People

Justice helps police with free mapping software

Earlier this month, the Justice Department handed out free software to police as part of a new crime prevention system.

Digital Government

EDS picks new state and local chief

Rick Shaffer previously managed the integrator's state and local government business in midwestern and south central states.

Digital Government

USAID to award AIDS drug supply chain contract

The U.S. Agency for International Development will soon award a multimillion-dollar contract to develop a global supply chain management system for AIDS drugs.

Modernization

Congress pushes for more resilient telecom

As congressional lawmakers probe the weak, uncoordinated government relief and recovery responses to Hurricane Katrina, they have begun pushing for better communications networks that are interoperable and resilient.

Modernization

Congress seeks improved disaster communications

The FCC chairman tells a Senate committee that interoperability, better protocols and a comprehensive national alert system would help in future crises.

People

Florida police to share data with other states

Support for XML justice standard will open door to secure info sharing

People

New York awards $2 billion public safety radio communications deal

M/A-COM will implement, operate and maintain a statewide interoperable wireless radio network.

People

Editorial: Procedures be damned

Most people would be hard-pressed to justify how one Federal Emergency Management Agency official responded to questions about the slow delivery of medicine to emergency shelters along the Gulf Coast.

Modernization

Telecom firms ready hurricane relief

They sent additional emergency equipment to Texas and Louisiana in preparation for Hurricane Rita.

Digital Government

Fewer than half of California's counties have EHR projects

Only 26 of the state's 58 counties are working to exchange electronic health records across disparate information systems.

Modernization

Senate bill seeks survivable communications

Several senators introduced a bipartisan bill yesterday that would provide several billion dollars to develop survivable, interoperable communications.

People

Parkes: In emergencies, data needs to be everywhere

The Energy Department CIO urges wide-ranging approach to get data everywhere it's needed in emergencies.

People

Plunkett: Crafting metrics not too difficult

Expert says a unified theory of performance management is necessary.

Modernization

Study calls for Vermont to embrace IT

The Vermont Institute on Government Effectiveness released a study detailing how the state could save up to $30 million a year by improving its IT infrastructure.

Modernization

A PDA in hand ...

Local, state and federal emergency responders in the Gulf Coast are using their own self-contained portable radio units with batteries, satellite phones or communications trailers with an array of devices.

Modernization

Focus turns to disaster response

The slow, disorganized response by emergency responders to Hurricane Katrina has prompted IT officials to think more creatively about how to deploy technology.

People

Ohio library offers virtual help in Spanish

Professional librarians from 50 library systems are available around the clock to answer reference questions.

People

Hurricane Katrina gets her own DHS IG

The Homeland Security Department's inspector general is creating an office that will specifically focus on Hurricane Katrina issues.

People

Senate curbs e-gov in Commerce, Justice spending bill

The Senate spending bill limits the power of federal agencies to transfer money to fund e-government projects.

People

Gingrich: 'Paper kills,' electronic medical records save lives

Katrina has shown beyond doubt the necessity of moving to electronic records, policy figures argue.