FCW Insider: April 29

Opening up DOD's AI black box

As algorithms and other AI tools become more prominent to military operations, researchers are studying better ways to visualize and communicate their decision-making. Derek B. Johnson explains.

CISA tapped as shared services provider for cyber

The Office of Management and Budget formally designated Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as the first Quality Service Management Office for shared services. Mark Rockwell has more.

State and local government jobs are front and center in Dems' plans for COVID-19 relief

Democratic lawmakers are seeking aid to help state and local governments retain workers and avoid layoffs in the next relief bill aimed at alleviating the economic toll that the coronavirus pandemic has had upon the U.S. economy. Lia Russell reports.

Where did the ideas for shutdowns and social distancing come from?

Steve Kelman offers another story about hero civil servants (and a good president).

Quick Hits

*** The Census Bureau plans to launch a large-scale survey of households to collect information on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on American life. In a limited-sources justification document explaining the $2 million acquisition, Census said it will leverage its data collection infrastructure to provide timely information on how changes in employment, income, education and the availability of housing, food and other consumer goods are affecting Americans to inform lawmakers as they draft policy to help restart the economy.

"Due to the critical nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent and compelling need for real time data, the extensive amount of time involved in obtaining an ATO for another provider would jeopardize the expedient delivery of secure and necessary data to federal decision makers." Census officials said.

*** The U.S. Agency for International Development released its first-ever digital strategy, to support staff and global partners as well as to put digital and interactive technologies at the forefront of delivering services, engaging with stakeholders in the development community and seeding economic opportunities in countries supported by agency programs.

*** The National Security Agency issued guidelines April 24 on selecting commercial collaboration applications for use in government telework. Some things to consider, according to NSA, is whether the service offers end-to-end encryption, do privacy policies allow vendors to tap user data for marketing purposes and whether a service is "developed and/or hosted under the jurisdiction of a government with laws that could jeopardize USG official use."