Digital Government
Las Vegas Rolls GIS Toward Citizens and City Workers
Las Vegas is the nation's fastestgrowing city. Each month it takes in 6,000 new residents, approves construction of more than 577 new homes and cranks out 500 new business permits. To manage that kind of expansion, city officials are leveraging the power of a geographic information systems (GIS)
Digital Government
iMac lives up to the buzz
Created as a lowcost PC alternative for students and consumers, Apple Computer Inc.'s innovative iMac platform is generating excitement in the government market. After a handson evaluation of the iMac, we understand the hoopla: We found the iMac to be fast, welldesigned and affordable.
Digital Government
Asymetrix offers comprehensive training solution
Testing by Chip Pettirossi With high demand for training and limited funds to provide it, more government agencies are turning to computerbased training (CBT) to create and manage custom training courses with multimedia features all delivered electronically. Many agencies prefer CBT because it's
Digital Government
Lotus nabs two mega Notes buys
The installed base for Lotus Development Corp.'s messaging and groupware product recently expanded, as two federal agencies began rolling out the software to tens of thousands of users. The Environmental Protection Agency will deploy Notes to cover 26,000 email addresses, and the Army Battle Comma
Digital Government
Explore deep space with NASA DS1
NASA's Deep Space 1 mission, launched late last month, has caught the fancy of the general public with its emphasis on science fictionlike technical wizardry. As it has done in the past, the space agency is making use of the World Wide Web to explain the significance of the program and to provide
Digital Government
Reforms spur IT cost analyses
Information technology reforms and the availability of contracts that allow agencies to outsource the desktop are forcing agencies to assess how much they spend on computer systems. Two recently awarded desktop outsourcing contracts Outsourcing Desktop Initiative for NASA (ODIN) and the General S
Digital Government
IRS cuts out tax paperwork
The Internal Revenue Service plans to make it easier for tax accountants to file electronically next year by eliminating the need to follow up with signed tax forms after the fact. While the IRS sees electronic filing as a way to reduce the cost and energy of processing tax forms, the agency in pas
Digital Government
NARA floats electronic records plan
According to a new draft policy distributed throughout the government last month by the National Archives and Records Administration, agencies should decide whether to keep their electronic records based on their need for the documents, a policy similar to how agencies now make decisions about reta
Digital Government
Set-Asides
Y2K worker deficit feared Federal agencies are concerned that a shortage of skilled labor and competition from the private sector will hamper efforts to fix Year 2000 computer problems, according to the General Accounting Office. Of the 24 large agencies, 13 have expressed concerns about the availa
Digital Government
Start-up company develops card-based security for PC
A 1yearold security company in Israel has developed a smart card security system that protects a user's PC from unauthorized access by locking the PC when it senses the user is away from the machine. First Access Ltd. designed a system that consists of client/server software, a smart card that id
Digital Government
Let IT bring legislation to light
The legislative process frequently has been likened to the messy process of making sausage. But rarely has Congress subjected federal agencies to the slapdash treatment that gave rise to this year's gargantuan $520 billion omnibus spending bill. Congress frequently finds itself pushed by the end o
Digital Government
RIF causes tiff at Commerce's OGC
Before getting rid of employees as part of a reduction in force (RIF), federal managers must classify employees into 'competitive levels.' Basically, this means grouping employees who do roughly equivalent jobs and then evaluating them against each other to determine who stays and who goes. But a r
Digital Government
ATL, Seagate team for easy backup
As government agencies look to back up more data that doesn't require instant access, such as desktop files and email, the demand for inexpensive nearline storage is rising. We evaluated one storage solution designed to meet this demand: ATL Products' ATL P1000 tape storage library running Seagat
Digital Government
Micron creates training, ed programs
Micron Electronics Inc. today launched an initiative to offer customized education and services online, both of which are aimed at making it easier for customers to understand the technology with which they are working. The company has developed a program called Micron University through which it w
Digital Government
Netscape browser boosts road warrior support
Government systems administrators and frequent travelers will find much to like in Netscape Communications Corp.'s recently updated World Wide Web browsing suite, Communicator 4.5. Among other upgrades, the new version, which was released Oct. 19, features improved message management and enhanced s
Digital Government
New tech builds mobile virtual private networks
A small startup company in Northern Virginia is targeting the federal market with an application that enables organizations to create 'virtual' networks to connect mobile workers spread out over a geographic region. Ecutel LLC's product, called Viatores, allows users to work securely on mobile com
Digital Government
Taking account of financial management systems (Part 1)
In the early 1980s, the media reported on billions of dollars worth of transactions and millions of dollars worth of military equipment that were improperly recorded or lost. Taxpayers understandably became irate, wondering what the government was doing with their money. In 1986, during my tenure a
Digital Government
OMB mulls budget to fight cyberterror
The Clinton administration is considering including in its next budget funds for a governmentwide system that would detect intrusions into key agency networks and some federal World Wide Web sites and then send reports of possible threats to the FBI. The Office of Management and Budget received the
Digital Government
DOD weighs future comm strategy
BEDFORD, Mass. With data communications requirements expected to jump exponentially by 2010, the Pentagon may opt to develop a new global satellite system to replace its aging constellation, even though industry vendors say they are prepared to meet its requirements. Speaking at the annual Milita
Digital Government