Digital Government

NOAA models tsunami warning system

Government Computer News

Digital Government

Feds' lack of preserving digital records reaching urgent stage

Growth in electronic documents continues to outstrip government's ability to store them, and computing task force calls on agencies to create enterprisewide solutions.

Digital Government

SSA becomes first to log on to national health network

The decision to use the Nationwide Health Information Network to support processing disability claims is viewed as a boon to the government's push for more use of electronic health records.

Modernization

Contractors call for new agency to push cutting-edge IT

The Industry Advisory Council asks Obama transition team to create the Government Innovation Agency to serve as an incubator for new technology ideas and best practices.

Ideas

Needed: The Innovation Agency

The Industry Advisory Council, a group of federal IT contractors, recently met with the Obama Transition Team to talk about technology policy and management. The group gave Team Obama four reports. One of the more interesting <a href="http://www.actgov.org/actiac/documents/pdfs/Returning_Innovation_to_Gov_with_IT_final_draft.pdf">reports is on innovation</a>, which praises the incoming Obama administration for saying it will appoint a chief technology officer. But IAC says Obama:

Ideas

Before Pocket Calculators

Before there were pocket calculators there were nuclear-age slide rules. These circular cardboard calculators, shown on the <a href="http://www.orau.org/">Oak Ridge Associated Universities Web site</a>, measure all kinds of things related to nuclear blasts -- and, presumably, government officials needed dozens of special slide rules to measure them.

Acquisition

FedTracker: Landrieu to chair small business committee

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) will be the new chairwoman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee in the next Congress.

Digital Government

Voter sites face privacy risk

Government Computer News

People

The Lectern: Contracting in a time of mega-deficits and economic downturn

Government contracting has a number of chronic challenges that need addressing but that can't be fixed overnight. Meanwhile, there is a chance for our contracting workforce, and the incoming administration, to score some quick contracting wins that are related to the current economic and budget situation.