Interior

Interior Department Announces Modest Cutback to Telework

Beginning next month, front-line employees with telework agreements will be required to report to a physical office once a week, while supervisors will be eligible only for situational telework.

  • By Erich Wagner

10 Government Legacy Systems Cost Taxpayers $337 Million Every Year

Outdated tech can be costly.  

  • By Heather Kuldell

Interior Doubled Its Use of Drones in 2018

The agency flew more than 10,000 unmanned missions to survey federal land, monitor wildlife and respond to natural disasters.

  • By Jack Corrigan

How Two Agencies Handled Expired Credentials After Historic Shutdown

Despite agencies reopening, some feds weren’t able to get right back to work due to expired PIV cards and passwords.

  • By Aaron Boyd

L.A.’s Public Earthquake-Warning App Is the First in the U.S.

ShakeAlertLA aims to give smartphone users a few seconds’ warning of imminent quakes.

  • By Amanda Kolson Hurley, CityLab

Federal Employee Visited 9,000 Porn Sites in Less Than 7 Months, Auditor Found

The Interior Department inspector general released new details about the employee whose browsing habits allowed Russian malware onto government networks.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Porn-Watching Employee Infected Government Networks With Russian Malware, IG Says

Government auditors traced a malware infection back to a single porn-watching employee within the U.S. Geological Survey.

  • By Jack Corrigan

How Mobile Data Could Help Manage the National Parks

The data could be used to create better park experiences despite overcrowding.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Forest Service Public-Private Partnership Explores Using Drones for Precision Pesticide Application

The group plans to award a sole-source contract to research whether unmanned aerial systems can spray in hard-to-reach places without disrupting nearby sensitive ecosystems.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Pilot-Optional Helicopters Could Be the Future of Fighting Wildfires

The Interior Department’s been working on a plan to expand its aerial firefighting efforts from daylight-only to a 24-hour cycle.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Someone Flew a Drone Too Close to a Wildfire, Again

Firefighters in Colorado had to ground their aircraft for an hour.

  • By Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic

Interior IG: Nation’s Dams Safe From Hacks But Vulnerable to Insider Threats

An inspector general review exposes significant weaknesses to dam cybersecurity that have grown more serious over time.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Two Companies Picked To Protect Nation’s 600 Dams from Cyberattacks

The Interior Department awarded spots on a five-year, $45 million contract to manage IT risk for more than 600 dams nationwide.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Interior is Using Drones to Save People Trapped by Hot Lava

They’ve also been faster and safer than putting boots on the ground, a department official said.

  • By Jack Corrigan

The U.S. Government Wants to Start Charging for the Best Free Satellite Data on Earth

The government says the cost of sharing the data has grown as more people access it.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz

Interior Wants Wi-Fi for Burning Man

Even temporary cities/arts festivals need networks for government and law enforcement operations.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Here’s What Government Gets Wrong About Bug Bounties

Congress has gone bananas for bug bounties, but they may not always be the right choice.

  • By Joseph Marks

Interior Wants To Know How To Manage Its Huge Social Media Presence

The department issued a sources sought notice seeking tools to manage its 1,500 social media accounts.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Interior Department Sees ‘Limitless Possibilities’ for Drones

The department aims to be the civilian leader in unmanned systems, flying nearly 5,000 missions last year alone.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Trump Signs Executive Order to ‘Streamline’ Rural Broadband

The order offers no funding for broadband projects but aims instead to reduce bureaucratic barriers for industry.

  • By Frank R. Konkel

Interior Department's Plan to Stop Drones from Blocking Firefighters

The "Know Where Not To Go" data set tells drone operators where wildfire response might be happening so they can avoid flying there.

  • By Mohana Ravindranath