ranks.

Ideas

White House Confronts Cookies

The White House may lift its policy barring federal Web sites from tracking users' online behavior. A <a href="http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-17756.htm">Federal Register notice</a> published on Monday seeks public comment on revisions to an existing ban on persistent cookies -- common software programs that commercial sites deposit on a visitor's computer to collect usage information.

People

Kundra helps in search for procurement policy leader

Vivek Kundra said the OFPP administrator should understand the overall challenges in government procurement and be able to speed up the acquisition of rapidly changing technologies.

Digital Government

Disability.gov 2.0

Marking the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Labor Department has revamped <a href="http://www.disability.gov/">Disability.gov</a> to include social media tools and encourage interaction and feedback. The new Web site allows visitors to sign up for personalized news and updates, participate in online discussions and suggest resources for the site. It also includes a Twitter feed, RSS feeds, a blog, social bookmarking and a user-friendly platform to obtain answers to questions on such topics as finding employment and job accommodations.

Modernization

DHS to save $87 million with license consolidation

DHS announced a fourth round of cost-saving measures, including replacing thousands of software licenses with a single departmentwide license.

Cybersecurity

New chief to update policies for Coast Guard's acquisition directorate

The new head of the Coast Guard acquisitions unit said he wants to make permanent the relationships between the new unit and the Homeland Security and Defense departments.